The AMA’s advocacy efforts are directed and deepened by the AMA House of Delegates, which works 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.
Nearly 700 physician and medical student delegates gathered over the last week at Hyatt Regency Chicago for the 2026 AMA Annual Meeting. The meeting highlights below would not have been possible without writing and reporting by AMA Senior News Writer Brendan Murphy and freelance contributors Tanya Albert Henry and Timothy M. Smith, as well as the work of the AMA’s media relations team. Special thanks to Ted Grudzinski and Barbara Freeman for their many great shots of the House of Delegates in action.
The delegates will next meet in November for the 2026 AMA Interim Meeting, in Orlando, Florida. Find out more about AMA virtual and in-person events.
Wednesday, June 10
With AI increasingly part of care, transparency and quality are musts
As augmented intelligence (AI) deepens its roots in medicine, the House of Delegates moved to ensure that evidence-based care is integrated in all health AI systems and that transparency remains at the forefront of efforts.
One big area of concern: The way in which AI-enabled decision support systems are reshaping how information is synthesized and applied in the practice of medicine. AI tools can offer rapid analysis and evidence-informed recommendations that enhance human expertise, not replace it. And they can improve efficiency, workflow and detection of high-risk conditions. But there is reason to be wary.
“AI has enormous potential in healthcare, but it cannot replace physician judgment,” said AMA CEO John Whyte, MD, MPH. “Patients deserve care decisions that are informed by the latest medical evidence and guided by a physician who understands their individual needs. Whether AI is helping a physician make a clinical decision or assisting with an insurance review, there must always be transparency, accountability, and meaningful physician oversight. Technology should support better care—not stand between patients and the care they need.”
Catch up with the AMA's latest actions ensure to physicians help shape how AI is developed, implemented and regulated across the healthcare system, with patient safety and physician-led care remaining at the center of those efforts. Also, explore the AMA's work in this area through its Center for Digital Health and AI.
Food is medicine. Find out how doctors are boosting the idea.
The AMA this week affirmed that “food is medicine” and is committed to advancing nutrition education, research and policy efforts to improve chronic disease outcomes.
“Good nutrition is one of the most powerful tools we have to improve health and prevent disease,” said Dr. Mukkamala, now the AMA's immediate past president. “What we eat and drink directly affects our risk for many chronic conditions, making nutrition a critical component of both prevention and long-term health. Embracing the principle that food is medicine can help individuals live healthier lives and strengthen the health of our communities.”
Get more details on how the AMA will advance the "food is medicine" movement and also furthering patient and public education on the the health impact of ultraprocessed foods.
The “food is medicine” approach will be featured in an upcoming AMA “Healthy Diet and Dietary Patterns” webinar, part of a series hosted by Dr. Mukkamala. Learn more and register now.
Tuesday, June 9
New AMA president: Courageous leadership can reshape healthcare
Moments after he assumed the highest elected position in organized medicine, Willie Underwood III, MD, MSc, MPH, spoke of the foundational problems in America’s healthcare system.
Newly inaugurated as the 181st president of the AMA—a physician organization founded in 1847—Dr. Underwood told the gathered physicians, family and close friends that while the medical profession is not responsible for all the problems that plague the provision and delivery of care in the U.S., the onus to address these challenges falls on the AMA and physician leaders across the country.
Having recently purchased a 120-year-old home in Buffalo, New York, Dr. Underwood understands the responsibility of repairing the problems created by others.
“When you buy an old house, you inherit everything that comes with it,” said Dr. Underwood, a urological surgeon. “Its beauty. Its craftsmanship. Its history. But also its cracks. Its weaknesses. The hidden issues behind the walls. Whether you created those problems or not once the house belongs to you, you own it.”
Read more about Dr. Underwood's origins in Northwest Indiana, and how he plans to take advantage of this opportunity to help reshape the U.S. health system for the better.
