AMA in the News: February 2023

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. Prior auths 'delay, deny, and disrupt': Major medical societies show support for reform

   1. HealthLeaders, Feb. 21, 2023
   2. "Physicians appreciate the efforts of CMS to address the significant and multifaceted challenges that prior authorization requirements pose to Medicare beneficiaries and physicians," said American Medical Association President Jack Resneck Jr, MD, in a recent press release.

2. ‘Advocacy is hard, and Washington is a difficult place’

   1. MedPage Today, Feb. 20, 2023
   2. The AMA held its annual advocacy meeting in Washington, where AMA members heard from Biden administration officials as well as senators and members of Congress. During the meeting, MedPage Today Washington Editor Joyce Frieden sat down with AMA President Jack Resneck Jr., MD, to find out how things are going during his term in office.

3. U.S. FDA panel backs OTC opioid overdose drug, proposes label changes

   1. Reuters, Feb. 17, 2023
   2. In support of the favorable vote, the American Medical Association said it believes "greater access will occur when naloxone for overdose risk is just as easily accessible in a pharmacy, grocery store and other common locations as a decongestant for a stuffy nose."

4. Childbirth is far more dangerous for women than the abortion pill, American Medical Association tells the Texas judge weighing mifepristone ban

   1. Insider, Feb. 16, 2023
   2. Anti-abortion activists who are urging a conservative Texas judge to ban an FDA-approved abortion pill over purported health concerns are misrepresenting the science, lawyers for the American Medical Association argued this week.

5. Naloxone: Key FDA panel recommends drug be sold OTC

   1. Healthline, Feb. 15, 2023
   2. The American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Pharmacists Association support making naloxone more widely available in order to save lives.
   3. Bobby Mukkamala, MD, chair of the AMA Substance Use and Pain Care Task Force, called for making naloxone available OTC as a vital step.

6. AMA urges CMS to finalize Medicare Advantage Prior Authorization reforms

   1. Revcycle Intelligence, Feb. 14, 2023
   2. The American Medical Association (AMA) and 118 other medical organizations have urged CMS to finalize its proposed prior authorization reforms for the Medicare Advantage program.

7. Physician groups voice strong support for prior authorization reforms

   1. Medical Economics, Feb. 13, 2023
   2. “Waiting on a health plan to authorize necessary medical treatment is too often a hazard to patient health,” AMA President Jack Resneck Jr., MD, said in a news release. “To protect patient-centered care for the 28 million older American that rely on Medicare Advantage, physicians urge CMS to finalize the proposed policy changes and strengthen its prior authorization reform effort by extending its proposals to prescription drugs. We stand ready to continue our work with federal officials to remove obstacles and burdens that interfere with patient care.”

8. Biden's push to ban noncompete agreements could have big implications for health care

   1. NBC, Feb. 13, 2023
   2. “Many states have enacted negotiated health care-specific noncompete statutes that take into account their unique health care markets and that balance the competing stakeholder interests,” the AMA said in a statement. “The balanced approach of these states must be considered against a proposed universal federal ban on all noncompete agreements.”

9. AMA creates gun violence task force

   1. Becker’s ASC Review, Feb. 10, 2023
   2. The American Medical Association has established a gun violence task force to prevent violence and improve safety. 

10. Big three associations urge COVID vaccinations again

    1. Crain’s Chicago Business, Feb. 10, 2023
    2. The message from ANA President Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, AMA President Jack Resneck, Jr., MD, and John Haupert, chair of the AHA stresses that COVID-19 vaccines, including the updated boosters, protect us from serious disease and death and are safe and effective. (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

11. From AI to regulation, making progress with the prior authorization process

    1. Revcycle Intelligence, Feb. 6, 2023
    2. According to the American Medical Association (AMA), which also puts out an annual prior authorization survey, prior authorization is “a health plan cost-control process that requires physicians and other health care professionals to obtain advance approval from a health plan before a specific service is delivered to the patient to qualify for payment coverage.”