Speaker of the AMA House of Delegates Bruce A. Scott, MD, a specialist in otolaryngology, and Vice Speaker Lisa Bohman Egbert, MD, a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology leading the house discussion on scores of new AMA policy resolutions at the 2022 meeting in Chicago.
 

Signs at the entry into the American Medical Association (AMA) annual House of Delegates (HOD) meeting in Chicago June 10-16, 2022. It is the first in-person AMA meeting in two and a half years, so the agenda was very full. The meeting had some of the strictest COVID guidelines for a medical conference to prevent any cases at this key healthcare leadership meeting. Measures include use of medical grade masks, required vaccination and boosters, a required COVID test when you arrive before you can pick up your badge, and COVID retesting every 72 hours you are at the meeting, and at the end of the meeting.

A note posted on a message board in the booth of the AMA Foundation, saying is it good to be back in person at the AMA House of Delegates meeting after two years of COVID.

The common area outside the AMA House of Delegates meeting hall included several posters that note some of the key policies of the American Medical Association, including fighting physician burnout. There were already big issues with clinician and physician burnout prior to COVID, largely driven by inefficiencies with the electronic medical records (EMR), lower reimbursements and increased administrative duties that are not revenue generating. The pandemic brought its own set of issues and also just magnified these existing issues. 

Members of the American College of Radiology (ACR) delegation talk prior to the start of the AMA House of Delegates Monday.

A delegate addresses the House of Medicine during discussion on a resolution at the AMA House of Delegates 2022 meeting.

American Medical Association President Gerald Harmon, MD, and Health Exec Digital Editor Dave Fornell met up for a video interview on some of the hottest topics discussed at the 2022 AMA House of Delegates meeting. Harmon, a retired Air Force general and family practice specialist, said the top discussions were resolutions that address gun control. The AMA views shootings as a public health epidemic because they treat these patients, and gun shot wounds are now the leading cause of death in U.S. youth under age 18. Another big topic are efforts to help physicians recover from the COVID pandemic and prevent physician burnout when the U.S. already has a major shortage of doctors.

A note posted on a message board in the booth of the AMA Foundation at the AMA House of Delegates meeting.

The common area outside the AMA House of Delegates meeting hall included several posters that note some of the key policies of the American Medical Association, including telehealth. COVID brought telemedicine to the forefront of medicine and showed doctors across all specialties its utility. The AMA is now lobbying to keep reimbursements for telehealth after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The seating assignment chart for the floor of the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates shows the various state medical associations and specialty medical associations and societies.

The 2022 American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates meeting had some of the strictest COVID guidelines for a medical conference to prevent any cases at this key healthcare leadership meeting. Measures include use of medical grade masks, required vaccination and boosters, a required COVID test when you arrive before you can pick up your badge, and COVID retesting every 72 hours you are at the meeting, and at the end of the meeting.

The American Medical Association (AMA) debated a resolution today that calls for a policy to urge health and life insurance companies to divest investments in fossil fuels because of their impact on public health. The resolution passed with 66% of the House of Delegates in support. There was a lively and lengthy debate on the resolution. A few speakers said such a resolution would alienate half of the doctors and patients. Several delegates also pointed out healthcare is completely dependent on and a massive user of petroleum products because plastics are used in all disposables in clinics and hospitals. Others supported by but questioned what it would accomplish. There was a motion to table this resolution and refer it back to committee, but a vote on that showed the majority of delegates wanted to just pass the resolution. Several speakers argued it does not matter if the AMA debates the issues with fossil fuels now or in the future, the idea behind the proposal will not change. They said you have to start somewhere to start a movement toward renewable energy and eliminating petroleum derived materials like plastics.

Balancing the work/personal-life responsibilities at the American Medical Association (AMA) 2022 meeting, Louisiana State Medical Association delegate Luis Alvarado, MD, eats lunch with his wife and two daughters at the AMA meeting in Chicago. His wife is a pharmacist, so they both have had to adjust as clinicians to the life of having kids while in clinical practice. Alvarado is involved with internal medicine.

