DISCLAIMER
The following is a preliminary report of actions taken by the House of Delegates at
its 2005 Annual Meeting and should not be considered final. Only the Official
Proceedings of the House of Delegates reflect official policy of the Association.
AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION HOUSE OF DELEGATES (A-05)
Report of Reference Committee F
Carol S. Shapiro, MD, Chair
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In keeping with Resolution 601 (A-96), the Reference Committee recommends the
following consent calendar for acceptance:
RECOMMENDED FOR ADOPTION
1.
Recommendations of Board of Trustees Report 32 – AMA Dues 2006
2.
Recommendations of Board of Trustees Report 2 – Federated Ambulatory
Surgery Association Official Observer Status in the House of Delegates
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Recommendations of Council on Long Range Planning and Development Report
1 – CLRPD’s Sunset Review of 1995 House Policies
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Recommendations of Council on Long Range Planning and Development Report
2 – Criteria for Small Specialty Society Membership in the AMA House of
Delegates
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Recommendations of Report of the House Committee on Compensation of the
AMA General Officers
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Resolution 604 – Collaboration and Coordination During Disaster Relief
7.
Resolution 605 – Confusion Regarding Use of the Term “Doctor”
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Resolution 617 – Health Insurance for Medical Students
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Recommendations of Board of Trustees Report 14 – National Institutes of Health
Public Access Policy (Resolution 723, I-04)
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Recommendations of Board of Trustees Report 36 – Strengthening, Expanding
and Promoting Foundation and Medical Society Scholarship Programs
(Resolutions 616 and 617, I-04)
Reference Committee F (A-05)
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RECOMMENDED FOR ADOPTION WITH A TITLE CHANGE
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Resolution 606 – Defining Physician as MD and DO
RECOMMENDED FOR ADOPTION AS AMENDED OR SUBSTITUTED
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Recommendations of Board of Trustees Report 30 – Representation of Specialty
Societies in the AMA House of Delegates
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Substitute Resolution 616 – Subspecialty Representation on Panels,
Committees, and Boards of the American Medical Association
RECOMMENDED FOR REFERRAL
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Resolution 612 – Resident and Fellow Representation in the AMA House of
Delegates
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Resolution 619 – Closed Claims Database
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Resolution 602 – Evaluating Advertising
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Resolution 603 – Lifetime E-Mail Accounts as a Benefit of AMA Membership
Resolution 614 – Lifetime E-Mail Addresses as a Benefit of AMA Membership
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Resolution 625 – AMA Use of Social Security Numbers
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Resolution 613 – Interspecialty Dispute Resolution
20.
Resolution 620 – NIH Public Access Policy
RECOMMENDATION FOR REFERRAL FOR DECISION
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Resolution 601 – Expanding our AMA’s Advocacy Efforts to Create More
Opportunities for Participation by AMA Members
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Resolution 609 – Physicians’ Campaign for a Healthier America
RECOMMENDED FOR NOT ADOPTION
23.
Resolution 607 – Flight Discounts for Travel for AMA-MSS Members
24.
Resolution 626 – Medical Staff Educational Resources
25.
Resolution 623 – Council on Legislation
26.
Resolution 610 – Interim Meeting Location
27.
Resolution 621 – Priority-Based Function in the House of Delegates of the AMA
28.
Resolution 622 – Coordinating Priorities in the House of Medicine
Reference Committee F (A-05)
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RECOMMENDED FOR REAFFIRMATION IN LIEU OF
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Resolution 615 – Use of the Title “Physician”
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Resolution 618 – Stronger AMA Health Care Advocacy Agenda
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Resolution 624 – Pharmacy Sales of Physician Prescribing Patterns
RECOMMENDED FOR FILING
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Board of Trustees Report 31 – Auditor’s Report
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Board of Trustees Report 21 – AMA Performance, Activities, and Status in 2004
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Board of Trustees Report 24 – AMA Participation in International Activities
RECOMMENDED FOR LEAVE TO WITHDRAW
35.
Resolution 608 – Establishing an AMA International Health Consortium
Reference Committee F (A-05)
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(1)
BOARD OF TRUSTEES REPORT 32 - AMA DUES 2006
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that the recommendation in Board of Trustees Report 32
be adopted and the remainder of the report be filed.
HOD ACTION: Recommendation in Board of Trustees Report 32
adopted and remainder of report filed.
