June 2008

ArMA's AMA delegation, Dr. Marilyn Laughead and several medical students participated in the 2008 AMA Annual House of Delegates, which reviewed reports and resolutions including:

Resolutions introduced to the 2008 AMA House by the Arizona Delegation included:

Resolution 14 (A-08) - Support for Industry Sponsored Continuing Medical Education - Requested the AMA to seek funding sources that ensure quality, unbiased CME for al physicians. The resolution was retitled "Alternative Funding for Continuing Medical Education" and amended preserving the ArMA House of Delegates request that the AMA seek alternative funding to that from the pharmaceutical industry for CME activities. It was adopted as retitled and amended. (See also CEJA Report 1 below)

Resolution 234 (A-08) - Private Contracting and Balance Billing - Was incorporated into Resolution 213, which asked that AMA call upon Congress for the removal of limiting charges for physicians' services and requesting report back to the annual and interim meetings of the House of Delegates. Res. 213 was adopted.

Resolution 235 (A-08) - Physicians Seeking Regulation of Physicians - Requested the AMA to develop a process for national specialty groups to urge their state affiliates to work through the state medical association prior to introducing any state legislation that seeks to regulate or restrict the practice of other physician groups or specialties. The resolution was adopted.

Resolution 236 (A-08) - Medicare Advantage Program Budget Reduction - Requested the AMA to express grave concerns that a veto of legislation concerning a budget reduction in the Medicare Advantage Program with a corresponding increase in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule would be a serious error. The resolution was adopted.

Resolution 237 (A-08) - E-Prescribing - Requested the AMA seek to develop a workable regulation that will allow electronic prescribing of all prescribable controlled substances. The resolution was incorporated with two others, and adopted as amended.

Resolution 238 (A-08) - Uniform Standard of Evidence for Medical License Complaints - Requested the AMA to explore ways to establish a uniform standard of "clear and convincing" evidence for the restriction or revocation of a physician's medical license by a state licensing board. The resolution was retitled "Principles of Due Process for Medical License Complaints;" amended to call for strong due process protections for physicians involved in state medical board actions that could result in the restriction or revocation of their license and adopted as amended.

Resolution 434 (A-08) - Restoring the Independence of the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General - Stating that the AMA recognizes the importance the office of U.S. Surgeon General and calls for it to be free of undue political influence and be guided by science and the integrity of the physician's role in fulfilling the highest calling to promote the health and welfare of all people. The resolution was adopted as amended.

Resolution 625 (A-08) - Community-Based, Private Practice Physicians - Requested the AMA to create a mechanism to represent the interests and concerns of community-based, private practice physicians, who, as non-salaried solo practitioners, are losing their voice in the House of Medicine. The resolution was referred for consideration of appropriate mechanisms to ensure the continued ability of these members to have their issues addressed in the House of Delegates.

Resolution 726 (A-08) - Electronic Medical Records - Requested the AMA to exert leadership in the development of a national program of electronic medical records to work with stakeholders to ensure that electronic record programs be uniform, affordable and secure. Following review, it was determined that AMA already has sufficient policy regarding electronic medical records and is actively involved in multiple electronic medical record development programs which were reaffirmed in lieu of adoption of the resolution.

Other issues brought before the House included:

Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs Report 1 - Industry Support of Professional Education in Medicine -Addresses industry funding of CME at all levels, acknowledged that there are many productive relationships with various entities, and recommended that individual physicians and institutions of medicine not accept industry funding to support CME. Following extensive discussion of the report to which there was widespread opposition, it was referred back to CEJA.

Board of Trustees Report 14 - The RUC, Recent Activities to Improve the Valuation of Primary Care Services (Res.124 (A-07) - Recommending that AMA continue to advocate for the adoption of AMA/Specialty Society RVS Update Committee (RUC) recommendations; support separate payment for physician services that do not necessarily require direct interaction with the patient and reaffirms several policies addressing the RVS update process. The report was adopted and filed. By this action, the House agreed with the Board's determination that adding additional primary care seats to the RUC is not appropriate.

Council on Medical Service Reports 5 - Tax Implications of Eliminating the Employee Income Tax Exclusion for Employer-Sponsored Insurance; and Report 8 - Standardizing AMA Policy on the Tax Treatment of Health Insurance - Represented extensive work by the AMA on implications of tax credits, tax deductions and other means to increase the number of people with health insurance. Following extensive discussion, the report was adopted as amended and filed.

Results of 2007 Arizona Resolutions:

Council on Medical Service Report 3 (A-08) - The Role of Cash Payments in All Physician Practices - Resolutions 703 (Illinois) and 728 Direct Patient Payment (Arizona) (A-07), which requested the AMA to study the issue of direct patient payment to physicians and encourage free market forces, were referred. The report included extensive guidelines for establishing and operating a cash-based practice.

Dr. Marilyn Laughead has been appointed to the AMA Council on Long Range Planning and Development and U of A Medical Student Kyle Edmonds, who was elected to the medical student seat on ArMA's Board of Directors for 2008-09, was elected Vice Speaker of the Medical Student Section.

The Delegation would like to extend its appreciation to Dr. Gary Smethers, Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs, and Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Arizona for its support.

Respectfully submitted,

Arizona's Delegation to the AMA: Drs. Jacque Chadwick, Delegation Chair, Bruce Bethancourt, Jr., Ronnie Dowling and William Mangold, Jr. and Alternate Delegates: Drs. Gary Christensen, Leonard Ditmanson, Thomas Hicks, II and M. Zuhdi Jasser.