AMA in the News: May 2021

AMA in the News covers media coverage and mentions about the American Medical Association. Find articles recognizing our efforts in health care, advocacy, medical education and improvements in public health. Read coverage on the achievements of our leadership and the members of the AMA community.

1. Tidelands Health physician, Air Force veteran tapped to lead American Medical Association

   1. The Post and Courier, May 19, 2021
   2. Profile of AMA President-elect Gerald E. Harmon, MD. (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

2. Examining the American Medical Association’s racist history and its overdue reckoning

   1. PBS NewsHour, May 18, 2021
   2. The national calls to action over racial justice have brought new awareness of past injustices in many parts of our society, including the fields of science and medicine. Yamiche Alcindor speaks to Aletha Maybank, MD, MPH, the American Medical Association's chief health equity officer, about the organization's racist history, how it plans to reckon with it and the intersection of race and medicine.

3. Medical groups endorse legislation to reform prior authorization

   1. Healio, May 17, 2021
   2. The AMA and other professional organizations endorsed the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act, which would streamline prior authorizations for Medicare Advantage plans and introduce additional protections for patients.

4. Doctors now must provide patients their health data, online and on demand

   1. Kaiser Health News, May 17, 2021
   2. “Such incidents aren’t affecting the majority of patients, but they’re not rare,” said Jack Resneck Jr., MD, an American Medical Association board trustee. The AMA is advocating for “tweaks” to the rule, he said, like allowing brief delays in releasing results for a few of the highest-stakes tests, like those diagnosing cancer, and more clarity on whether the harm exception applies to adolescent patients who might face emotional distress if their doctor breached their trust by sharing sensitive information with their parents.

5. CDC urges docs to puncture vaccine vial—even for just one person

   1. Stateline, May 14, 2021
   2. “We always knew that at a certain time there would be a transition to doctors as supply allowed for shipping vaccines to individual offices for patients who weren’t willing to wait in long lines,” said American Medical Association President Susan Bailey, MD.

6. Pfizer vaccine given final ok for use in adolescents

   1. HealthDay, May 13, 2021
   2. The American Medical Association (AMA) also applauded the move.
   3. "We know that adolescents 12 years of age and up are at risk of severe illness from COVID-19 and can contribute to transmission of COVID-19 to others," AMA President Susan Bailey, MD, said in a statement. "Having safe and effective vaccine available to this age group will help them return to normal activities and help protect more people from the spread of COVID-19."

7. AMA issues health equity plan, confronts past of medical racism

   1. PatientEngagementHIT, May 13, 2021
   2. “This strategic plan represents a step forward in a much longer journey to ground the AMA, health care, and our nation’s health care system around equity with a vision of achieving optimal health for all,” AMA President-Elect Gerald E. Harmon, MD, said in a statement.

8. Pres. of the American Medical Association answers questions on the Pfizer COVID vaccine authorization for kids

   1. WFAA, May 12, 2021
   2. Interview with AMA President Susan R. Bailey, MD, on Pfizer vaccine authorization for individuals ages 12-16.

9. Largest U.S. doctors association launches antiracism plan

   1. The Hill, May 12, 2021
   2. The American Medical Association (AMA) initially launched this comprehensive plan during a meeting in 2018. Since then, the plan has evolved into a three-year timeline outlining steps the organization plans to take to combat racism among health care professionals.

10. American Medical Association releases anti-racist plan for itself and medical profession

    1. BET, May 12, 2021
    2. The American Medical Association has released a new plan to end institutionalized racism within the organization and within the U.S. medical field in general. The strategy, outlined in an 86-page document, points out health inequities that have been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic as well as police violence and other racial issues that have created inequities, in its mandate to improve medical care for marginalized people.

11. U.S. doctors group issues anti-racism plan for itself, field

    1. Associated Press, May 11, 2021
    2. The AMA plan calls for more than diversifying its staff and adding members who are from Black, Hispanic, Indigenous and LGBTQ communities. It aims to embed anti-racist activities and education at every level of the organization.

12. HHS prohibits discrimination against LGBTQ patients

    1. Medscape, May 11, 2021
    2. "The Biden administration did the right thing by terminating a short-lived effort to allow discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation when seeking health care," said Susan R. Bailey, MD, president of the American Medical Association (AMA), in a statement. (Free registration is required to view content.)

13. Acknowledging its ‘white patriarchy’ and racist past, the AMA pledges to dismantle causes of health inequities

    1. STAT, May 11, 2021
    2. The report is heavily educational—it includes a primer on equity full of definitions, “to make sure it met the medical community where they are at and to move them along,” said Aletha Maybank, MD, MPH, the AMA’s chief health equity officer, who started work on the report soon after she was appointed in 2019. “It goes beyond the typical strategic plan. It goes to the roots of why these inequities exist in the first place.”

14. AMA releases plan for fighting racism—starting with itself

    1. MedPage Today, May 11, 2021
    2. "The framework of the plan ... is driven by the immense need for equity-centered solutions to confront harms produced by systemic racism and other forms of oppression for Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian and other people of color, as well as people who identify as LGBTQ+ and people with disabilities," the organization said in a press release. "Its urgency is underscored by ongoing circumstances, including inequities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing police brutality and hate crimes targeting Asian, Black and Brown communities." (Free registration is required to view content.)

15. 'I am convinced we will beat COVID': American Medical Association President Susan Bailey discusses vaccine successes, myths, challenges

    1. Community Impact Newspapers, May 10, 2021
    2. Interview with AMA President Susan R. Bailey, MD, on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.

16. U.S. restores transgender health protections denied by Trump

    1. Associated Press, May 10, 2021
    2. Speaking for the medical community, the American Medical Association said in a statement the Biden administration “did the right thing” by ending “a dismal chapter which a federal agency sought to remove civil rights protections.” But some conservatives warned that doctors could be forced to perform gender reassignment procedures against their professional judgement.

17. Physicians' departure from private practice has accelerated since 2018, AMA says

    1. Fierce Healthcare, May 6, 2021
    2. AMA President Susan R. Bailey, M.D., said the speed hike could be fueled by a number of different developments such as the industry’s increasing merger and acquisition activity, physician job changes and the new crop of young physicians entering the workforce.

18. American Medical Assoc. President: Stop the anti-trans bills

    1. The Advocate, May 5, 2021
    2. Op-ed by AMA President Susan R. Bailey, MD, on AMA’s position against regressive state-level laws to limit transgender rights.

19. AMA: Most physicians now work outside of private practice

    1. Modern Healthcare, May 5, 2021
    2. The AMA has documented the gradual evolution away from physician-owned practices in each iteration of its biennial survey, which it has performed since 2012. Last year's results, which include responses from 3,500 physicians, suggest the trend has entered hyperdrive. (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

20. CPT codes created for Novavax COVID-19 vaccine, administration

    1. RevCycleIntelligence, May 5, 2021
    2. “Relying on multiple manufacturers to produce different COVID-19 vaccine products helps to avoid possible supply disruptions and supports the needed volume of doses,” Susan R. Bailey, MD, president of the AMA, said in the press release. “However, accurately correlating vaccinated patients with one of the available COVID-19 vaccines is critical for managing immunizations.”