Board of Trustees Report 32 recommends dues levels for 2006 that are unchanged from
2005.
There was no testimony in response to the Board’s report.
(2)
BOARD OF TRUSTEES REPORT 2 - FEDERATED
AMBULATORY SURGERY ASSOCIATION OFFICIAL
OBSERVER STATUS IN THE HOUSE OF DELEAGTES
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that the recommendation in Board of Trustees Report 2 be
adopted and the remainder of the report be filed.
HOD ACTION: Recommendation in Board of Trustees
Report 2 adopted and remainder of report filed.
Board of Trustees Report 2 describes the activities of the Federated Ambulatory Surgery
Association, which has requested observer status in the House of Delegates. The report
also reviews the guidelines for granting official observer status and recommends that the
Federated Ambulatory Surgery Association be granted that status.
The testimony on this report was favorable.
Reference Committee F (A-05)
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(3)
COUNCIL ON LONG RANGE PLANNING AND
DEVELOPMENT REPORT 1 - CLRPD'S SUNSET
REVIEW OF 1995 HOUSE POLICIES
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that the recommendations in Council on Long Range
Planning and Development’s Sunset Review of 1995
House Policies be adopted and the remainder of the report
be filed.
HOD ACTION: Recommendations in Council on Long Range
Planning and Development Report 1 adopted and remainder
of report filed.
Council on Long Range Planning and Development Report 1 presents the CLRPD’s
recommendations on the disposition of the 1995 House policies that were assigned to it.
There were no concerns expressed about any of the Council’s recommendations.
(4)
COUNCIL ON LONG RANGE PLANNING AND
DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2 - CRITERIA FOR SMALL
SPECIALTY SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP IN THE AMA
HOUSE OF DELEGATES
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that the recommendation in Council on Long Range
Planning and Development Report 2 be adopted and the
remainder of the report be filed.
HOD ACTION: Recommendation in Council on Long Range
Planning and Development Report 2 adopted and remainder of
report filed.
Report 2 of the Council on Long Range Planning and Development describes the current
criteria for admitting specialty organizations to the House of Delegates, notes the
difficulty current standards may pose for small societies and provides a brief history on
the development of the current criteria. It recommends that the current criteria be
maintained in light of our AMA’s reinvigorated efforts to focus on membership.
The limited testimony heard supported the CLRPD report.
Reference Committee F (A-05)
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(5)
REPORT OF THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON
COMPENSATION OF THE AMA GENERAL OFFICERS
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that the recommendations in the House Committee on
Compensation Report be adopted and the remainder of
the report be filed.
HOD ACTION: Recommendations in Report of the House
Committee on Compensation of the AMA General Officers adopted
and remainder of report filed.
The Compensation Committee recommends that the compensation for AMA officers and
BOT members remain unchanged for 2004-2005, that honoraria and per diems for the
student and resident BOT members be set at half the rate of other BOT members, and
that the allowance for travel by the spouse of the president be increased to $6000
annually.
Your Reference Committee heard strong support for this report and concurs with the
Compensation Committee that no single method of compensation will satisfy everyone.
There was ample testimony concerning Board members’ obligations and responsibilities,
with most agreeing that the recommendations in the report reflected a good compromise
with respect to medical student and resident compensation. Testimony also was heard
concerning the importance of spousal support for our AMA Presidents, who spend a
considerable portion of the year on the road. Your Reference Committee believes that
the recommendations from the Compensation Committee demonstrate a clear rationale
and sound judgment.
(6)
RESOLUTION 604 - COLLABORATION AND
COORDINATION DURING DISASTER RELIEF
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that Resolution 604 be adopted.
HOD ACTION: Resolution 604 adopted.
Resolution 604 calls on the AMA Board to develop a plan to work with other
organizations and help coordinate domestic and international donations of physician
resources to populations in acute and chronic need.
Limited but supportive testimony was heard. The Board of Trustees noted ongoing AMA
efforts, including those of the AMA Center for Public Health Preparedness and Disaster
Response.
Reference Committee F (A-05)
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(7)
RESOLUTION 605 - CONFUSION REGARDING USE OF
THE TERM "DOCTOR"
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that Resolution 605 be adopted.
HOD ACTION: Resolution 605 adopted.
