AMA in the News

AMA in the News: May 2024

. 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. Foreign physicians can help solve America’s doctor shortage

    1. Wall Street Journal, May 31, 2024
    2. For primary care alone, the country will be short more than 40,000 doctors by 2030. American Medical Association President Jesse Ehrenfeld, MD, MPH, calls it “an urgent crisis” as nearly 1 in 4 American doctors will hit retirement age by the end of the decade. (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

  2. From clinics to Congress: What's motivating docs to lobby lawmakers

    1. Medscape, May 31, 2024
    2. "People go into medicine because they want to contribute to improving human health," said Ehrenfeld, a practicing neurology anesthesiologist. "It's so fulfilling knowing I can put my hand on someone's shoulder and make a difference in their lives, but all the junk that gets in the way—the political infighting, the payment cuts, the distrust of science, and misinformation—makes it more challenging, and more and more of my colleagues are struggling to find joy in the practice of medicine." (Free registration is required to view content.)

  3. The rural health care crisis is growing

    1. KBZK, May 24, 2024
    2. The newly elected president of the American Medical Association says it all adds up to a crisis. “The entire rural health care system is teetering on the brink," said Bruce Scott, MD.

  4. Doctors: UnitedHealth Group should be responsible for cyberattack breach notices

    1. Forbes, May 23, 2024
    2. The impact of the Change Healthcare cyberattack is financially hurting tens of thousands of doctor practices with 80 percent of physicians reporting “lost revenue from unpaid claims,” according to a survey by the American Medical Association. (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

  5. UnitedHealth touted cyberattack repairs when Utah was still reeling

    1. Bloomberg, May 22, 2024
    2. "The recovery's been slow," said Jesse Ehrenfeld, MD, MPH, president of the American Medical Association. He said his personal doctors who he's seen since the hack haven't been paid, and many practices still face backlogs. (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

  6. 100+ groups ask OCR for clarification on HIPAA requirements after Change Healthcare hack

    1. HealthExec, May 22, 2024
    2. The letter, dated May 20, is signed by a number of medical associations and physicians groups, including the American Medical Association.

  7. How AHN's Wellness Program is improving well-being of clinicians, nurses

    1. HealthLeaders, May 22, 2024
    2. In 2023, AHN earned recognition from the American Medical Association for demonstrating a commitment to promoting clinician well-being through proven efforts to address work-related stress and burnout.

  8. Industry groups seek clarity from HHS on Change Healthcare breach reporting

    1. Health IT Security, May 22, 2024
    2. The providers affected by the Change Healthcare cyberattack and its aftermath sought answers from the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in a letter (PDF) undersigned by more than 100 industry groups, including the American Medical Association, the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives and state medical associations.

  9. Dr. Ehrenfeld on Morning Joe

    1. MSNBC, May 21, 2024
    2. The department of health and human services has announced a new $50 million program to encourage hospitals across the country to improve their cybersecurity. This comes amid an uptick in ransomware attacks against the health care industry. Just recently, ascension, one of the nation's largest health systems, faced a significant cyber attack that knocked patients' records offline. Joining us now, the president of the American Medical Association, Dr. Ehrenfeld.

  10. Providers urge HHS to clarify Change data breach reporting requirements

    1. Healthcare Dive, May 21, 2024
    2. In a letter sent to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra (PDF) Monday, more than 50 organizations—including the American Medical Association, the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives and the American Health Information Management Association—urged the federal government to publicly confirm that Change could manage data breach reporting and notification requirements, since the technology firm and major claims processor experienced the breach. 

  11. Over 100 medical organizations want clarity in Change cyberattack

    1. Healthcare Finance, May 21, 2024
    2. The American Medical Association and more than 100 other medical organizations are asking for official affirmation that providers are not responsible for HIPAA reporting requirements due to the Change Healthcare cyberattack.

  12. Associations ask OCR for clarity on Change Healthcare breach reporting

    1. Healthcare Innovation, May 20, 2024
    2. CHIME, AHIMA, the American Medical Association, and most state medical associations have penned a letter to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to request more clarity around reporting responsibilities related to the Change Healthcare data breach.

  13. February cyberattack causes chronic pain for health care industry

    1. Marketplace, May 20, 2024
    2. Jesse Ehrenfeld, MD, MPH, isn’t just a patient; he’s president of the American Medical Association. Change Healthcare processes between a third and a half of all medical insurance claims in the U.S., he said. The company is still working to get its services running smoothly.

  14. Senate Finance Committee tackles Medicare physician pay reform

    1. Healthcare Dive, May 20, 2024
    2. MedPAC, for example, has suggested annual conversion factor updates linked to 50% of MEI. However, the American Medical Association and other clinician groups argue Congress should adopt an 100% MEI update, resulting in significantly higher payments.

  15. HHS’s proposed rule pays lip service to addressing the climate crisis, the greatest threat to human health

    1. STAT News, May 20, 2024
    2. The American Hospital Association doesn’t mention climate change in its 2024 Advocacy Agenda, nor does the American Medical Association’s Advocacy Efforts. 

  16. AMA raises alarm over crisis in rural health care in U.S.

    1. The BMJ, May 14, 2024
    2. The American Medical Association (AMA) has expressed concern about the widening health disparities between rural and urban communities, with death rates around 20% higher for the 46 million Americans who live in rural areas than for those who live in urban areas. Many people in rural communities also live below the poverty line, said Bruce Scott, MD, president-elect of AMA, at a press briefing with the National Rural Health Association in New Orleans on May 7. (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

  17. Abortion bans could be affecting broader array of physicians

    1. National Journal, May 13, 2024
    2. For students who do end up in a conservative state, there are concerns about training opportunities, said Jack Resneck Jr., MD, immediate past president of the American Medical Association. Resneck said if abortions are illegal except for rare exceptions in a state, students won't have enough exposure to the procedures that are also used to treat miscarriages and other complications.

  18. AMA president-elect, from Louisville, has ideas for more rural physicians

    1. Lane Report, May 13, 2024
    2. “Rural health is America’s health,” Bruce Scott, MD, of Louisville, AMA president-elect, told reporters in a May 9 press conference in conjunction with the National Rural Health Association annual conference in New Orleans. “We need policymakers to understand that the American Medical Association is deeply concerned about the ever-widening health disparities between urban and rural communities. disparities that are at the root of why rural Americans suffered disproportionately high rates of heart disease, cancer, stroke, respiratory illness, diabetes, and unintentional injuries.”

  19. Rural physicians in short supply

    1. Journal Record, May 10, 2024
    2. “We can’t afford to lose any more doctors,” Bruce Scott, MD, said Thursday. “The national and worsening physician shortage is hitting rural areas the hardest.” (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

  20. Rural health system 'teetering on brink' of collapse, says AMA

    1. Medscape, May 9, 2024
    2. Physicians are leaving health care in droves, "not because they don't want to practice…but because the system is making it more and more difficult for them to care for their patients," said Bruce Scott, MD, president-elect of the American Medical Association (AMA), at a press conference on May 9 at the National Rural Health Association's Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Free registration is required to view content.)

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