Page 27 - Delaware Medical Journal August 2015

AMA ANNUAL MEETING
of opioid misuse, overdose, and death by directing the AMA to pursue the following solutions:
Urge states to implement modernized Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMP) that seamlessly integrate into physicians’ work flows and provide clinically relevant, reliable information at the point of care and allow sharing access to data across state lines.
Work with the national alliance for Model State Drug Laws and other organizations to enhance physicians’ ability to review their own prescribing information in PDMPs.
Intensify collaborations with public and private stakeholders to reduce harm from inappropriate
use of opioids and other controlled substances, increase awareness
that substance use disorders are chronic diseases and must be treated accordingly, and reduce the stigma associated with patients who suffer from persistent pain or substance use disorders.
GME FUNDING AND
PHYSICIAN SHORTAGE.
Policy based on a report from the AMA Council on Medical Education was adopted. The report stresses the need for increased medical residency slots and expanded funding sources for Graduate Medical Education (GME). The policy calls for the AMA to advocate for continued and expanded GME funding from federal, state, local, and private sources.
SUPPORTING
VACCINATION POLICES.
The AMA adopted a two-pronged approach to encouraging vaccinations
for everyone not medically exempt. The first part calls on all health care professionals to lead by example and to accept vaccination to prevent the spread of infectious disease and ensure the availability of the medical workforce. The second part is to advocate to the states to pass laws and regulations supporting vaccination, specifically:
Disseminating materials about the effectiveness of vaccines to states.
Encouraging states to eliminate philosophical and religious exemptions from state immunization requirements.
HELPING VICTIMS OF
HUMAN TRAFFICKING.
New policy calls for education so physicians can identify and report suspected cases of human trafficking to the appropriate authorities while ensuring victims have the medical, legal, and social resources they need.
IMPROVED DATA, PRICE TRANSPARENCY MEASURES. AMA reports call for:
Encouraging physicians to communicate cost information to in- dividual patients, taking into account insurance status and other mitigating factors.
Facilitating price and quality transparency.
Creating safeguards to ensure accuracy and relevance of pricing information.
Requesting the CMS expand its Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Look-Up Tool to include hospital outpatient payments.
POLICIES TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF THE NATION.
The AMA House of Delegates adopted policies to influence how patients stay healthy in years to come. Doctors are encouraging these changes:
Ensuring energy drinks have child-resistant packaging to prevent hospitalizations and deaths.
Requiring written consent
from a physician for youth athletes suspected of having a concussion to return to the sport.
Securing labels on sunglasses that state the percentage of UVA and UVB radiation protection.
Requiring hand-held electronic devices that use headphones and earbuds to include warning labels about the dangers of use in public because they impede hearing,
Developing a list of best practices guiding the development of mobile medical applications to ensure trustworthiness.
Setting the minimum age
for purchasing electronic cigarettes at 21.
Increasing what patients can contribute to flexible spending accounts,
Banning the use of artificial trans fats in food.
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learn more
about actions at the 2015 AMA Annual Meeting on the AMA’s website, www.ama-assn.org