AMA adds more to its game plan to fix prior authorization
With physicians and patients continuing to encounter time wasting, clinically dangerous prior authorization roadblocks despite insurer pledges to fix the broken system, delegates voted to take more steps to hold companies responsible and get patients the care they need. These are just the latest efforts in the AMA's fight to fix prior authorization by challenging insurance companies to eliminate care delays, patient harms and practice hassles.
Delegates said that physicians who provide review for prior authorization decisions for insurance companies are making medical decisions and should be held accountable for those decisions. The AMA will seek legislation or regulation regarding insurance company utilization review to require that:
- The person charged with authorization decisions provide their full name, specialty and National Provider Identifier, in order to maintain transparency, fulfill the requirements of HIPAA, and allow for accountability should the decision be called into question.
- The reviewing physician be licensed in the appropriate state or jurisdiction and, therefore, accountable to appropriate state medical boards or regulatory authorities for the consequences of these clinically important decisions.
Learn more about the AMA's latest actions to fix prior authorization.
No, physicians are not “providers”
Navigating the healthcare system is a challenge for many patients, and one reason is the system’s persistent use of confusing terminology around who is a physician. Delegates this week acted to eliminate this confusion—and thereby boost patient safety—by deliberately avoiding use of the term “provider” when referring to any clinician with a medical degree.
The AMA already had policy stating that it supports requiring healthcare entities, when using the term “provider” in contracts, advertising and other communications, to specify the type of clinician being referred to by using the clinician’s recognized title, which details their education, training, license status and other recognized qualifications. The policy also supports this concept in state and federal health system reform.
With its latest action, the AMA adopted new policy to “oppose the use of the term ‘provider’ when used to include physicians.”
The AMA, says the resolution that was adopted, “believes that the use of the term ‘provider’ when used to include physicians negatively impacts patient education and awareness, transparency and the ethical responsibilities of physicians to patient safety and professionalism.”
This and several other actions taken at the Annual Meeting will strengthen the AMA’s efforts to fight scope creep defend the practice of medicine against scope of practice expansions that threaten patient safety and undermine physician-led, team-based care. Learn more about the delegates' latest moves on scope of practice.
Sandra A. Fryhofer, MD, wins office of AMA president-elect
Atlanta internal medicine physician Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, MD, won the office of AMA president-elect on Tuesday. She was voted into office by physician and medical student delegates gathered at the 2026 AMA Annual Meeting in Chicago. Following a yearlong term as president-elect, Dr. Fryhofer will be inaugurated as AMA president in June 2027.
For more than two decades, Dr. Fryhofer has been a trusted leader within the AMA, serving in key roles and advancing work on behalf of patients and physicians. She also spent many years as the AMA’s liaison to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, contributing to national efforts related to vaccines to protect against COVID-19, influenza, HPV and other conditions, as well as broader adult immunization and public health initiatives.
“Patients are at the heart of everything we do as physicians, and there has never been a more important time to advocate for them,” said Dr. Fryhofer. “Medicine is at its best when we put patients first and remain guided by science and evidence. We have a tremendous opportunity to improve public health and ensure every patient has access to high-quality care. I am honored to serve as president-elect as we continue that work together.”
Catch up with the other AMA election results, including information on the physicians who won election to the AMA Board of Trustees and various councils.
Flexible start dates could ease transitions to residency, fellowship
The transitions between medical school and residency, and between residency and fellowship—positions typically start on July 1—present physicians in training with several logistical challenges. These include gaps in salary and benefits such as health insurance.
Those burdens may in some instances be further amplified by the process of relocating to begin training at another program, notes a resolution introduced by the AMA Resident and Fellow Section. For physician fellows who often work in their program up to June 30 and may be required to use vacation time in their final weeks of residency, the circumstances of the transition can be especially chaotic.
In tackling the issue, delegates directed the AMA to study “mechanisms for training programs to provide residents and fellows with necessary benefits, including but not limited to health insurance, during transitions in undergraduate and graduate medical education.”
