Late next week, more than 500 physicians from all over the U.S. will engage in the most awe-inspiring aspect of being part of the AMA.
When the House of Delegates convenes in Chicago on June 7, that large, diverse group of medical students and physicians will listen, debate, question and finally, establish policies that set not only the future course of the AMA, but that also shape the future of health care in America.
This is not a task anyone takes lightly.
In its 100-plus year history, the House of Delegates has enacted policies that range from
- Opposing tobacco use, advertising, etc. (1960s, ‘70s, ‘80s)
- Supporting comprehensive sex education for kids (1990s, 2000s)
- Opposing physician involvement in capital punishment (1990s)
- Defining obesity as a disease (2013)
- Supporting insurance reforms and individually owned health insurance (1990s, 2000s)
- Supporting unencumbered physician-patient communications (numerous years)
Of course, the most passionate debates and votes in recent years have concerned the Affordable Care Act, value based payment models, ICD-10 and Medicare’s sustainable growth rate (SGR).
For a newcomer, the sheer size of the House of Delegates can be overwhelming, not to mention the emotion involved in some of the debates and the broad scope of its business.
Here, in one room, is the collective voice of medicine. It is through this voice that policy is made. Once the debate is complete and the majority of the House votes to approve a policy, it is then implemented by the Board of Trustees and AMA management.
This year, the House of Delegates will seat 527 representatives. Approximately half are from every state and territorial medical society and 204 more represent 117 national specialty societies. Also represented are the 10 AMA sections, the American Medical Women’s Association, National Medical Association, five federal services, as well as some 50 additional students and residents.
The Board, which I have been privileged to chair this year, and which is elected by the House of Delegates, is the principal governing body of the AMA. Beyond carrying out the policies and directives of the House, the Board of Trustees, informed by other elements of the organization, has responsibility for planning, strategy and allocation of AMA resources. Board oversight of AMA management is exercised through the executive vice president, who is selected by the Board of Trustees.
It is a complex system, but as an example of representative democracy in action, this one works. We can be justifiably proud as we look back through AMA history to see how policies originally crafted by the House of Delegates and then implemented by the Board and AMA management truly have promoted the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health.
As physicians and a profession, isn’t that what we’re all about?
