AMA in the News

AMA in the News: August 2020

. 7 MIN READ

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. American Medical Association criticizes new Trump testing guidance

    1. The Hill, August 27, 2020
    2. “Months into this pandemic, we know COVID-19 is spread by asymptomatic people,” Susan Bailey, MD, president of the AMA, said in a statement. “Suggesting that people without symptoms, who have known exposure to COVID-positive individuals, do not need testing is a recipe for community spread and more spikes in coronavirus.”

  2. Politics undermines COVID-19 vaccine confidence

    1. The National Journal, August 26, 2020
    2. American Medical Association president Susan Bailey, MD, said Hahn has promised the organization that the FDA will “adhere to the high standards of vaccine safety.”
    3. “We’re going to hold him to that,” she said. Bailey said she is pressing for FDA to be transparent with the physician community about the approval process of COVID-19 vaccines.

  3. AMA To FDA: Make sure you’re transparent with doctors before approving COVID-19 vaccine

    1. Forbes, August 26, 2020
    2. The American Medical Association wants to be sure the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is transparent and “continuously” informing physicians about its review process for a vaccine for the Coronavirus strain COVID -19.

  4. Coronavirus in Context: The importance of LGBTQ equality in medicine

    1. WebMD, August 25, 2020
    2. WebMD Chief Medical Officer John Whyte, MD, interviews AMA Immediate Past Chair Jesse Ehrenfeld, MD, about the importance of LGBTQ equality in medicine.

  5. Jeweler sees big bump thanks to Obama necklace (Podcast)

    1. Bloomberg Businessweek, August 25, 2020
    2. Susan Bailey, MD, president of the American Medical Association, discusses the state of COVID-19 in Texas, as well as concerns over a flu outbreak this fall.  [Her interview begins at 0:53 and ends at 11:07]

  6. American Medical Association calls on Maryland and other states to act on increase in opioid overdoses

    1. The Baltimore Sun, Aug 21, 2020
    2. The American Medical Association is calling on Maryland and Gov. Larry Hogan to take further steps to address opioid overdoses after statistics released earlier this year show they’re on the rise again compared with last year.

  7. Pediatrics group offers ‘long overdue’ apology for racist past

    1. The New York Times, Aug 20, 2020
    2. The AMA issued an apology in 2008 for its more than century-long history of discriminating against African-American physicians. For decades, the organization predicated its membership on joining a local or state medical society, many of which excluded Black physicians, especially in the South. Keith Wailoo, a historian at Princeton University, said the group chose to “look the other way” regarding these exclusionary practices.

  8. COVID-19’s effects reach beyond the virus. Here are other ways it’s impacting our health

    1. Health Magazine, Aug. 20, 2020
    2. Last year, the American Medical Association launched the Center for Health Equity to identify racial disparities in health care, advocate for equitable access, and increase diversity in the medical workforce. This is a conversation that is long overdue, and it must continue after the current pandemic subsides, says Patrice A. Harris, MD, former president of the American Medical Association.

  9. Yep, masks and protective gear are still hard to get—especially for small buyers

    1. National Public Radio, August 19, 2020
    2. "The dramatically increased demand is not going away anytime soon," says Susan Bailey, MD, president of the American Medical Association. "Churches, schools, businesses, everyone that's trying to reopen needs PPE, and we're all competing for the same small supply." (Audio interview begins at 1:34 in the accompanying clip.)

  10. American Medical Association launches #MaskUp campaign

    1. WABE (NPR Atlanta), August 18, 2020
    2. Susan R. Bailey, MD, who was recently named the president of the AMA, says the association recently launched a new initiative called the #MaskUp campaign. (Audio interview also available at link.)

  11. Influenza is about to make this coronavirus year even worse. What to know about flu shots.

    1. The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 17, 2020
    2. Hospitals often fill up in December and January when flu season really takes off, said Susan Bailey, MD, an allergy and immunology specialist in Fort Worth who is president of the American Medical Association. “If hospitals are already full of coronavirus patients, where are the influenza patients going to go?” she asked. The AMA encourages flu vaccine use every year, but will have a larger campaign with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Ad Council this year.