In addition, delegates directed the AMA to study the benefits of flexible start dates as they relate to reducing logistical and financial burdens on trainees, including the transitions from:
- Medical school to residency.
- A transitional or preliminary year to residency.
- Residency into fellowship.
Study the use of situational judgment tests in UME, GME selection
For the upcoming application cycle, more than 60 medical schools are recommending or requiring one of two common situational judgment tests as part of their admissions process. That figure represents roughly 30% of accredited U.S. medical schools. Similar tests may also be used in residency and fellowship selection.
Situational judgement tests—video- and text-based exams that evaluate intangible qualities such as interpersonal skills, professionalism, ethics and empathy—have gained popularity as medical schools have aimed to take a holistic view of medical school applicants.
How the exams are used in evaluating candidates is largely unclear, and the resolution introduced by the AMA Medical Student Section says that exam performance has shown “little to no correlation” on both academic success and likelihood of disciplinary action. However, the AMA also acknowledged ongoing work related to the fairness and outcomes of these tests.
As the use of situational judgment tests grows in undergraduate medical education (UME) and graduate medical education (GME), delegates directed the AMA to “support interested parties in their continued evaluation of the utilization of situational judgment tests, and other similar online decision-making assessments in the medical school admissions and residency and fellowship selection processes, to determine whether or not this style of examination meets the AMA’s stated goal of holistic applicant review, unbiased by nonmodifiable factors.”
Remove degree filters from GME, away-rotation application systems
The AMA-backed, 2020 move to a single accreditation system for graduate medical education means that graduates of DO-granting and MD-granting medical schools meet the same professional standards and compete for the same residency and fellowship positions. Filters in residency-application systems, however, do not allow for equity in the selection of all qualified applicants, says a resolution introduced by the American College of Legal Medicine.
Away rotations are key data point in how residency programs assess applicants in certain specialties. Sorting functions in the Association of American Medical Colleges' Visiting Student Learning Opportunities platform, which students use to apply for away rotation opportunities, allow host institutions to filter applicants by their training institution.
The use of these filters can result in programs discriminating against DO trainees, says the resolution. Additionally, host institutions can impose substantial fees for medical students seeking away rotations, and there are documented reports of significant disparities in these fees between DO and MD applicants.
To address this issue, delegates directed the AMA to:
- Support the removal of filters within medical student clinical elective application systems which differentiate between applicants’ allopathic or osteopathic degree status.
- Oppose the use of filters within the residency and fellowship application systems which denote equivalent aspects such as allopathic and osteopathic degree status.
- Provide a report at the 2028 AMA Annual Meeting on the status of filtering by degree status within medical student clinical elective application systems.
Monday, June 8
Fighting to boost patient access to anti-obesity medications
Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists marketed as Ozempic, Wegovy and more have helped many patients across the country lose weight, better manage and prevent type 2 diabetes and other conditions that dramatically affect patients’ life expectancy and quality of life.
But American doctors know all too well how difficult it is for many of their patients to access these life-changing and often lifesaving medications due to payer restrictions.
“Obesity is a chronic disease that requires sustained, evidence-based treatment and comprehensive support,” said AMA President Bobby Mukkamala, MD. “As new therapies emerge, patients should not face insurmountable financial barriers to clinically appropriate care. These policies advance practical approaches to improving affordability, expanding access, and ensuring patients can receive the full range of services needed to achieve better long-term health outcomes.”
Recognizing obesity as a complex chronic disease that often requires long-term management, delegates took a range of actions to give more patients affordable access to anti-obesity medications. Learn about their latest actions to improve patients' access to anti-obesity medications.
AMA moves to head off doctor burnout, violence in healthcare
Physicians pride themselves on the quality of the care they provide, but excessive patient volumes and overly demanding scheduling requirements can wreak havoc on their patients’ safety and, correspondingly, their own well-being.
And it isn’t just the pace of patient visits that’s an issue. Inefficient practice environments, the demands of documentation and nagging administrative tasks further compress time available for safe and thorough patient care.
