Throughout history, the AMA has always followed its mission: to promote the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health. The association will continue to follow its mission—its moral compass and road map—into the future, AMA Executive Vice President and CEO James L. Madara, MD, (pictured below) said in his address Saturday at the 2014 AMA Interim Meeting.
The AMA mission has charted the course for how the association expands its work in its three focus areas.
Professional Satisfaction and Practice Sustainability initiative
Dr. Madara announced that beta testing has begun for the first four modules in the AMA’s new online platform to help physicians address common clinical challenges. The platform is called STEPS Forward™, which stands for Solutions Toward Effective Practice.
He also discussed how the AMA is working to understand and improve new payment models, ensure physician leadership in new practice models and working to improve the usability of electronic health records (EHR).
Accelerating Change in Medical Education initiative
The 11 schools that received grants from the AMA to innovate changes to medical school curriculum are making strides, Dr. Madara said. From embedding patient navigators into health systems to using authentic clinical data in curriculum, the consortium of schools is transforming how to teach physicians of tomorrow. Read more about these medical education innovations at AMA Wire®.
Improving Health Outcomes initiative
The AMA led pilots in both diabetes prevention and hypertension initiatives over the past year, and is turning its attention to spreading effective strategies to help more physicians manage these conditions in their practices.
Dr. Madara said the AMA has let its mission guide its work for the past 167 years—from winning the fight against “widespread quackery” in the 19th century to the Flexner Report, from the war on tobacco in the mid-20th century to the compassionate treatment of AIDS patients.
“Call it leadership, call it altruism, call it doing the right thing,” Dr. Madara said. “When we are true to our mission, we earn the public’s respect, we gain influence with policymakers, and we gain stature with thought leaders and doers across the spectrum of health care and beyond.”
“Together, we are breathing new life into our mission statement for each other, for the next generation of physicians, for our patients and for a healthier nation.”
