AMA Leadership

Declaration of Helsinki a reminder that medicine has no boundaries

If there’s one thing the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has shown us, it’s that diseases and pandemics do not respect boundaries. In a globalized world, what affects one country’s physicians and patients can affect all of us, no matter where we are.

Nov 10, 2014 ·

Honoring veterans: Physician voice crucial to ensuring care

As a physician and having served on active duty in the U.S. Navy for more than two decades, I believe Veterans’ Day is one of the most important days of the year—perhaps even more than usual this year. In August, Congress adopted a veterans’ health care reform law, which the AMA helped shape.

Nov 10, 2014 ·

Seizing the moment to fix Medicare during the lame duck session

Support is growing to finally move Medicare into the 21st century by employing practical solutions to problems that have plagued the system for years, including repealing the flawed sustainable growth rate (SGR) that has been a failure since it was first enacted.

Nov 8, 2014 ·

Mission provides a map to improve medicine: AMA CEO

Throughout history, the AMA has always followed its mission: to promote the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health. The association will continue to follow its mission—its moral compass and road map—into the future, AMA Executive Vice President and CEO James L. Madara, MD, said in his address Saturday at the 2014 AMA Interim Meeting.

Nov 4, 2014 ·

Physicians set to enact change in Dallas

I'm getting ready to join colleagues for the 2014 AMA Interim Meeting, where we'll come together for activities and policy debate that will help shape the future of health care.

Nov 3, 2014 ·

How patients are benefiting from innovative quality projects

I recently spent two days in Detroit at the Henry Ford Health System—and what I learned there is too exciting not to share. The system has hosted an annual Quality Exposition for 23 years, during which health care teams from throughout its integrated system demonstrate new ways to make patient care safe, patient-centered, timely, efficient, effective and equitable.

Oct 28, 2014 ·

Why health insurance competition matters

In my travels I often hear the concerns and successes physicians and patients across the country face every day. Perhaps one of the most concerning challenges in today’s health care environment is health insurance competition. In 17 states, and in 41 percent of metropolitan areas, a single health insurer had more than one-half of the commercial market. In 45 states, only two health insurers had a combined commercial market share of one-half or more.

Oct 21, 2014 ·

Contribute to our unified voice across medicine

Now that fall is here, we’re all busy with a variety of medical association meetings. I’ve just returned from the World Medical Association meeting in South Africa, and I’ve spent much of the last two months attending meetings of a dozen different international, national, state and local medical associations.

Oct 17, 2014 ·

Preparing for Ebola: How physicians are taking action

As a physician and frequent international traveler, the recent Ebola developments have been on my mind. Despite the increasing attention from the media, we as physicians know that this is not a time to panic but a time to prepare.