The 2015 AMA Annual Meeting took place this week.
1. More transparent, physician-friendly MOC focus of new policy
Physicians took on the maintenance of certification (MOC) process at the 2015 AMA Annual Meeting Monday, calling for more transparency and education surrounding the process.
2. “Innovation ecosystem” shaping medicine’s future
The AMA is improving the health of the nation by crafting an “innovation ecosystem,” AMA Executive Vice President and CEO James L. Madara, MD, said in his address. This includes the launch of the AMA’s STEPS Forward website, which offers a free series of physician-developed, proven solutions to make physician practices thrive.
3. Doctors call for two-year grace period for ICD-10 implementation With less than four months to go before the deadline for implementing the ICD-10 code set, physicians agreed to seek a two-year grace period to avoid financial disruptions, facilitating a smoother transition that would allow them to continue providing quality care to their patients.
4. From Rx monitoring to treatment: Solutions for overdose epidemic As the nation continues to grapple with its epidemic of opioid misuse, overdose and death, physicians supported additional steps to address this pressing public health issue.
5. Facing challenges strengthens physician-patient bond: AMA president In his final address as AMA president, Robert M. Wah, MD, congratulated physicians on undertaking numerous challenges this year, including accelerating change in medical education and improving health outcomes for patients with prediabetes and high blood pressure.
6. New public health policies patients need to know—and why
Many of today’s precautions for public health and safety had their start with physicians at the AMA. Public health issues that doctors want to tackle next range from barring people younger than 21 from purchasing e-cigarettes to protecting youths with concussions.
7. GME funding, doc shortage tackled in new policy Physicians passed policy to address insufficient funding for graduate medical education (GME) ahead of a predicted shortage of 46,000-90,000 physicians over the next decade.
8. A story of hope: New AMA president points to power of physicians For each story of frustration in the medical profession, “there is a story of vision, perseverance and success,” AMA President Steven J. Stack, MD, said in his inaugural address. “When it comes to something as important as shaping a better, healthier future, it will take every single one of us.”
9. Medical reasons should be the only exemptions from vaccinations
As the debate around vaccinations continues to rage in the public, outbreaks of dangerous preventable diseases have continued to increase. For public health experts, the question has become, “Should individuals be given exemptions from required immunizations for non-medical reasons?” Physicians provided some answers with policy passed Monday.
10. New AMA policy calls for research on violence against physicians Policy adopted Tuesday supports a new study on methods that will prevent violence against health care professionals while in the workplace. Attacks at hospital and social service settings account for almost 70 percent of nonfatal workplace assaults.
