Physicians are increasingly recognizing the importance of having a strong, unified voice in the evolving landscape of health care. And the AMA Integrated Physician Practice Section (AMA-IPPS) offers just that—a platform dedicated to advocating for issues that affect doctors in practice settings who are committed to advancing physician-led integrated care.
By joining the AMA-IPPS, physicians can actively participate in shaping policies that directly affect their practice environments, ensuring that their unique challenges and perspectives are heard at the national level. This section not only provides a collective voice but also fosters collaboration among physician groups, ultimately strengthening the physician-led care model that is vital for delivering high-quality, patient-centered health care.
“The AMA brings physicians together,” said Steven Wang, MD, MBA, a radiologist at the Southern California Permanente Medical Group and a delegate for the AMA-IPPS governing council. “And through IPPS and the AMA, I’ve had the fortune of working with other sections, specialties and states.”
“I’ve come to really appreciate how we’re all working towards the same goal: Better care for our patients and sustainable careers for our physicians,” Dr. Wang said. “It also helps me to appreciate the breadth and diversity of physician practices across the country and the AMA strives to be that voice for all physicians. I’m very proud and happy that I can contribute to the AMA’s great work.”
“I encourage all physicians to join and be active with the AMA,” he said, adding that “you learn a lot, you meet lots of people, and you have the opportunity to advocate for change that can positively influence and impact our health care system.”
Working to improve outcomes
The AMA-IPPS is a section that “represents practices and health systems,” Dr. Wang said, noting the section is “committed to two fundamental things: value-based care and care coordination.”
As a physician at the Southern California Permanente Medical Group, “I see firsthand how value-based care and care coordination can improve patient outcomes and also help with health care affordability,” he said. “And our goal in IPPS is to advocate through policy and education for the advancement of value-based care models that really can provide those best outcomes for both our physicians and our patients.”
Working with the AMA
“The AMA is the large umbrella, our national physician voice, and it helps IPPS to really amplify its message,” Dr. Wang said, adding that the “AMA has also really helped IPPS by being the convener of different groups” such as the National Association of Accountable Care Organizations and AHIP.
For example, “we have a published playbook on value-based care models that was based on that cooperation between these entities,” he said.
Getting directly involved
Dr. Wang is also part of the AMA-IPPS Policy Development Committee, which “is fairly new and is a way for our members to directly get involved in creating and developing policy for the section,” he said.
This committee will typically “meet online to brainstorm ideas and then we start narrowing our focus on a few salient ones,” Dr. Wang said. “And then as delegate, I’m there to help guide that process. Ultimately, if a resolution is proposed, I would help them write it and then take it forward to the House of Delegates.”
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Making a difference with policy
“In the last couple of years, I’ve personally written a couple of resolutions important to IPPS. For example, I wrote one on audio-only telehealth risk adjustment,” Dr. Wang said, noting “that was back when audio-only wasn’t being counted.”
“I’ve also written several resolutions on social determinants of health,” he said. Additionally, AMA-IPPS “has had several policy interests over the years such as biosimilar pharmaceuticals, which resulted in a Council on Science and Public Health report.”
AMA-IPPS has also given input on augmented intelligence (AI)—often called artificial intelligence—that informs the creation of AMA policy.
To create new AMA policy, there is a strategic process that is put in place.
For example, the AMA-IPPS governing council “reviews our strategic goals for the year and then sets that direction for the section,” he explained. “It’s also important for me as a delegate to assess what other sections, specialties and states are working on and what their pain points are.”
“Then, at each meeting, the governing council reviews all the resolutions coming to the House of Delegates, and we narrow them down to about 15 to 20 resolutions that are most important and most impactful for our constituents,” Dr. Wang said. “At the IPPS assembly, which takes place Friday before the House of Delegates begins, we review our positions with our members.”
“This year we are awaiting the report from the Council on Science and Public Health at the AMA Annual Meeting in 2025,” he said. “We had passed a resolution about social determinants of health and closed-loop referral systems, so hopefully we’re getting a report back on that. It will be interesting to see the report and what else we can do in that realm.”
“We are also monitoring the developments in augmented intelligence and policies surrounding AI,” Dr. Wang said.
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