AMA in the News: January 2020

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. Verdict's in on Medicaid funding caps, and it's a resounding 'no' from industry

   1. Becker’s Hospital Review, Jan. 31, 2020
   2. While Patrice Harris, MD, president of the AMA, said the organization supports the idea of giving states more flexibility to try new Medicaid models, she said the trade-off — capped federal funds — would increase the number of Americans without insurance.

2. Medical groups criticize Trump bid to limit federal Medicaid funding

   1. Medscape, Jan. 31, 2020
   2. The American Medical Association (AMA) on Thursday said it opposed the idea of caps on federal Medicaid funding, such as block grants. These would decrease the number of Americans with health insurance and "undermine Medicaid's role as an indispensable safety net," said Patrice A. Harris, MD, president of the AMA, in a statement. (Free registration is required to view content.)

3. Trump Administration announces shift to Medicaid block grants

   1. Stateline, Jan. 30, 2020
   2. The American Medical Association immediately announced its opposition, saying that federal caps on Medicaid funding “would increase the number of uninsured and undermine Medicaid’s role as an indispensable safety net.”

4. In Supreme Court abortion case, Louisiana goes on the offensive

   1. The Wall Street Journal, Jan. 30, 2020
   2. Among those supporting the plaintiffs’ position is the American Medical Association and other physician groups, which submitted a brief saying that medical research has shown conclusively that “abortion remains extremely safe.” (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

5. South Dakota advances bill prohibiting doctors from assisting in gender reassignment process for transgender youth

   1. CNN, Jan. 30, 2020
   2. In a letter to South Dakota's House State Affairs Committee last week, the American Medical Association's CEO James Madara urged lawmakers to reject the bill, which he said could prevent transgender youth from having the "opportunity to explore their gender identity under the safe and supportive care of a physician."

6. American Medical Association to address LGBTQ health disparities

   1. Q Voice News, Jan. 28, 2020
   2. Conceding that LGBTQ patients encounter a desert of knowledgeable and culturally competent doctors, the American Medical Association’s philanthropic arm announced today a national fellowship program that could be a game changer—The program will train physicians and promote best practices on LGBTQ health while working to decrease LGBTQ health disparities.

7. ER physician to head Kentucky's Dept. of Public Health

   1. Associated Press, Jan. 28, 2020
   2. Stack is an emergency physician at Saint Joseph Hospital East in Lexington, and has also served as medical director for the hospital. He has also worked at other Kentucky hospitals and in Tennessee and Ohio. He is also a former president of the American Medical Association.

8. Opinion: End dangerous delays to patient care

   1. The Detroit News, Jan. 27, 2020
   2. Lawmakers in Lansing have introduced legislation that would bring new transparency, fairness and clinical validity requirements to the prior authorization and step therapy processes insurers use to bog down patient care, ensuring patients throughout the state receive timely coverage decisions, and the care they need.  (Written by Bobby Mukkamala, MD, who is member of the AMA Board of Trustees.)

9. Debate prompts potential privacy changes in interop rule

   1. POLITICO Pro, Jan. 23, 2020
   2. “We greatly appreciate that OMB is reportedly attuned to the implications of these rules on consumer privacy,” said the American Medical Association in a statement. “When we met with OMB, we reiterated it is possible for ONC to provide both access and transparency by exercising its legal authority to regulate certified API technology to empower patients with information about an app’s privacy practices.” (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

10. SC lawmaker looks to increase access to life-saving drugs to those at risk of overdosing

    1. WPDE, Jan. 23, 2020
    2. It would also require prescribers to offer a naloxone prescription if the patient is being prescribed opioids and benzodiazepines, or benzos, at the same time. This combination can be volatile, Dr. Gerald Harmon said, the vice president of Medical Affairs at Tidelands Health. Gerald Harmon, MD, is also an AMA board member.

11. Utah becomes 19th state to ban conversion therapy

    1. UPI.com, Jan. 23, 2020
    2. "Conversion therapy needs to end in the United States given the risk of deliberate harm to [LGBT] people," AMA Board Member William E. Kobler said. "Conversion therapy has no foundation as scientifically valid medical care and lacks credible evidence to support its efficacy or safety."