On the first day of voting at the Annual Meeting, delegates took steps to build on previous efforts to support reducing system-level drivers of burnout, ensure a safe workplace, and promote flexibility and autonomy in practice conditions. Learn more about the AMA's newly adopted policies to address burnout.
As the leader in physician well-being, the AMA is reducing physician burnout by removing administrative burdens and providing real-world solutions to help doctors rediscover the Joy in Medicine®.
AMA backs transportation assistance for trainees after long shifts
Research has found that driving while fatigued after an overnight or extended shift impairs sustained attention and vigilance to a degree comparable to alcohol intoxication, substantially increasing the risk of motor vehicle accidents. In studies specific to the physician profession, fatigue and sleep deprivation among intern, resident and fellow physicians are well-documented contributors to motor vehicle accidents, says a resolution introduced by the AMA Resident and Fellow Section.
While extended work hours and overnight shifts remain common in graduate medical education, measures that mitigate the potential physician and public safety hazards of those trainees driving while fatigued do not exist on a broad scale, the resolution says.
To address the issue, the House of Delegates adopted new policy that “supports sponsoring institutions providing access to financially-supported transportation assistance and other appropriate fatigue-mitigation resources for trainee physicians following extended duty periods when fatigue may impair safe travel, with consideration given to local resource availability, geographic constraints, and institutional capacity.”
Find evidence-based education on healthy diet
This spring, the AMA has made available a free CME webinar series on healthy diet and dietary patterns. In the series, hosted by Dr. Mukkamala, experts provide evidence-based education on what constitutes a healthy diet, the impact of dietary patterns on overall health, and how to talk with patients about their dietary choices.
Topics covered include ultraprocessed foods, protein, and the “food as medicine” approach. These CME events allow learners to interact with nutrition science experts, offering Q&A and engagement opportunities.
Learn more and register for the CME series now. The next episode, “Reducing Risk of Chronic Disease Through Diet,” airs June 23.
Sunday, June 7
Education sessions this afternoon
Delegates at the Hyatt Regency Chicago have the chance to partake of these education sessions, among others (all times CDT, with locations in parentheses):
- 9:45 a.m. “Litigation Center Opening Meeting.” (Grand Hall G-I)
- 9:45 a.m. “Stop the Bleed.” (Grand Hall K-N)
- 9:45 a.m. “Advancing Behavioral Health Access Through Transparency: A Practical Discussion on Leveraging Data, Collaboration and the New National Mental Health Parity Index.” (Grand Hall J)
- 11 a.m. “The AMA and the World Medical Association—A Mutually Beneficial Partnership.” (Grand Hall G-I)
- 11 a.m. “Community and Rural Health Engagement—Policy, Partnerships and Digital Health. (Grand Hall K-N)
- 11 a.m. “How Precision Education is Transforming Lifelong Learning for Physicians.” (Grant Hall J)
Learn more about these education sessions and how to claim CME credit.
A new home for AMA videos
If you follow the AMA on social media platforms such as Facebook or Instagram, you have doubtless seen a number of AMA videos designed to reach and engage physicians and their patients. Many of these, of course, are featured on the AMA’s YouTube page.
Now there is a new home for videos on the AMA website. This webpage features recent episodes of “AMA Moving Medicine,” speeches by AMA leadership, and videos detailing how the AMA is fighting for doctors on issues such as Medicare physician payment reform, physician burnout, scope of practice and more.
The AMA videos page also has shorts such as one with AMA National Advocacy Conference panelist Mark Cuban on how physicians can add to the entrepreneurship space—as featured on the AMA’s social media channels.
On the topic of entrepreneurship, catch up with this recent Leadership Viewpoints column by Dr. Whyte on the AMA Physician Entrepreneur Forum, a two-day event in the AMA’s Chicago headquarters in August that offers physicians practical tools, CME credit and networking opportunities to build a successful future.
