The AMA is first and foremost a membership organization. With nearly 300,000 members nationwide, the AMA is dedicated to increasing its membership base and continually upgrading the quality and number of services it provides members. The AMA is a Federation of state associations. Specialty societies and certain special sections of physicians (e.g., residents, hospital medical staff, medical students, women and minority physicians) are also represented by the AMA. Staff involved with Membership, Constituency and Federation Relations interact with these groups to facilitate their participation in the policy making process of the AMA. They develop programs to better respond to member needs and increase membership among physicians.
The Professional Standards programs pursue activities in medical education, science, public health, ethics and practice standards, including the staffing for the accreditation of U.S. medical schools, residency training programs and continuing medical education programs. These programs are also involved in setting standards for the profession in ethics, quality care, physician performance, and in key areas such as AIDS, drug evaluation, technology assessment, adolescent health, tobacco and drug abuse, and biomedical research. The AMA has been involved in standard setting activities throughout its history as part of its commitment to quality care through high professional standards.
The AMA is an advocate for both physicians and patients utilizing the credibility, expertise and resources of a large national organization to ensure that physician and patient viewpoints are heard by legislative and opinion leaders. Staff involved in Health Policy Advocacy pursue this agenda by being a national policy making forum for the profession. They are a strong voice for physicians through their lobbying activities and national, multimedia, educational and communication campaigns.
The AMA is a successful business entity that generates approximately two-thirds of its annual $230 million operating budget from non-dues sources. These non-dues revenues are generated from publishing operations, which include the Journal of the American Medical Association and American Medical News; from database licensing, including data from the AMA Physician Masterfile on nearly 700 thousand physicians; from the sale of books and products to physicians and the public; and from interest and capital gains on the AMA's investment portfolio. The AMA's for-profit subsidiaries, the AMA Insurance Agency, Inc. and AMA Solutions, Inc., also contribute to the AMA's annual revenues. Administrative support services include Corporate Services, Financial Services, Human Resources, Information Technology, and Marketing.
The AMA Subsidiaries -- The American Medical Association Insurance Agency, Inc. (AMAIAI) and AMA Solutions, Inc.-- employ over 100 staff and are located within walking distance of the AMA headquarters building, in the heart of Chicago's downtown business district. The AMAIAI provides a full range of high quality insurance products for physicians and their families that meet professional and personal security needs. AMA Solutions offers two product lines: 1) personal financing products for physicians; and 2) professional products and services that relate to office-based practice.
The AMA's Affiliates -- The American Medical Association Alliance, Inc., The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) and The Physicians for Responsible Negotiation (PRN) -- are all within the AMA headquarters building. The AMA Alliance, Inc. is a national volunteer organization of more than 60,000 physician spouses organized into over 800 local Alliances working to improve public health. The ACGME is responsible for evaluating and accrediting residency programs in the United States by bringing together knowledgeable health care practitioners, educators, and administrators to resolve issues concerning graduate medical training. The ACCME's purpose is to promote the development of and apply principles, policies, and standards for continuing medical education in the accreditation of institutions and organizations offering continuing medical education. The NPSF was formed to give voice to the issue of patient safety by proactively exploring how and why medical errors occur and what can be done to prevent them. The PRN, the AMA's newest affiliate, was created to represent employed physicians in negotiations with hospitals, health plans, and universities concerning employment contracts and patient care.
These inviting work environments are more than matched by the exhilarating challenge of doing socially significant work in conjunction with others who have earned a reputation for achievement and professionalism.
