AMA in the News: April 2021

AMA in the News covers media coverage and mentions about the American Medical Association. Find articles recognizing our efforts in health care, advocacy, medical education and improvements in public health. Read coverage on the achievements of our leadership and the members of the AMA community.

1. Biden administration expected to announce plan to ban menthol cigarettes

   1. The Washington Post, April 28, 2021
   2. In June, the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council and another anti-tobacco group, Action on Smoking & Health, sued the FDA for not responding to the citizen petition. They were joined in the lawsuit by the American Medical Association and the National Medical Association. The FDA agreed to respond to the petition by April 29. (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

2. American Medical Association urges governors to veto transgender medical bans

   1. NBC News, April 27, 2021
   2. The American Medical Association is urging governors across the country to oppose legislation prohibiting transition-related care for minors, calling such proposals “a dangerous governmental intrusion into the practice of medicine.”

3. As opioid deaths surge, Biden team moves to make buprenorphine treatment mainstream

   1. National Public Radio, April 27, 2021
   2. These new guidelines now go further by allowing more practitioners to prescribe the medication. Health care workers will still need additional training and federal waivers if they plan to treat more than 30 patients with the medication.
   3. Patrice A. Harris, MD, MA, head of the American Medical Association's opioid task force, said that restriction could pose a problem for emergency department doctors who are seeing large numbers of patients with opioid use disorder.

4. CDC, FDA lift pause on using J&J's coronavirus vaccine, add safety warning

   1. CNN, April 23, 2021
   2. American Medical Association President Susan R. Bailey, MD, said her organization would help get the word out about risks.
   3. "The AMA will continue to work with the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to ensure physicians and patients are aware of the rare, but increased risk of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) in women under the age of 50, as well as the appropriate treatment, so they can act quickly," Bailey said.

5. U.S. resumes J&J COVID vaccinations despite rare clot risk

   1. NewsNation Now, April 23, 2021
   2. “The AMA commends the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for today reaffirming its recommendation on the use of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine for persons 18 years of age and older in the U.S. population under the Food and Drug Association’s (FDA) Emergency Use Authorization.”
   3. Full statement by AMA President Susan R. Bailey, MD, enclosed.

6. The world’s leading medical journals don't write about racism. That's a problem

   1. Time Magazine, April 21, 2021
   2. Piece co-authored by Fernando De Maio, PhD, director, Health Equity Research and Data Use and Aletha Maybank, MD, MPH, chief health equity officer.  (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

7. Providers, payers are ready to listen, root out racism and regain the trust of minorities. Here’s how.

   1. MedCity News, April 19, 2021
   2. An added complexity is that for Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) groups, the lack of trust in healthcare institutions isn’t just based on their own experiences—it is passed down from generation to generation, said Aletha Maybank, MD, MPH, senior vice president and chief health equity officer for the American Medical Association, in a phone interview.

8. Why annual COVID-19 boosters may become the norm

   1. National Geographic, April 16, 2021
   2. A booster shot is “a repeat dose of a vaccine that you’ve already received to literally boost your immunity,” says Susan R. Bailey, MD, an allergist and clinical immunologist and president of the American Medical Association. The immune system creates virus-fighting memory from repeat exposure. It’s common that a second or third encounter with an antigen, a molecule that prompts antibody production, creates a “greater and more long lasting” immune response, Dr. Bailey says. (Free registration is required to view content.)

9. HHS proposes overturning Title X 'Gag' Rule

   1. Medscape, April 15, 2021
   2. The proposed change in the rules "brings us one step closer to restoring access to necessary care for millions of low-income and uninsured patients who depend on Title X for family planning services," said American Medical Association President Susan R. Bailey, MD, in a statement. "We are pleased that the Biden administration shares our commitment to undoing this dangerous and discriminatory 'gag rule,' and look forward to its elimination through any means necessary to achieve the best outcome for patients and physicians—improving the health of our nation." (Free registration is required to view content.)

10. Biden begins to undo Trump-era ban on abortion referrals

    1. Associated Press, April 14, 2021
    2. But the American Medical Association welcomed the shift, saying the Trump policy “inappropriately interfered with the patient-physician relationship and jeopardized safe access to reproductive care.”

