AMA in the News

AMA in the News: August 2023

. 6 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. Artificial intelligence may influence whether you can get pain medication

    1. KKF Health News, Aug. 30, 2023
    2. “These unknown and unreviewed algorithms have resulted in physicians having their prescribing privileges immediately suspended without due process or review by a state licensing board—often harming patients in pain because of delays and denials of care,” said Bobby Mukkamala, MD, chair of the AMA’s Substance Use and Pain Care Task Force.

  2. Medical groups, Attorneys General urge high court to protect domestic abuse victims through gun control

    1. Crain’s Chicago Business, Aug. 28, 2023
    2. The American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Surgeons, American Public Health Association and the Texas Medical Association last week filed an amicus brief (PDF) in the U.S. Supreme Court saying the court should uphold firearm prohibitions on domestic violence abusers who are the subject of restraining orders. (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

  3. State laws, rising threats have chilling effect on transgender care

    1. Reuters, Aug. 24, 2023
    2. "It's confusing to physicians. It's confusing to patients and their families," said Jesse Ehrenfeld, MD, MPH, president of the American Medical Association, which represents physicians and medical students across the United States. "It's completely inappropriate that you've got lawmakers inserting themselves into medical decision-making."

  4. Medicine without doctors? State laws are changing who treats patients.

    1. Washington Post, Aug. 20, 2023
    2. The past several years have seen hundreds of laws proposing to expand nondoctor medical professionals’ work, the American Medical Association (AMA) says, noting that it and allies have put millions of dollars into fighting back. (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

  5. Appeals court upholds restrictions on abortion pill

    1. Health Day, Aug. 17, 2023
    2. But the American Medical Association (AMA) took issue with the new ruling.
    3. "Today's decision by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals continues to signal a move in the wrong direction on access to mifepristone, potentially eliminating the ability to prescribe and dispense mifepristone via telemedicine and reinstating barriers to access that lack scientific evidence," said Jack Resneck Jr., MD, immediate past president of the AMA. "While this decision preserves the original approval of Mifeprex and generic mifepristone, this action will undoubtedly negatively impact patients across the country if left in place.

  6. Docs using AI? Some love it, most remain wary

    1. Medscape, Aug. 15, 2023
    2. In mid-June, the American Medical Association approved two resolutions calling for greater government oversight of AI. The AMA will develop proposed state and federal regulations and work with the federal government and other organizations to protect patients from false or misleading AI-generated medical advice. (Free registration is required to view content.)

  7. Tech companies criticise health AI regulations

    1. The Lancet, Aug. 12, 2023
    2. As artificial intelligence (AI) spurs a new era in medicine, numerous U.S. medical professional associations, including the American Medical Association (AMA), are calling for bolstered regulation of AI to protect patients and clinicians. (Free registration is required to view content.)

  8. America’s Health Care Gaps

    1. Fox News, Aug. 11, 2023
    2. The American medical association calling for action. Its president writing, patients and physicians desperately need congress to develop a permanent solution that addresses the financial instability and threatens access to care.

  9. Change in medical licensing exam concerns students and faculty

    1. Inside Higher Ed, Aug. 10, 2023
    2. The American Medical Association described the numerical score as “detrimental” and said it “created a parallel curriculum to prepare for the exam,” which “distracted medical students from developing teamwork and communication skills.” The association also noted that the first cohort in which a majority of students took the exam under the pass-fail model will be applying for residencies this fall, after which the full impact of the exam on students’ acceptance to residency programs could be better gauged.

  10. Openly gay AMA President Ehrenfeld tackles pressing physician challenges

    1. Windy City Times, Aug. 10, 2023
    2. Milwaukee-based anesthesiologist Jesse Ehrenfeld, MD, MPH, this past June became the first openly gay individual to take on the role of president of the American Medical Association (AMA). "While I didn't run as an LGBTQ candidate, I know that my visibility and representation matters," Ehrenfeld said, adding that his candidacy was significant "not just to LGBTQ people, but for all physicians who are facing challenges.”

  11. A physician’s duty to resist government interference

    1. POZ Magazine, Aug. 9, 2023
    2. As Jesse Ehrenfeld, MD, MPH, the new president of the American Medical Association stated in a recent interview, “This is new territory for us. We have just never seen laws that criminalize the provision of medical care... Our obligation is to respect the law. We don’t advocate for physicians breaking the law,” but “we also stand up against bad laws that put physicians in untenable situations … where they have an ethical obligation to patients that is no longer permissible because of an action by a lawmaker.”

  12. Evolving leadership for deep equity

    1. Non-Profit Quarterly, Aug. 7, 2023
    2. Senior leadership explicitly named equity as a priority and defined it as an AMA-wide “accelerator” (along with advocacy and innovation) to support the AMA’s efforts to remove obstacles to patient care and prevent chronic disease. In addition, the relationship between Dr. Maybank and James Madara, MD, the executive vice president and CEO of the AMA, became vital to advancing the work, especially given the impact of embedding equity at an organization like the AMA. Progress was supported by Dr. Madara’s commitment to deepening his own knowledge and understanding of structural and racial inequities.

  13. FDA policy allowing more gay and bisexual men to donate blood goes into effect

    1. NBC News, Aug. 7, 2023
    2. Jesse Ehrenfeld, MD, MPH, the new head of the American Medical Association, who is the first openly gay person to hold that post, characterized the former FDA blood screening policy as based on “outdated categorical restrictions." “This policy change will ensure that blood donation criteria are applied more equitably across all segments of our population, including the LGBTQ+ community,” he said.

  14. AMA 'cautiously optimistic' as UnitedHealthcare details prior authorization cuts

    1. Becker’s Payer Issues, Aug. 4, 2023
    2. The American Medical Association said it appreciates UnitedHealthcare's efforts to reduce the "overwhelming volume of prior authorization requirements" after the payer released details about its previously announced plan to reduce prior authorizations by nearly 20 percent. 

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