ORLANDO, Fla. – The American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates convened its Interim Meeting today and adopted a series of policies to address challenges in medical education and the physician workforce. New policies aim to enhance resource allocation for rural health care, streamline Continuing Medical Education (CME) reporting, and improve compensation and benefits for medical fellows.   

AMA calls for review of health professional shortage area scoring to improve access in rural communities 

Delegates adopted policy aimed at giving greater urgency to addressing the worsening primary care physician shortage in rural areas by supporting a comprehensive review of the Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) scoring system used by the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment Program. The NHSC offers vital scholarships and loan repayment in exchange for a commitment to practice medicine in underserved areas.  

The new policy calls for increased federal and state resources to improve the accuracy of the Shortage Designation Management System (SDMS) data used to determine HSPA scores. The scoring system relies, in part, on data provided by state primary care offices and facilities. However, rural clinics have fewer resources to update SDMS data, resulting in a lack of accurate data in SDMS.  

"The primary care physician shortage is hitting rural areas hard, and it’s projected to get worse,” said AMA Trustee Alexander Ding, MD, MS, MBA. “Rural areas continue to face substantial challenges in getting scores that meet federal thresholds, and we urgently need to increase data accuracy and revamp the scoring system to ensure rural communities have access to health care they desperately need.” 

This new policy reinforces the AMA’s long-standing commitment to bolstering rural health care access. The AMA has urged Congress to increase funding to strengthen the scholarship aspect of the NHSC program. The AMA also continues to advocate for increased residency slots in rural areas and additional incentives to attract and retain physicians in underserved regions. 

AMA adopts policy to simplify and streamline CME reporting

Delegates adopted policy aimed at reducing the financial and administrative burdens associated with reporting CME requirements for physicians. The AMA is the owner of one of three major CME credit systems in the United States, the AMA Physician’s Recognition Award (PRA), which sets a standard for quality CME. Some boards are only recognizing a subset of AMA PRA Category 1 credit™, and the new policy urges all licensing and specialty boards to recognize all AMA PRA credits equally.  

The policy also seeks to simplify CME reporting by promoting a common reporting standard across medical specialty and state medical boards. Until this standard is universally adopted, the AMA advocates for empowering physicians to be able to enter their own CME information to meet CME requirements seamlessly. 

"With all of the other administrative burdens physicians face every day, it is vital to take steps toward simplifying the CME reporting process,” said AMA Trustee Melissa J. Garretson, MD. “Right now, reporting is entirely too time consuming and repetitive. If we can streamline the CME process and adopt standardized reporting, physicians can focus on what matters most – providing high-quality care to patients." 

The AMA makes it easy for physicians to pursue lifelong learning and get CME credit for a variety of educational activities through the AMA Ed Hub™. 

AMA calls for fair compensation and benefits for medical fellows 

Delegates adopted policy to strengthen the "Residents and Fellows’ Bill of Rights," encouraging medical fellowship programs, which provide advanced subspecialty training, to provide salaries and benefits that align with fellows’ advanced level of training and experience. Medical fellows may face a compensation gap compared to residents, with many receiving lower pay and reduced benefits after residency. While ACGME-accredited residency programs receive federal funding through Medicare, some fellowship programs are primarily funded through grants, institutional budgets, private foundations, endowments, and donations, resulting in fellows receiving fewer benefits and lower salaries than residents at the same teaching hospital. The new policy builds on AMA advocacy efforts to reduce financial burdens on residents and fellows. 

"Medical fellows have already completed years of rigorous training, including residency, and bring invaluable skills and knowledge to patient care,” said AMA Trustee Pratistha Koirala, MD, PhD.  “It is essential that fellowship programs provide fair pay and benefits so that these physicians can focus on advancing their expertise and contributing to the health of patients."