Resolution 605 asks that the AMA “strongly encourage” media to require that the actual
degree be affixed to the name of all who endorse health-related products.
Strong support was heard for this resolution. Your Reference Committee also heard
testimony that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have an expansive
definition for “physician” that is not limited to MDs or DOs.
(8)
RESOLUTION 617 - HEALTH INSURANCE FOR
MEDICAL STUDENTS
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that Resolution 617 be adopted.
HOD ACTION: Resolution 617 adopted.
Resolution 617 calls for our AMA to investigate the feasibility of developing and
marketing a health insurance plan tailored for medical students.
Testimony was uniformly favorable. Your Reference Committee believes it is in the best
interest of our AMA and our student members to support the goals of this resolution.
Your Reference Committee notes that current AMA policy supports individual ownership
of health insurance.
(9)
BOARD OF TRUSTEES REPORT 14 - NATIONAL
INSTITUTES OF HEALTH PUBLIC HEALTH ACCESS
POLICY (RESOLUTION 723, I-04)
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that the recommendation in Board of Trustees Report 14
be adopted.
HOD ACTION: Recommendations in Board of Trustees Report 14
adopted and remainder of report filed.
Reference Committee F (A-05)
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Report 14 of the Board of Trustees provides a report on the disposition of Resolution
723 (I-04), which was referred for decision. It also describes the activities our AMA has
undertaken to address concerns that have arisen around the NIH Public Access Policy.
The report includes the text of a letter sent from our AMA to the NIH on this subject and
outlines the NIH’s revised policy. Because the new NIH policy addresses the AMA’s
concerns as well as those contained in the resolution, the report recommends that
Resolution 723 not be adopted.
Testimony on Board of Trustees Report 14 was favorable, but noted that recent action in
the U.S. Congress may necessitate a stronger policy stand by our AMA. That policy, if
necessary, can be developed in response to Resolution 620 (Item 20 in this report),
which your Reference Committee has recommended for referral. The Board testified it
would strongly oppose immediate posting of articles on PubMed Central.
(10)
BOARD OF TRUSTEES REPORT 36 STRENGTHENING, EXPANDING AND PROMOTING
FOUNDATION AND MEDICAL SOCIETY SCHOLARSHIP
PROGRAMS (RESOLUTIONS 616 AND 617, I-04)
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that the recommendation in Board of Trustees Report 36
be adopted and the remainder of the report be filed.
HOD Action: Recommendation in Board of Trustees
Report 36 adopted and remainder of report filed.
Board of Trustees Report 36 responds to referred resolutions 616 and 617 (I-04). It
notes a number of legal concerns that preclude the adoption of those resolutions.
No testimony was heard on Board of Trustees Report 36.
(11)
RESOLUTION 606 - DEFINING PHYSICIAN AS MD AND
DO
RECOMMENDATION A:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that Resolution 606 be adopted.
RECOMMENDATION B:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that the title of Resolution 606 be changed to read as
follows:
USE OF MD AND DO IN AMA RESOLUTIONS
Reference Committee F (A-05)
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HOD ACTION: Resolution 606 adopted with change in title.
Resolution 606 urges that resolutions refer to both “MD and DO” unless clearly
applicable to only one or the other and further, that reference committees amend the
language of resolutions as necessary to specifically refer to MDs and DOs.
Your Reference Committee heard minimal testimony, all of which was supportive.
(12)
BOARD OF TRUSTEES REPORT 30 REPRESENTATION OF SPECIALTY SOCIETIES IN THE
AMA HOUSE OF DELEGATES
RECOMMENDATION A:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that that the recommendation in Board of Trustees Report
30 be amended by deletion on page 6, lines 38-50, and
page 7, lines 1-14, to read as follows:
It is recommended that the ballot mechanism for specialty
representation be maintained. and that it be supplemented
by an “allocation formula” that assigns non-balloting AMA
members of specialty societies in proportion to each
specialty society’s share of total AMA membership through
the process described below, and that the remainder of this
report be filed:
Step 1:
Determine the total number of ballots to
allocate to the specialty societies that are represented in
the AMA House. This step involves accessing the AMA
Masterfile to determine how many AMA members who are
eligible to cast ballots for specialty societies through the
AMA’s on-line balloting system have not done so. All AMA
members except for first-, second-, and third-year medical
students are eligible to cast ballots for specialty societies.