Saturday, June 6
Reference committees hear testimony this afternoon
AMA delegates will offer testimony today covering about 250 reports and resolutions that are up for consideration at the meeting. Delegates draw on their expertise, the best evidence in the medical and health policy literature, and the insights of their state medical associations and national medical specialty societies to weigh in on proposals that run the gamut of issues affecting patients and physicians.
A second opening session of the AMA House of Delegates happens at noon CDT in the Grand Ballroom. Fifteen minutes after that session adjourns, these reference committees will meet from until 6 p.m. CDT today:
- Reference Committee on Amendments to Ethics & Bylaws, which covers the AMA constitution, bylaws and medical ethics matters. (Grand Hall I-J)
- Reference Committee A, which covers medical service. (Regency Ballroom A)
- Reference Committee B, which covers legislation. (Grand Ballroom)
- Reference Committee C, which covers medical education. (Crystal Ballroom)
- Reference Committee D, which covers public health. (Regency Ballroom D)
- Reference Committee E, which covers science and technology. (Regency Ballroom C)
- Reference Committee F, which covers AMA governance and finance. (Grand Hall K-L)
- Reference Committee G, which covers medical practice. (Regency Ballroom B)
Watch this short video to learn more about the nuts and bolts of how AMA policy is made.
Is your health system on the list?
Efforts to alleviate administrative burdens and cultivate a healthier work-life balance lie at the heart of improving physician well-being. These initiatives, focused on reducing stress and bolstering mental health, are essential to creating a supportive environment where doctors can truly thrive. By embracing these changes, forward-thinking health systems reaffirm their commitment to helping physicians find joy and fulfillment in their work, transforming the health care experience for both patients and physicians.
Through their ongoing efforts to reduce physician burnout and enhance well-being, 109 health care organizations are being honored this year by the AMA Joy in Medicine® Health System Recognition Program. This brings the currently recognized total to 164 organizations, which represents 449,058 physicians. Each health system is recognized for a two-year period.
This recognition represents the outstanding efforts these organizations have initiated to address the systemic causes of physician burnout in areas such as commitment, assessment, leadership, teamwork, peer support and practice-environment efficiency.
Download the 2025 AMA Joy in Medicine magazine (log into your AMA account to view) to see whether your organization is part of the prestigious group of 164 organizations across 40 states and the District of Columbia that are currently recognized for their dedication to physician well-being.
Applications for the 2026 Joy in Medicine Program are closed. Recognized organizations will be announced in the fall. To get automatic updates about the Joy in Medicine Program, sign up to stay connected.
Friday, June 5
AMA CEO: Putting doctors back at center of the healthcare conversation
Reflecting on his first year at the helm of the AMA, CEO John Whyte, MD, MPH, underscored the importance of physician leadership in a rapidly transforming health care landscape.
“Leadership is not just standing up to bad policy,” Dr. Whyte told the AMA House of Delegates in tonight’s opening session of the 2026 AMA Annual Meeting. “It's building what comes next. We fight for a system centered around the needs of patients, grounded in evidence and strengthened by innovation that delivers better care and better outcomes.”
As healthcare enters an era of rapidly accelerating change, where trust in science is too often dismissed and overshadowed by competing narratives, Dr. Whyte urged physicians to be active architects of the future.
“In moments like this, physician leadership matters more than ever,” Dr. Whyte said. “Because if we do not help shape the future of medicine, others will shape it for us. That is what is at stake. And it is why the work of this House, and the work of the AMA, carries such urgency right now.”
Read more about how the AMA is shaping the healthcare conversation with credibility and authority.
Dr. Mukkamala: Physicians must unite, lead with purpose
In holding up four fingers, Bobby Mukkamala, MD, shared with the AMA House of Delegates the number of days remaining in his term as the highest elected official in organized medicine. These final days, like the 361 that preceded them, are precious to the outgoing AMA president, he said at tonight's opening session.
“I have been counting because this role is a privilege,” said Dr. Mukkamala, an otolaryngologist from Flint, Michigan. “And because I wanted to make the most of every single day with this platform.”
