News & Media
Michigan Delegation Reports for Duty
National Harbor, Maryland, was the site of this year’s American Medical Association (AMA) Interim Meeting on November 10-13. Your Michigan State Medical Society's (MSMS) Delegation to the AMA was actively involved in serving on several reference committees and advocating for Michigan-sponsored resolutions. Delegation Chair, James D. Grant, MD, MBA, noted, “participation and advocacy by the Michigan Delegation definitely had a positive impact on policy outcomes from the AMA House of Delegates. Whether advocating on behalf of Michigan resolutions or representing the interests of Michigan patients on a national level, your Delegation again proved why it is a Delegation to watch.”
David T. Walsworth, MD, served as Chair of the Rules and Credentials Committee. The Reference Committee on Amendments to Constitution and Bylaws and Reference Committee F (AMA Governance and Finance) also included Michigan representation as Jayne E. Courts, MD, and Michael D. Chafty, MD, were seated as committee members, respectively.
Three of Michigan resolutions reaffirmed existing policy while the other four were adopted as amended. Like the MSMS House of Delegates (HOD) process, Michigan’s Delegation to the AMA must submit and testify on Michigan’s resolutions before respective committees to garner support and address any opposition.
Michigan’s resolutions adopted as reaffirmation of existing policy are as follows:
- Resolution 223 – Permanent Reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program
- Resolution 819 – Medicare Reimbursement Formula for Oncologists Administering Drugs
- Resolution 821 – Direct Primary Care and Concierge Medicine Based Practices
Below are Michigan’s resolutions that were adopted as amended:
- Resolution 820 - Ensuring Quality Health Care for Our Veterans
- Resolution 920 - Continued Support for Federal Vaccination Funding
- Resolution 921 - Food Environments and Challenges Accessing Healthy Food
- Resolution 961 - Protect Physician-Led Medical Education
Additionally, two reports, one from the Board of Trustees (BOT) and the other from the Council on Medical Service (CMS), addressed two Michigan resolutions that were previously referred for additional study. In each report, the recommended action was favorable to the position of the Michigan resolutions and each report was ultimately approved by the HOD. In BOT Report 12, it was determined that having additional information pertaining to animal derived medications would be beneficial for both patients and clinicians. CMS Report 3 studied Michigan’s call for additional financial and other resources to help practices quality for and sustain Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) status. As a result, the Report included “a set of recommendations recognizing that it is critical to not only have financial support during the initial stages of practice transformation, but also to maintain ongoing funding and continuous cultural and monetary support for PCMH activities.”