Step 2:
Using data derived from the five-year reviews
of specialty societies, determine the total number of
specialty society memberships that can be attributed (or
traced) to AMA members. This step involves adding up the
number of specialty society members who are also AMA
members.
Step 3:
Determine
the
proportion
of
those
memberships that is associated with each specialty society.
This step involves dividing the number of AMA members in
each specialty society by the total number of specialty
society memberships that are attributable to AMA
members.
Reference Committee F (A-05)
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Step 4:
Determine the number of allocated ballots to
allot to each specialty society by multiplying the total
number allocated ballots by the society's proportion of AMA
memberships.
Step 5:
Determine the total number of ballots for
each specialty society by adding the ballots that were cast
for the society and the ballots that were allocated to the
society.
Step 6:
Allocate delegate positions to specialty
societies using the rule that one delegate position is
allocated for each 1,000 ballots or portion of 1,000 ballots
and that every specialty society that is represented in the
House shall be allocated a minimum of one delegate
position. (New HOD Policy)
RECOMMENDATION B:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that Board of Trustees Report 30 be amended by addition
of a new second recommendation to read as follows:
2.
That our AMA poll every AMA member about his or
her choice of specialty society representation,
including the option of no representation, by
January 1, 2006, using whatever mechanism(s) is
most appropriate. (Directive to Take Action)
RECOMMENDATION C:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that Board of Trustees Report 30 be amended by addition
of a new third recommendation to read as follows:
3.
That our AMA provide a list to every specialty
society of those members who have selected that
society for representation. (Directive to Take
Action)
Reference Committee F (A-05)
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RECOMMENDATION D:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that Board of Trustees Report 30 be amended by addition
of a new fourth recommendation to read as follows:
4.
That AMA membership packets, or some other
appropriate annual mailing, include a reminder of
the member’s specialty society selection along with
information on selecting a specialty society.
(Directive to Take Action)
RECOMMENDATION E:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that Board of Trustees Report 30 be amended by addition
of a new fifth recommendation to read as follows:
5.
That the Board of Trustees report to the House of
Delegates at the 2005 Interim Meeting on steps
taken to enhance and simplify the process of
selecting a specialty society for representation
purposes and prepare a report for the 2006 Annual
Meeting outlining the results of the preceding
efforts. (Directive to Take Action)
RECOMMENDATION F:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that the recommendations in Board of Trustees Report 30
be adopted as amended and the remainder of the report
be filed.
HOD ACTION: Recommendations in Board of Trustees
Report 30 referred.
Report 30 of the Board of Trustees provides data on the distribution of state and
specialty society delegates in the House of Delegates and compares the current rules for
apportioning state and specialty society delegates. The report proposes a mechanism to
allocate seats to specialty societies in such a way that each member will be represented
in the HOD by one state delegate and one specialty society delegate, using the HOD’s
1996 decision to provide proportional representation to specialty societies as a
foundation.
Your Reference Committee heard strong testimony in support of and in opposition to the
allocation mechanism proposed in the Board of Trustees report. Other testimony noted
that the current balloting mechanism needs to simplified and made user-friendly. The
Board report generated a number of questions, including issues of fairness and equity.
Testimony was clearly split with state societies on one side and specialty societies on
Reference Committee F (A-05)
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the other. Noting this division within the House and lacking Solomon-like wisdom, your
Reference Committee has suggested a number of steps that it believes will provide a
foundation for future efforts to ensure the proportional representation of specialty
societies in the House of Delegates, as called for by previous House of Delegate
actions.
(13)
RESOLUTION 616 - SUBSPECIALTY
REPRESENTATION ON PANELS, COMMITTEES, AND
BOARDS OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
RECOMMENDATION A:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that the following Substitute Resolution 616 be adopted:
RESOLVED, That the Board of Trustees prepare a report
for the 2005 Interim Meeting that explains in some detail
the history and evolution of the Relative Value Update
Committee (RUC), that describes the current composition
and operation of the RUC, that explains the relationship of
the RUC to our AMA, and that explains the interaction
between the RUC and CMS.
RECOMMENDATION B:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that the title of Substitute Resolution 616 be changed to
read as follows:
THE AMA AND THE RELATIVE VALUE UPDATE COMMITTEE
HOD ACTION: Substitute Resolution 616 adopted as amended with
change in title.
