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( American Medical Association)
The American Medical Association (AMA), founded in 1847 and incorporated in 1897,[2] is the largest association of physicians and medical students in the United States. The AMA's stated mission is to promote the art and science of medicine for the betterment of the public health, to advance the interests of physicians and their patients, to promote public health, to lobby for legislation favorable to physicians and patients, and to raise money for medical education. The Association also publishes the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), which has the largest circulation of any weekly medical journal in the world.[3] The AMA also publishes a list of Physician Specialty Codes which are the standard method in the U.S. for identifying physician and practice specialties. Ronald M. Davis MD finished his term as President on June 17, 2008 at which time Nancy H Nielsen MD, PhD was sworn in as the Association's 163rd President.[4] J.James Rohack, MD, a senior staff cardiologist at Scott & White Clinic in Temple, Texas, became the 164th president of the American Medical Association (AMA) in June 2009.[5] While its membership has declined in recent years, the AMA claims approximately 22% of U.S. physicians and medical students as members.[1] The American Medical Association's political positions through its history have often been controversial. In the 1930s, the AMA attempted to prohibit its members from working for the then-primitive health maintenance organizations that sprung up during the Great Depression, which violated the Sherman Antitrust Act and resulted in a conviction ultimately affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court. American Medical Ass'n. v. United States, 317 U.S. 519 (1943). The AMA's vehement campaign against Medicare in the 1950s and 1960s included the Operation Coffee Cup supported by Ronald Reagan. Since the enactment of Medicare, the AMA reversed its position and now opposes any "cut to Medicare funding or shift [of] increased costs to beneficiaries at the expense of the quality or accessibility of care" — and it also "strongly supports subsidization of prescription drugs for Medicare patients based on means testing". However, the AMA remains opposed to any single-payer health care plan that might enact a National Health Service in the United States, such as House Resolution 676. In the 1990s, the organization was part of the coalition that defeated the health care reform advanced by Hillary Rodham Clinton and her US President husband. Alos, the AMA has given high priority to supporting changes in medical malpractice law to limit damage awards, which, it contends, makes it difficult for patients to find appropriate medical care. In many states, high risk specialists have moved to other states that have enacted reform. For example, in 2004, all neurosurgeons had relocated out of the entire southern half of Illinois. The main legislative emphasis in multiple states has been to effect caps on the amount that patients can receive for pain and suffering. These costs for pain and suffering are only those that exceed the actual costs of healthcare and lost income. Multiple states have found that limiting pain and suffering costs has dramatically slowed increases in the cost of medical malpractice insurance. Texas, having recently enacted such reforms, reported that all major malpractice insurers in 2005 were able to offer either no increase or a decrease in premiums to physicians. At the same time however, states without caps also experienced similar results; suggesting that other market factors may have contributed to the decreases. Some economic studies have found that caps have historically had an uncertain effect on premium rates.[6] Nevertheless, the AMA believes the caps may alleviate what is often perceived as an excessively litigious environment for many doctors.
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American Medical Association Subcategories
American Medical Association Articles
Does Sugar Affect Cholesterol Levels? by Mark Stjean
If a person has high cholesterol, chances are they were instructed to reduce their intake of total fat, specifically animal fats, from their diet, become more active and to work on Weight Loss. What th...
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