  12. With major delays in COVID-19 testing, AMA and other medical groups push for testing priority guidelines

    1. CNN, Aug. 14, 2020
    2. While some Americans wait several days or longer for Covid-19 test results, the American Medical Association and other groups want new federal guidelines to help fast-track those who need testing and results urgently.

  13. Q&A: Dr. Susan Bailey, President of the American Medical Association

    1. Fort Worth Magazine, Aug. 10, 2020
    2. The American Medical Association’s newly elected president says controlling the spread of COVID-19 is up to us.

  14. The American Medical Association's commitment to health justice in the United States

    1. MicroCap Magazine, Aug. 9, 2020
    2. Op-ed by AMA Chief Health Equity Officer Dr. Aletha Maybank on the AMA’s commitment to health equity.

  15. Special Edition: Dr. Vivian Ho, AMA President Dr. Susan Bailey and Dr. Dietrich von Biedenfeld (August 7, 2020)

    1. Houston Public Radio, Aug. 7, 2020
    2. Conversations about the latest news surrounding COVID-19, how the AMA is supporting physicians, and the current state of the economy.

  16. Expert warns vaccine race can't trade safety for speed

    1. Newsy, Aug. 7, 2020
    2. The American Medical Association talks safety and diversity as potential COVID-19 vaccines go more through trials.

  17. AMA president: Baseball's COVID-19 outbreak is a sign we still have hard work to do

    1. USA Today, Aug. 6, 2020
    2. Op-ed by AMA president Susan R. Bailey, MD, on lessons learned from Major League Baseball (MLB)’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  18. Medicare sticks with E/M pay plan over some groups’ objections

    1. MDEdge, Aug. 6, 2020
    2. Susan R. Bailey, MD, president of the American Medical Association, addressed both of these ideas in an AMA news release on the proposed 2021 physician fee schedule. The increase in pay for office visits, covered under evaluation and management services (E/M), stems from recommendations on resource costs from the AMA/Specialty Society RVS Update Committee, Dr. Bailey said.

  19. AMA, Pew study highlights issues fighting superbugs in U.S. doctors' offices

    1. Fierce Healthcare, Aug. 6, 2020
    2. “We are seeing today, as we respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, what our health system looks like with no or limited treatments available to tackle an outbreak,” said AMA President Susan Bailey, MD, in a statement.

  20. Health plans not implementing prior authorization reforms

    1. Drugs.com, Aug. 5, 2020
    2. Physicians say prior authorization (PA) continues to interfere with patient care and can lead to adverse clinical consequences, according to the results of a survey released by the American Medical Association.

  21. 2020 flu shot strategy: Get yours early in the season

    1. NPR, Aug. 4, 2020
    2. Susan R. Bailey, MD, an immunologist, allergist and president of the AMA, has another message for patients and their doctors: "It's vital that patients are not permitted to opt out of vaccines for nonmedical reasons."

  22. Efforts needed to get minorities into clinical trials, experts say

    1. Medpage Today, Aug. 3, 2020
    2. Susan Bailey, MD, president of the American Medical Association (AMA), said it's "important that drugmakers make inroads into communities they've historically ignored for clinical trials, communities where there is rightfully a lot of mistrust after decades and decades of mistreatment, exploitation, and injustice." She added that historically, African Americans make up only about 5% of clinical trial participants, and Hispanics far less. "We need your help." Bailey referred the audience to a patient-geared website for enrolling in COVID-19 vaccine and antibody trials. (Free registration is required to view content.)

  23. With overdose deaths up during the pandemic, Philadelphia fights for a legal safe injection site

    1. NBC News, Aug. 2, 2020
    2. As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, the opioid crisis has steadily worsened. More than 35 states report increases in opioid-related deaths, according to the American Medical Association, which issued a paper July 20 (PDF) citing local media reports of "increases in opioid-related mortality — particularly from illicitly manufactured fentanyl and fentanyl analogs."

FEATURED STORIES