Resolution 616 would establish policy that medical and surgical subspecialties be
deemed of equal stature to specialties for the purposes of representation on committees
sponsored or convened by our AMA, that both specialties and subspecialties recognized
by the American Board of Medical Specialties may hold permanent seats on the AMA
Resource-Based Relative Value Update Committee (RUC), and that subspecialty
organizations meeting certain criteria be deemed eligible to hold permanent seats on the
RUC.
Your Reference Committee heard considerable testimony on Resolution 616, but the
testimony raised a number of questions regarding governance, structure and function of
the RUC. This suggests that any policy changes await clarification of the operating rules
of the RUC and a better understanding of the relationship between the AMA and the
RUC.
Reference Committee F (A-05)
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(14)
RESOLUTION 612 - RESIDENT AND FELLOW
REPRESENTATION IN THE AMA HOUSE OF
DELEGATES
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that Resolution 612 be referred.
HOD ACTION: Resolution 612 referred.
Resolution 612 would have the Board of Trustees study and provide a recommendation
at A-06 on how to provide equal voting representation in the House of Delegates for
residents and fellows.
Testimony in support of the Resident and Fellow Section was heard from the Board,
several medical societies and the Medical Student Section. Your Reference Committee
believes a referral to the Board will allow for a comprehensive investigation concerning
the development of mechanisms for determining resident and fellow representation in
the House of Delegates.
(15)
RESOLUTION 619 - CLOSED CLAIMS DATABASE
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that Resolution 619 be referred.
HOD ACTION: Resolution 619 referred.
Resolution 619 asks that our AMA study the benefits and costs of a national closedclaims database, including medical malpractice lawsuits to quantify risk by class of
procedures and patients.
Your Reference Committee heard testimony that was generally supportive but raised
questions regarding possible collaboration with other groups. Questions also were
raised concerning the cost associated with implementation. The Board testified that it
wants to ensure there is a role for the AMA and that members want such a service.
(16)
RESOLUTION 602 - EVALUATING ADVERTISING
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that Resolution 602 be referred.
HOD ACTION: Resolution 602 referred.
Reference Committee F (A-05)
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Resolution 602 calls on the AMA to work with organizations that confer titles or awards
on hospitals to advise them on sound criteria and analytical methods to better serve and
inform the public.
Your Reference Committee believes referral is in order because establishing a liaison
may unduly confer AMA support for organizations or other entities that attempt to
quantify or recognize “best hospitals” or “best physicians.” Some speakers raised the
possibility that some groups who rate physicians and hospitals may only have financial
motivations. Your Reference Committee encourages the Board to include in its report
an investigation of the entities involved, their data collection methods, and their
process/rationale for conferring titles.
(17)
RESOLUTION 603 - LIFETIME E-MAIL ACCOUNTS AS A
BENEFIT OF AMA MEMBERSHIP
RESOLUTION 614 – LIFETIME E-MAIL ADDRESSES AS
A BENEFIT OF AMA MEMBERSHIP
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that Resolutions 603 and 614 be referred.
HOD ACTION: Resolutions 603 and 614 referred.
Resolution 603 asks that the AMA study the implementation and benefit of an AMAspecific e-mail as a membership benefit.
Resolution 614 would have our AMA establish lifetime email addresses as a benefit of
membership.
Your Reference Committee heard considerable testimony in support of e-mail
communication with physicians. Testimony seemed to favor a forwarding-type system.
To ensure the most effective implementation, your Reference Committee recommends
referral. Some speakers wondered aloud about the possibility of using e-mail to reach
out to members and non-members. Many felt developing this service would be beneficial
to stay in contact with “mobile” physicians such as students, residents and those serving
in the military. One speaker suggested this might be very helpful in a public health
emergency.
(18)
RESOLUTION 625 - AMA USE OF SOCIAL SECURITY
NUMBERS
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that Resolution 625 be referred.
Reference Committee F (A-05)
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HOD ACTION: Resolution 625 referred.
Resolution 625 asks that our AMA no longer require Social Security Numbers (SSN) for
membership and that SSNs be deleted from AMA databases.
Testimony was sympathetic to the intent of the resolution. Several speakers shared
stories of security breaches. The Board expressed significant concerns regarding the
implications of deleting existing Social Security Numbers from AMA databases. Your
Reference Committee believes the report back to the HOD should address the possible
use of medical education numbers as a substitute.