The common area outside the AMA House of Delegates meeting hall included several posters that note some of the key policies of the American Medical Association, including fighting reductions in Medicare reimbursements. The AMA actively lobbies Congress to prevent cuts and support physicians.

There were allegations of inappropriate back room deal-making to secure votes by AMA presidential candidate Willarda Edwards, MD, addressing the House of Deletes here after the announcement was made. The delegates meeting was delayed Monday about about 15 minutes because allegations were brought to the attention of AMA leadership. Speaker of the AMA House of Delegates Bruce Scott, MD, said there appeared to be evidence to support that Edwards engaged in a “quid pro quo”deal for support from one state delegation in exchange for support for another candidate in a future AMA election. Edwards was given a chance to respond and and she characterized the allegation as a “misunderstanding.” 

Cardiologist Stephen Bloom, MD, a delegate for the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC), and Health Exec Digital Editor Dave Fornell at the AMA HGouse of Delegates meeting. ASNC has become one of the loudest advocates for repealing the clinical decision support (CDS) software consultation mandate to ensure doctors are following appropriate use criteria (AUC) in medical imaging. The AMA is discussing a stand on the AUC CDS at its annual Meeting this week. Medical imaging societies agree with following appropriate use criteria on principle, but have issues with the requirement as an unfunded mandate that will cause additional administrative burden and cost more for documentation and admin staff to manage.

Fighting scope creep was among the posters in the common area outside the AMA House of Delegates meeting hall that note some of the key policies of the American Medical Association. There were a few resolutions at the HOB addressed this, to ensure qualified physicians remain in control of healthcare and oversight of departments and patient care, rather than nurses, physician assistants, and other clinicians who not not have the same level of training as physicians.

Interventional cardiologist Jeffrey Marshall, MD, chief of Northside Hospital Cardiovascular Institute, Atlanta, and the Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) delegate, and Health Exec Digital Editor Dave Fornell at the AMA House of Delegates meeting this week in Chicago. 

A delegate seat for the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) at the AMA House of Delegates.

Arl Van Moore, MD, former American College of Radiology (ACR) president, chair of the ACR Board, former CEO of Strategic Radiology, and an ACR delegate at the 2022 AMA House of Delegates, did a video interview with Health Exec Digital Editor Dave Fornell. They discussed AMA policies that impact radiology, including  a call on Congress to revise the mandate that referring physicians need to use appropriate use criteria clinical decision support software when entering medical imaging orders. The ACR and 43 other medical organizations want to see the requirement language revised to reduce the administrative and health IT burden on physicians and to avoid reimbursement issues with radiologists. The AMA also passed a resolution calling on the U.S. government to address ongoing, critical drug shortages, including the lack of iodine contrast agents.

A couple resolutions at the 2022  AMA meeting addressed prior authorization issues. This topic was among the posters in the common area outside the AMA House of Delegates meeting hall that note some of the key policies of the American Medical Association.

Former AMA president Lonnie Bristow, MD, a retired internal medicine specialist, and Health Exec Digital Editor Dave Fornell, at the 2022 AMA House of Delegates meeting in Chicago. Bristow advocated at the meeting for the AMA to support gun control legislation and other provisions that can address what many doctors at the meeting called a healthcare epidemic of gun violence. 

Alex Ding, MD, a radiologist, an incoming AMA Board of Trustees member, an a delegate of the California Medical Association delegation, and a member of the AMA Counsel on Science and Public Health, and Health Exec Digital Editor Dave Fornell. They met at the AMA House of Delegates meeting to discuss a couple policies his committee reviewed, including the AMA taking a position on climate change as a healthcare emergency. 

Health Exec Digital Editor Dave Fornell reported on the AMA House of Delegates meeting from the floor of the 2022 annual meeting.