News & Media
AMA HOD Interim Meeting Wrap-up
The American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates (HOD) addressed a number of timely issues during it’s November Interim Meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Michigan Delegation joined colleagues from 171 state societies, national specialty societies, sections, and services to debate, influence, and set AMA policy. Nearly 200 items of business were addressed.
Led by Mark C. Komorowski, MD, Chair and Paul D. Bozyk, MD, Vice Chair, members of the Michigan Delegation actively participated in policy making through testimony, council and committee membership, and networking. Michigan submitted five resolutions which are listed below.
Notably, Jann Caison-Sorey, MD, served on Reference Committee C (Medical Education), while also serving as Vice Chair of the AMA’s Committee on Conduct at AMA Meetings and Events. Betty S. Chu, MD, MBA, and Pino D. Colone, MD, continue to serve on the AMA Council on Medical Service and AMA Council on Constitution and Bylaws, respectively.
For highlights from the AMA Special Meeting, visit https://www.ama-assn.org/house-delegates/interim-meeting/highlights-2022-ama-interim-meeting.
Michigan Resolutions at AMA Interim 2022:
Resolved Statement(s)
Final Action
310 (I-22)
Enforce AMA Principles on Continuing Board Certification
RESOLVED, That our AMA continue to actively work to enforce current AMA Principles on Continuing Board Certification; and be it further (Directive to Take Action)
RESOLVED, That our AMA publicly report their work on enforcing AMA Principles on Continuing Board Certification at the Annual and Interim meetings of the AMA House of Delegates. (Directive to Take Action)
Adopted as amended:
Policy H-275.924 was reaffirmed in lieu of the first Resolve of Resolution 310.
The second Resolve of Resolution 310 was amended to read as follows:
RESOLVED, That our AMA continue to publicly report its work on enforcing AMA Principles on Continuing Board Certification. (Directive to Take Action)
314 (I-22)
Balancing Supply and Demand for Physicians by 2030
RESOLVED, That our AMA take action on all fronts to advocate for and implement remedies that will rebalance the supply and demand equation for primary care physicians by 2030; and be it further (Directive to Take Action)
RESOLVED, That our AMA reaffirm AMA Policies H-200.954, H-200.955, H-200.972, H-465.988, and D-305.958. (Reaffirm Existing Policy)
The following current policy was reaffirmed in lieu of Resolution 314:
· US Physician Shortage H-200.954
· Revisions to AMA Policy on the Physician Workforce H-200.955
· Primary Care Physicians in Underserved Areas H-200.972
· Educational Strategies for Meeting Rural Health Physician Shortage H-465.988
· Increasing Graduate Medical Education Positions as a Component to any Federal Health Care Reform Policy D-305.958
315 (I-22)
Bedside Nursing and Health Care Staff
RESOLVED, That our AMA amend AMA policy D-360.998, “The Growing Nursing Shortage in the United States” by addition to read as follows:
Our AMA: (1) recognizes the important role nurses and other allied health professionals play in providing quality care to patients, and participate in activities with state medical associations, county medical societies, and other local health care agencies to enhance the recruitment and retention of qualified individuals to the nursing profession and the allied health fields;
(2) encourages physicians to be aware of and work to improve workplace conditions that impair the professional relationship between physicians and nurses in the collaborative care of patients;
(3) encourages hospitals and other health care facilities to collect and analyze data on the relationship between staffing levels, nursing interventions, and patient outcomes, and to use this data in the quality assurance process;
(4) will work with nursing, hospital, and other appropriate organizations to enhance the recruitment and retention of qualified individuals to the nursing and other allied health professions;
(5) will work with nursing, hospital, and other appropriate organizations to seek to remove administrative burdens, e.g., excessive paperwork, to improve efficiencies in nursing and promote better patient care.
(6) will collaborate with appropriate stakeholders such as the American Hospital Association to identify short- and long-term strategies and solutions to address nursing and other health care staff shortages in order to advocate for a stable work force and career longevity. (Modify Current HOD Policy)
The following current policy was reaffirmed in lieu of Resolution 315:
· The Growing Nursing Shortage in the United States D-360.998
926 (I-22)
Limit the Pornography Viewing by Minors Over the Internet
RESOLVED, That our AMA amend existing policy H-60.934, “Internet Pornography Protecting Children and Youth Who Use the Internet and Social Media,” by addition to read as follows:
(1) Recognizes the positive role of the Internet in providing health information to children and youth.
(2) Recognizes the negative role of the Internet in connecting children and youth to predators and exposing them to pornography.
(3) Supports federal legislation that restricts Internet access to pornographic materials in designated public institutions where children and youth may use the Internet.
(4) Encourages physicians to continue efforts to raise parent/guardian awareness about the importance of educating their children about safe Internet and social media use.
(5) Supports school-based media literacy programs that teach effective thinking, learning, and safety skills related to Internet and social media use.
6) Actively support legislation that would strengthen child-centric content protection by internet service providers and/or search engines in order to limit the access of pornography to minors on the internet and mobile applications. (Modify Existing Policy)
927 (I-22)
Off-Label Policy
RESOLVED, That our AMA amend AMA Policy H-120.988, “Patient Access to Treatments Prescribed by Their Physicians,” by addition as follows:
1. Our AMA confirms its strong support for the autonomous clinical decision-making authority of a physician and that a physician may lawfully use an FDA approved drug product or medical device for an off-label indication when such use is based upon sound scientific evidence or sound medical opinion; and affirms the position that, when the prescription of a drug or use of a device represents safe and effective therapy, third party payers, including Medicare, should consider the intervention as clinically appropriate medical care, irrespective of labeling, should fulfill their obligation to their beneficiaries by covering such therapy, and be required to cover appropriate 'off-label' uses of drugs on their formulary.
2. Our AMA strongly supports the important need for physicians to have access to accurate and unbiased information about off-label uses of drugs and devices, while ensuring that manufacturer-sponsored promotions remain under FDA regulation.
3. Our AMA supports the dissemination of generally available information about off-label uses by manufacturers to physicians. Such information should be independently derived, peer reviewed, scientifically sound, and truthful and not misleading. The information should be provided in its entirety, not be edited or altered by the manufacturer, and be clearly distinguished and not appended to manufacturer-sponsored materials. Such information may comprise journal articles, books, book chapters, or clinical practice guidelines. Books or book chapters should not focus on any particular drug. Dissemination of information by manufacturers to physicians about off-label uses should be accompanied by the approved product labeling and disclosures regarding the lack of FDA approval for such uses, and disclosure of the source of any financial support or author financial conflicts.
4. Physicians have the responsibility to interpret and put into context information received from any source, including pharmaceutical manufacturers, before making clinical decisions (e.g., prescribing a drug for an off-label use).
5. Our AMA strongly supports the addition to FDA-approved labeling those uses of drugs for which safety and efficacy have been demonstrated.
6. Our AMA supports the continued authorization, implementation, and coordination of the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act and the Pediatric Research Equity Act.
7. Our AMA supports physician autonomy with regard to deciding appropriate dosing. (Modify Current HOD Policy)
The following current policy was reaffirmed in lieu of Resolution 927:
· Patient Access to Treatments Prescribed by Their Physicians H-120.988