12. Can high-tech capitalism fix the healthcare industry?

    1. Fast Company, Jan. 22, 2020
    2. “If the central lesion on our health system is fragmentation, we don’t want to produce a new fragment,” said CEO of the American Medical Association James Madara at a side conference called the Health Innovation Summit. “These things all have to be connected to each other.”

13. How many patients should primary care physicians care for? Study finds it’s hard to say

    1. Fierce Healthcare, Jan. 21, 2020
    2. "Rather than asking, 'What is the ideal panel size in primary care?' we suggest reframing the question to 'What is the ideal practice model that results in the best outcomes for the entire U.S. population?' We believe that a well-trained, well-resourced primary care team will make the most of society's investment in these physicians' training and will contribute to better experiences for patients and clinicians, lower costs and better access to care," wrote Christine A. Sinsky, MD, and Marie T. Brown, MD, of the American Medical Association.

14. Scant evidence about optimal number of patients for PCPs

    1. Medscape, Jan. 20, 2020
    2. In an accompanying editorial, Christine Sinsky, MD, and Marie Brown, MD, discuss current problems with the US healthcare system as it concerns PCPs. They bring up possible solutions and suggest rephrasing this study's question. (Free registration is required to view content.)

15. Five ways to maximize EHR use

    1. Healio, Jan. 20, 2020
    2. According to Christine A. Sinsky, MD, AMA’s vice president of professional satisfaction, doctors should delegate inbox management to other staff members so these team members so can devote more time to researching and responding to the messages.

16. The future of medicine is female — and it's already here in Georgia

    1. Atlanta Business Journal, Jan. 17, 2020
    2. “There are big implications here,” said Harris, an Atlanta psychiatrist. “This change means the physician workforce being trained will more accurately reflect the gender balance in the U.S. population.” There still needs to be more diversity to reflect the racial, ethnic and socioeconomic composition of this country, Harris added, “because we know that health outcomes are better when care is delivered by teams that mirror our patients.” (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

17. What big tech companies aren't saying about HHS data rules

    1. POLITICO Pro, Jan. 9, 2020
    2. The American Medical Association, for instance, cited a study that found 81 percent of a sample of 36 smoking cessation and depression apps were sending data to Google and Facebook. Fewer than half disclosed this to consumers. (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

18. What’s the economic cost of physician burnout?

    1. Forbes, Jan. 9, 2020
    2. Even though physician burnout is widespread, it’s difficult to put a price tag on the phenomenon in a way that medical institutions can understand. In past research, Goh focused on calculating the cost of workplace stress on medical costs in the US. That led Christine Sinsky, vice president of the American Medical Association, to contact Goh to ask if he could calculate the medical costs of stress experienced by doctors themselves. Sinsky is one of the authors of the latest paper.

19. Facebook just wants to help (itself)

    1. The Atlantic, Jan. 8, 2020
    2. “Physicians swear an oath to keep an individual’s data confidential,” Jesse Ehrenfeld, chair of the American Medical Association Board of Trustees, told me over email. “There’s currently no such obligation for technology companies and data aggregators or the data brokers to whom they might sell information.” (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

20. Latest FDA clinical decision support software draft a step forward, industry says

    1. Healthcare Dive, Jan. 8, 2020
    2. The American Medical Association wrote reliance on software exempted under the IMDRF's risk framework approach to non-serious conditions could "lead to the proliferation of CDS tools for 'non-serious conditions' that are faulty, inaccurate, and without validation, potentially leading to patient harm."

21. With partial flavor ban, Trump splits the difference on vaping

    1. The New York Times, Jan. 2, 2020
    2. “If we are serious about tackling this epidemic and keeping these harmful products out of the hands of young people,” the association said in a statement, “a total ban on all flavored e-cigarettes — in all forms and at all locations — is prudent and urgently needed.” It also said it was “disappointed that menthol flavors — one of the most popular — will still be allowed.” (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

22. Some flavored e-cigarette pods to be pulled from market, except for menthol, tobacco

    1. NBCNEWS.com, Jan. 2, 2020
    2. “The Administration’s new policy to address the youth e-cigarette epidemic by limiting flavors in some vaping products is a step in the right direction, but does not go far enough," Dr. Patrice Harris, president of the American Medical Association wrote in a statement. "The AMA is disappointed that menthol flavors — one of the most popular — will still be allowed, and that flavored e-liquids­ ­will remain on the market."