AMA in the News

AMA in the News: March 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. Tips to taking care of your mental health as quarantines continue

    1. WALB 10, March 31, 2020
    2. “People are feeling more anxious, more worried, and listen as a psychiatrist, these are normal human emotions. So we need to make sure people feel comfortable expressing these emotions and having these emotions,” Patrice Harris, MD, American Medical Association president, said.

  2. AMA Head: Don’t discipline physicians for speaking out, wearing own gear

    1. MSNBC, March 31, 2020
    2. Patrice Harris, MD, of the American Medical Association discusses the lack of protective gear in U.S. hospitals, why some medical professionals are being threatened with losing their jobs and the impact of health care workers falling ill with the coronavirus.

  3. Out of retirement, into the coronavirus fight

    1. The New York Times, March 31, 2020
    2. Story features former AMA president and board member Jim Lazarus, MD, and NMA past-president Niva Lubin-Johnson, MD.

  4. Independent physicians push for expedited COVID-19 aid

    1. Modern Healthcare, March 27, 2020
    2. Independent physicians are hoping for expedited federal aid as elective procedures and non-urgent, in-person doctors' visits are postponed to accommodate more COVID-19 cases, threatening their practices' viability.

  5. Efforts to flatten the coronavirus curve (Podcast)

    1. Bloomberg, March 27, 2020
    2. Patrice Harris, MD, president of the American Medical Association, breaks down efforts to get Americans to help flatten the curve of the virus outbreak.

  6. How you can donate protective equipment to help hospitals fight coronavirus

    1. The Wall Street Journal, March 27, 2020
    2. Provides recommendations on how to provide PPE to hospitals fighting coronavirus.

  7. AMA president: 7 ways to keep peace of mind amid coronavirus fears and worries

    1. USA Today, March 25, 2020
    2. Op-ed by Patrice Harris, MD, on tips to preserve one’s mental health amid the pandemic.

  8. American Medical Association President: Physicians need equipment, support amid coronavirus pandemic

    1. WABE – NPR Atlanta, March 25, 2020
    2. Patrice Harris, MD, on the need for more PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  9. Hospital workers battling COVID-19 say there is a shortage of N-95 masks in DMV

    1. WJLA/ABC 7 (DC), March 24, 2020
    2. Patrice Harris, MD, on PPE shortages in the DC-MD-VA metropolitan area.

  10. Doctors, nurses and hospitals issue open letter urging public to stay home

    1. The Hill, March 24, 2020
    2. Covers joint AMA-AHA-ANA letter urging the public to stay home to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19.)

  11. Health care workers face shortage of protective gear

    1. NPR, March 24, 2020
    2. AMA President Patrice Harris, MD, interviewed on Morning Edition regarding the severe PPE shortages for frontline healthcare workers.

  12. Health care workers on frontlines feel like 'lambs to the slaughterhouse'

    1. CNN, March 23, 2020
    2. AMA President Patrice Harris, MD, on the severe PPE shortages for frontline healthcare workers.

  13. AMA President on lack of protective gear: ‘We need action’

    1. TODAY Show, March 23, 2020
    2. AMA President Patrice Harris, MD, sounding the alarm on the lack of PPE for frontline healthcare professionals combatting COVID-19.

  14. These doctors have specialties. Fighting coronavirus wasn’t one of them.

    1. The New York Times, March 23, 2020
    2. Includes mention of AMA COVID-19 resources, plus AMA telemedicine quick guide.

  15. Trump administration must use every lever in the fight against COVID-19

    1. Modern Healthcare, March 22, 2020
    2. Op-ed authored by Patrice Harris, MD, emphasizing the need for the Trump administration to use every tool available to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

  16. The AMA calls on Trump to use 'all levers' to get medical supplies

    1. MSNBC, March 22, 2020
    2. American Medical Association President, Patrice Harris, MD, joins Morning Joe to discuss critical supply shortages at U.S. hospitals and why the AMA is calling on the president to use all levers to get those supplies.

  17. Medical organization calls on Trump administration to address "critical shortages" of equipment and tests

    1. CNN, March 20, 2020
    2. The American Medical Association has called on the Trump administration to “leverage every tool at its disposal” to address a shortage of protective equipment and coronavirus tests.

  18. AMA head: Lack of protective gear for health care workers is 'unacceptable’

    1. NBC, March 20, 2020
    2. The president of the American Medical Association, Patrice Harris, MD, Friday called the shortages of protective gear for medical professionals treating coronavirus cases “unacceptable.”

  19. Trump expected to sign order unleashing coronavirus funding

    1. Politico, March 13, 2020
    2. Three medical groups — the American Hospital Association, the American Nurses Association and the American Medical Association — sent a letter to the White House on Thursday urging Trump to declare an emergency to give the Department of Health and Human Services authority to take additional actions, such as waiving certain Medicare, Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program requirements.

  20. AMA fast-tracks code to bill for coronavirus testing

    1. Modern Healthcare, March 11, 2020
    2. In addition to claims processing, a standard novel coronavirus code can be used for research and resource planning down the line, according to AMA President Patrice Harris, MD. "By streamlining the flow of information on novel coronavirus testing, a new CPT code facilitates the reporting, measuring, analyzing, researching, and benchmarking that is necessary to help guide the nation's response to the public health emergency," she said in a statement. (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

  21. New Data Rules Could Empower Patients but Undermine Their Privacy

    1. The New York Times, March 10, 2020
    2. “App frequently do not provide patients with clear terms of how that data will be used — licensing patients’ data for marketing purposes, leasing or lending aggregated personal information to third parties, or outright selling it,” Dr. James L. Madara, the chief executive of the American Medical Association, wrote in public comments to health regulators last year. “These practices jeopardize patient privacy, commoditize an individual’s most sensitive information and threaten patient willingness to utilize technology to manage their health.” (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

  22. AMA to review HHS' finalized interoperability rules

    1. Becker's Hospital Review, March 10, 2020
    2. The American Medical Association on March 9 announced it will "undertake aggressive action" over the next few weeks to review HHS' finalized interoperability rules and ensure the regulations meet the needs of patients and physicians. (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

  23. CMS and ONC Release Final Interoperability Rules

    1. Medscape, March 10, 2020
    2. Medical associations have been more receptive to the regulation. In a statement released on March 9, the American Medical Association (AMA) said it had engaged regularly with policy makers on elements of the ONC rule. However, the AMA noted it would closely monitor the implementation of the rule in areas such as privacy, gag clauses in vendor contracts that prevent physicians from publicizing problems with their EHRs and the exceptions to the information blocking provisions. (Free registration is required to view content.)

  24. HHS finalizes patient health data, interoperability rules

    1. Medical Economics, March 9, 2020
    2. “The AMA has been advocating on behalf of physicians and patients for over 10 years to ensure EHR usability, interoperability, and patient data and safety are top concerns when government agencies develop new policies,” said AMA President Patrice A. Harris, MD. “We applied this knowledge and momentum as we worked with CMS and ONC in anticipation of today’s release of the final rule. As the AMA reviews the new rules, we will pay special attention to policies aimed at creating efficiencies in data exchange, reduction in physician burden and patient control over and access to their data.”

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