11. AMA applauds Biden's gun control directives

    1. Medscape, April 12, 2021
    2. AMA President Susan R. Bailey, MD, said in a statement on Thursday, "With approximately 40,000 Americans dying from firearm-related injuries each year in the United States, we need bold action to confront this public health crisis. The AMA applauds today's action by the Biden administration to require background checks for ghost guns, and we urge a rapid rulemaking process to stop the proliferation of these dangerous weapons." (Free registration is required to view content.)

12. How to speak to someone who's hesitant to get vaccinated

    1. CNN, April 10, 2021
    2. "I think it's important to note that the more that a group of people know about the vaccine, the more likely they are to take it," said Susan R. Bailey, MD, president of the American Medical Association.

13. CDC declares racism a serious public health threat

    1. Medscape, April 9, 2021
    2. "The AMA applauds the CDC for formally recognizing racism as a public health threat, and elevating and sharing the work of the AMA through its new Racism and Health initiative," AMA President Susan R. Bailey, MD, said in a statement. "The AMA's House of Delegates [HOD] recognized racism as a public health threat in 2020, and will continue pushing for anti-racist policies and practices so that all people have the power, resources, and opportunities to reach their full health potential." (Free registration is required to view content.)

14. CDC director says racism is 'serious public health threat'

    1. The Hill, April 8, 2021
    2. "As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disproportionately plague Black and Brown communities, it’s clear that collective action from all stakeholders is needed to dismantle systemic racism and confront, embed, and advance equity across our health care system," AMA President Susan R. Bailey, MD, said in a statement Thursday.

15. COVID-19 brought little relief from prior authorizations

    1. Medical Economics, April 7, 2021
    2. “As the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020, some commercial health insurers temporarily relaxed prior authorization requirements to reduce administrative burdens and support rapid patient access to needed drugs, tests and treatments,” AMA President Susan R. Bailey, MD, says in the release. “By the end of 2020, as the U.S. health system was strained with record numbers of new COVID-19 cases per week, the AMA found that most physicians were facing strict authorization hurdles that delayed patients’ access to needed care.”

16. Docs say pandemic provided scant relief from prior authorization mandates

    1. HealthLeaders Media, April 7, 2021
    2. AMA President Susan R. Bailey, MD, said some payers had relaxed prior authorization requirements at the onset of the pandemic in early 2020, but that that changed as the public health emergency wore on.

17. Doctors say prior authorization led to life-threatening delays in care

    1. Modern Healthcare, April 7, 2021
    2. "This hard-learned lesson must guide a re-examination of administrative burdens imposed by health insurers, often without any justification," AMA President Susan R. Bailey, MD, said in response to the survey. (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

18. I’m incarcerated. This is my COVID lockdown story.

    1. The New York Times, April 6, 2021
    2. At one point it seemed as if prisoners everywhere could be among the first in line for COVID-19 vaccines. In November, after the federal government announced their imminent arrival, the American Medical Association recommended that we be prioritized to receive them, along with others living in congregate settings where it’s difficult to keep people apart. (Free registration is required to view content.)

19. Liability insurance premiums spike across the U.S.: AMA report

    1. Medscape, April 2, 2021
    2. Susan R. Bailey, MD, president of the AMA, told Medscape Medical News that the rate hikes are coming at a bad time for physicians.
    3. "It's important to keep liability premium growth in check, because physician practices have been incredibly stressed during the pandemic: Their patient numbers are down, their reimbursements are down, their burnout is up," she said. "To add an increased liability premium on top of all those negative impacts of COVID-19—there are some practices that won't be able to pay the premiums. Some practices will be forced to close or to change in some way, and that would be a terrible outcome of the pandemic." (Free registration is required to view content.)

20. Biden launches community corps to boost COVID vaccinations

    1. Associated Press, April 1, 2021
    2. The coalition includes health groups like the American Medical Association and the National Council of Urban Indian Health, sports leagues like the NFL, NASCAR and MLB; rural groups, unions and Latino, Black, Asian American Pacific Islander and Native American organizations; and coalitions of faith, business and veteran leaders.