Learn more about Dr. Mukkamala's tireless advocacy for patients and physicians over the past year, and how the AMA's efforts are starting to reap results.
House of Delegates’ meeting starts today
Nearly 700 physicians and medical students are gathering in Chicago for the 2026 AMA Annual Meeting to consider proposals across a wide range of clinical practice, payment, medical education and public health topics. The meeting runs through June 10.
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 health 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.
In doing so, the delegates will strengthen the AMA in its relentless advocacy role in fighting for physicians.
The newly updated “AMA Advocacy Impact Report” details how the AMA is:
- Reforming Medicare payment.
- Protecting access to care.
- Fixing prior authorization.
- Promoting physician-led care.
- Improving physician well-being.
- Shaping the future of digital health and AI.
- Standing up for science.
- Shaping medicine's future through thought leadership.
Apropos of that last point on thought leadership, ahead of their speeches at tonight’s opening session, the AMA’s physician leaders have been advocating on behalf of patients and physicians with newly published Leadership Viewpoints columns.
AMA CEO and Executive Vice President John Whyte, MD, MPH, raised the alarm Wednesday on the use of chatbots for mental health.
“Across the country, more teens and young adults are turning to AI chatbots for something that looks and feels like mental health support,” Dr. Whyte wrote in his column. “Congress has a responsibility to act. Not to stifle innovation, but to ensure it aligns with the same principles we expect in every corner of healthcare: safety, transparency, accountability and trust.”
The AMA’s leadership on this issue reflects the work of the recently launched AMA Center for Digital Health and AI, which is giving physicians a powerful voice in shaping how AI and other digital tools are harnessed to improve the patient and clinician experience.
Meanwhile, AMA President Bobby Mukkamala, MD, detailed the disappointing findings of the AMA’s latest survey on prior authorization, which shows that promised reforms remain elusive.
“When the nation’s largest health insurers said they were finally going to overhaul prior authorization last summer, physicians took notice,” says Dr. Mukkamala’s column, published Thursday. “The ideas sounded great: make everything easier, reduce red tape, inject some real transparency, and actually put patient safety first—all before Jan. 1, 2027.
“But the 2025 AMA prior authorization physician survey makes it clear that, so far, these promises remain just talk. It is nothing short of infuriating to see excessive prior authorization continue to hurt so many people.” Dr. Mukkamala outlines what real reform looks like. To dive deeper, visit AMA Advocacy in Action to find out what’s at stake in fixing prior authorization and other advocacy priorities the AMA is actively working on.
Education sessions today
Among the educational offerings available to delegates at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, are these sessions (all times CDT, with locations in parentheses):
- 9:15–10:30 a.m. “Prescribing Change: Pharmacy Strategy in Value-Based Care.” (Grand Hall L)
- Noon–1 p.m. “On Call and on a Budget: Plant-Forward Eating Strategies for Medical Trainees.” (Regency Ballroom A–C)
- 12:30–1:30 p.m. “Technology in Practice: Real-World Implementation Across Health Systems and Hospitals.” (Grand Hall L)
- 3–4:30 p.m. AMA Career Resources Event. (Riverside East Exhibit Hall)
Learn more about these education sessions and how to claim CME credit.
Quick links for the meeting
These essentials will help you get the most out of the meeting.
- Access the reports and resolutions delegates will consider, as well as reference committee reports and final actions as they become available.
- Search the AMA Pictorial Directory to find your peers and stay connected before, during and after Annual and Annual Meetings (AMA members only).
- Find instructions on downloading and accessing the meeting app.
- Learn about the education sessions offered and how to claim CME.
Follow the meeting on social media
Highlights of the meeting’s key moments and House of Delegates policy actions will be posted daily at the AMA website, the 2026 AMA Annual Meeting website, and the AMA’s Facebook page, Bluesky, Instagram, LinkedIn and X account using #AMAmtg.
Addresses from leadership and more will be featured on the AMA videos page.
