Hundreds of physicians and medical students are gathering in Chicago over six days for the 2022 AMA Annual Meeting to consider proposals across a wide range of clinical practice, payment, medical education and public health topics. The meeting runs June 10–15.
Meeting in person for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMA House of Delegates will work in a democratic process to create a national physician consensus on emerging issues in public health, science, ethics, business and government to improve the care and public heath of patients and communities. The policies adopted at this meeting will give the AMA direction and act as a driving force on the future of American medicine.
During his address at the meeting’s opening session Friday evening, AMA President Gerald E. Harmon, MD, will detail the AMA Recovery Plan for America’s Physicians. You took care of the nation. It’s time for the nation to take care of you. It’s time to rebuild. And the AMA is ready.
AMA delegates also will have the opportunity to engage with educational offerings covering issues such as scope of practice, private equity acquisition of physician practices, and practice changes that can save doctors hours of work daily.
Policy discussion
Among the notable issues that will be addressed at the 2022 AMA Annual Meeting are these eight:
- Addressing public health disinformation by health professionals.
- Regulating ghost guns.
- Declaring climate change a public health crisis.
- Banning cannabidiol ads in places that children frequent.
- Preventing loss of insurance coverage after the COVID -19 public health emergency ends.
- Urging the Food and Drug Administration to swiftly review and approve over-the-counter status for oral contraceptives.
- Decreasing bias in evaluations of medical student performance.
- Ensuring accessibility of quality child care for physicians in training.
Special sessions
Physicians and medical students attending the meeting at the Hyatt Regency Chicago also have the opportunity to learn from experts on a variety of subjects, including these below.
“Private Equity Acquisition of Physician Practices: A Case Study and Argument for Ethical Guidelines.” There is a growing trend in private equity firms acquiring interests in physician practices. A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests private equity’s involvement can result in steep price increases that could lead to higher insurance premiums and patient cost-sharing.
Presenters, including one of the study’s authors, Ambar LaForgia, PhD, and JAMA Internal Medicine commentary author Francis J. (Jay) Crosson, MD, will share their findings and insights. (There are two sessions of the program on Friday, June 10: 8:15–9:30 a.m. CDT, Crystal A, West Tower; and 10:30–11:45 a.m. CDT, Grand Hall J, East Tower.)
“Scope of Practice: Hattiesburg Clinic’s Case Study and AMA Advocacy.” This program features a speaker from Hattiesburg Clinic discussing the results of the organization’s study on the impact of nurse practitioners and physician assistants, and what changes the organization made because of that study. The program also features lead staff from the AMA Advocacy Resource Center discussing the important work the AMA is doing to advocate for the physician as the leader of the health care team. (Friday, June 10, 9:45–11:40 a.m. CDT, Crystal A, West Tower.)
Hattiesburg Clinic is an AMA Health System Program member. Learn more by reading this in-depth article, “Amid doctor shortage, NPs and PAs seemed like a fix. Data’s in: Nope.”
“A Playbook for Saving Hours Each Day.” Almost half of a physician’s day is spent performing tasks that do not require an MD or DO degree. The good news is that nearly 80% of unnecessary tasks are under your local control.
The purpose of this AMA workshop is to:
- Help physicians and their practices stop doing unnecessary and duplicative tasks that prevent the doctor from doing more meaningful work.
- Incorporate practice fundamentals such as pre-visit planning and lab testing, team documentation, and expanded rooming and discharge efforts.
- Make the case to leadership by demonstrating the return on investment with better outcomes, lower cost of recruiting or replacing staff, improved physician well-being, and increased patient access and satisfaction.
The workshop builds on “The AMA STEPS Forward® Saving Time Playbook” (PDF), which helps physicians identify superfluous tasks, stop the overinterpretation of regulations and implement efficient workflows. (Sunday, June 12, 1:30–2:30 p.m. CDT, Crystal B/C, West Tower.)
Reducing burnout and fighting scope creep are two core elements of the AMA Recovery Plan for America’s Physicians.
Anyone can view the meeting’s prerecorded education sessions:
- “Bridging the Gap for Unhoused People: Medical Respite Care Programs.”
- “Long-term Implications of Restricting Access to Abortion.”
- “Overcoming Stigma: Incorporating Addiction Medicine into UME.”
- “Promoting Financial Literacy in Minority First-generation Medical Students.”
- “Social Media in Medicine: Effective Strategies for Networking.”
Follow the meeting
Highlights of the meeting’s key moments and House of Delegates policy actions will be posted daily at the AMA website, the 2022 AMA Annual Meeting website, and the AMA’s Facebook page, Instagram and Twitter account using #AMAmtg.
Addresses from leadership and more will be featured on the AMA’s YouTube channel. After the meeting, be sure to follow the AMA on LinkedIn for additional updates as well.
