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Recent AMA activity on scope of practice
Even though most state legislatures are no longer in session, the AMA continues its effort to defeat inappropriate scope of practice expansions at the state level.
Last week, the AMA joined (PDF) several physician groups in urging New York’s Governor Kathy Hochul to veto S6693B/A4613B, bills that would impact the scope of practice and credentialing for podiatrists. In its letter, AMA raised concerns over provisions that would allow podiatrists to perform surgery on the leg and authorize podiatrists to perform total ankle replacements, neither of which are universally required as part of the podiatry residency program. The AMA also objected to provisions that would create a means for the state of New York to grant advanced surgical privileges to podiatrists whose skills and experience have not been verified through board certification. As of Aug. 5, Governor Hochul has not yet taken action on the bill.
In Virginia, the AMA submitted remarks (PDF) this week to the Board of Medicine and the Board of Psychology, both of which are engaged in a study workgroup mandated by legislation and tasked with evaluating the merits of legislation that would authorize certain psychologists to prescribe medications and determining under what conditions, if any, such policies are appropriate. The AMA underscored that while improving access to mental health care is a critical goal, psychologists lack the medical education and clinical training necessary to safely prescribe and manage medications—especially considering the powerful nature of psychotropic drugs. The letter noted that alternative strategies, such as expanding telehealth and implementing the Collaborative Care Model, are safer, higher-impact ways to improve access to mental health care.
Advocate Health credentialing reform helps more than 20,000 clinicians
More than 20,000 physicians, advanced practice providers and other health care professionals across North Carolina and Wisconsin will no longer be asked to disclose if they seek care for mental health support, thanks to the leadership of Advocate Health.
With guidance and partnership from the AMA and the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation, Advocate Health led the charge in these states to remove overly invasive mental health questions in licensing and credentialing applications, often preventing health workers from seeking support.
Effective Aug. 1, Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, joined other leading health systems across the country in updating its credentialing questions to align with AMA and Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation recommendations. These updates are the result of a collaborative effort that brought together physicians, medical staff services, legal, managed care and government affairs teams, marking a deliberate step toward removing stigmatizing language that might deter clinicians from seeking mental health support.
“Removing intrusive mental health questioning from applications directly supports our ‘Well-being for All’ and ‘Best Place to Care’ clinician goals by reducing barriers to care and signaling to clinicians that their mental health is valued and protected,” said Mila Felder, MD, vice president of well-being for Advocate Health.
Advocate Health’s “Best Place to Care” initiative is an enterprise‑wide strategy aimed at strengthening caregiver well-being, reducing administrative burdens and making the health system a top destination for physicians, nurses and the entire care team. The goal is to enable clinical staff to focus squarely on caring for patients, rather than paperwork and burnout.
Key components of “Best Place to Care” include:
- Streamlined workflows: Less unnecessary admin work and more focus on seeing patients
- Well-being programs: Tools and programs designed to support mental health, manage stress and reinforce work-life balance
- Professional support and growth: Access to mentorship, training and development opportunities throughout a clinician’s career
Though initial concerns were raised about compliance and possible risk, sharing real stories of how stigmatizing credentialing language creates barriers to care proved persuasive. National best practices and direct technical assistance from the AMA and Dr. Lorna Breen Foundation further helped shift perspectives. Ultimately, the alignment with Advocate Health’s “Well-being for All” and “Best Place to Care” goals— removing barriers to care and affirming that mental health is a strength—helped build consensus and momentum.
“These credentialing changes, which are in effect now, represent a powerful cultural shift for the system,” said Jennifer Mangan-Moore, vice president of enterprise medical staff services, Advocate Health. “They signal that we are serious about dismantling stigma and creating a psychologically safe environment—where seeking mental health support is seen as a strength, not a liability.”
The AMA and Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation provided direct technical assistance over the course of several months—support that is available to every hospital and health system interested in updating their credentialing applications, regardless of location.
“We believe this helps foster a culture of psychological safety and trust, aligning with our broader strategy to create a supportive, stigma-free environment for all clinicians,” said Yasemin Moore, associate vice president of clinician leadership and development for Advocate Health.
This forward-thinking approach—combining strategic initiatives like “Best Place to Care” with practical, policy-level changes—is creating lasting impact: reducing fatigue and burnout, strengthening patient experiences and helping retain top providers.
“We have a lot more work to do in this space, but we are proud to be leading the way in supporting mental health across our organization,” said Andrea S. Fernandez, MD, chief medical officer at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, which is part of Advocate Health.
Looking ahead, Advocate Health plans a multi-layered communication strategy to share these credentialing updates across the system. This will include newsletters, social media, leadership forums, medical staff services, well-being councils and opportunities for storytelling and recognition—all reinforcing the message that removing stigmatizing language is a visible commitment to clinician mental health.
Advocate Health is also working to make updates in Georgia and is leading a collaborative of chief wellness officers in Greater Chicagoland to impact Illinois state-mandated language to simplify access to care for clinicians across the state.
Advocate Health is also piloting programs for its providers returning from parental leave and other major life events to provide additional support.
Advocate Health joins 62 other leading health systems in making these changes. As of Aug. 1, there are now 683 hospitals and care facilities in the United States that have made changes consistent with recommendations from the AMA and Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation.
"In states across the country, health systems and hospitals are stepping up and guaranteeing equal privacy in mental health care for our healthcare workforce," said Stefanie Simmons, MD, FACEP, chief medical officer, Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation. "We're honored and ready to collaborate and support all healthcare organizations, like we did with Advocate Health, to make it safer to seek mental health care for all 22 million healthcare workers."
Learn more about the AMA’s national campaign to support physicians’ health and well-being.
Visit the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation website to see if the medical board, hospitals and health systems in your state have been recognized as having removed inappropriate, stigmatizing language from credentialing applications and peer reference forms.
AMA President delivers keynote on key issues facing physicians
AMA President Bobby Mukkamala, MD, attended the Florida Medical Association’s Annual Meeting and House of Delegates on July 25, providing a keynote address at the opening session, delivering a greeting and advocacy update from the AMA to hundreds of physician members and attendees from across the state.
Dr. Mukkamala focused his messaging on prior authorization and the ongoing battles physicians wage to get even the most routine treatments approved, highlighted 25 years of declining Medicare payment rates and the recently passed reconciliation bill that will implement severe cuts and changes to critical federal health programs. He also promoted the AMA’s ongoing Fix Medicare Now campaign, and the AMA’s ongoing call for Congress to ensure regular, adequate payment updates that are vital to practices, advancing value-based care models, and safeguarding access to care for Medicare beneficiaries, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
He also recognized the ongoing efforts of the Florida Medical Association’s advocacy team, noting that that not a single scope of practice expansion bill passed during the Florida legislative session this year, and emphasized FMA’s priority of expanding the number of graduate medical education slots to address the growing physician shortage and how this dovetails with AMA’s efforts on the issue.
Dr. Mukkamala closed his address with a rousing call to action and encouraged the physicians of Florida and across the nation to continue to speak out with one loud voice.