(19)
RESOLUTION 613 - INTERSPECIALTY DISPUTE
RESOLUTION
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that Resolution 613 be referred with a report back at I-05.
HOD ACTION: Resolution 613 referred for decision.
Resolution 613 seeks the development of a dispute resolution mechanism to deal with
contentious interspecialty issues.
Your Reference Committee heard testimony that this issue has been of ongoing concern
for many years. It has been addressed by the Federation Coordination Team and the
Commission on Unity. In addition, BOT Report 23 (A-02) called for the establishment of
the National Collaboration Council—a report on which is forthcoming according to BOT
Report 23 (A-04). Your Reference Committee believes that given this long-term interest,
the issues outlined in Resolution 613 should be incorporated into that pending report,
and that the report should outline a range of mechanisms to resolve interspecialty
disputes. There was no support for any binding arbitration mechanism, and the Board
indicated they would favor the AMA playing the role of convener rather than arbiter.
(20)
RESOLUTION 620 - NIH PUBLIC ACCESS POLICY
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that Resolution 620 be referred with a report back at I-05.
HOD ACTION: Resolution 620 referred with report back at I-05.
Resolution 620 calls on our AMA to work with specialty organizations to suggest
alternatives to the NIH Public Access publication policy, to express concern about the
public access policy, to oppose mandatory submission of manuscripts, and to urge NIH
to alter its policy to allow direct linking from PubMed Central to not-for-profit journals.
Reference Committee F (A-05)
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Your Reference Committee recommends referral of this resolution to ensure the AMA
has all necessary flexibility in future negotiations and communication with the NIH or
others. Proposed Congressional action may necessitate that an updated report be
prepared for the 2005 Interim Meeting so that our AMA can establish sound policy based
on current needs.
(21)
RESOLUTION 601 - EXPANDING OUR AMA'S
ADVOCACY EFFORTS TO CREATE MORE
OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARTICIPATION BY AMA
MEMBERS
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that Resolution 601 be referred for decision.
HOD ACTION: Resolution 601 referred for decision.
Resolution 601 asks that the AMA sponsor and promote to members an “AMA Lobby
Day” in Washington, D.C. that is in addition to the day related to the National Advocacy
Conference; that the AMA also convene a “regional lobby week” for physicians and
medical students to visit congressional leaders in their district offices; and that all
lobbying visits include a cross-section of AMA members, with younger members having
prominent roles.
The Young Physician Section commented on the benefits its section members have
received from working with AMA leadership and staff during previous lobbying efforts.
The Board noted the importance of the section’s involvement in AMA advocacy events
and requested the resolution be referred for decision to ensure ongoing coordination of
efforts.
(22)
RESOLUTION 609 - PHYSICIANS' CAMPAIGN FOR A
HEALTHIER AMERICA
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that Resolution 609 be referred for decision.
HOD ACTION: Resolution 609 referred for decision.
Resolution 609 would have our AMA work to create the “American Medical Association
Physicians’ Campaign for a Healthier America,” which would afford opportunities for
members to address lifestyles affecting health, focus on prevention, be high profile,
include an educational component, build coalitions and create an aggressive and
proactive approach to life-threatening problems.
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Your Reference Committee heard widespread enthusiasm for the intent of this
resolution, including comments from AMA President-elect J. Edward Hill, MD, who called
the resolution “exciting.” Your Reference Committee believes referral for decision is
appropriate to allow the Board to incorporate the goals of the resolution into existing
activities.
(23)
RESOLUTION 607 - FLIGHT DISCOUNTS FOR TRAVEL
FOR AMA-MSS MEMBERS
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that Resolution 607 not be adopted.
HOD ACTION: Resolution 607 referred for decision.
Resolution 607 asks our AMA to seek travel discounts for medical student members
utilizing travel services.
Your Reference Committee is sympathetic to the high cost of travel, but past experience
and current testimony indicated that such a service could not effectively compete with
online travel services nor could it ensure service to all areas of the country.
(24)
RESOLUTION 626 - MEDICAL STAFF EDUCATIONAL
RESOURCES
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that Resolution 626 not be adopted.
HOD ACTION: Resolution 626 referred.
Resolution 626 calls upon our AMA to create a plan to disseminate medical staff
governance materials using multiple media, making these efforts one part of our AMA’s
new marketing efforts.
There was no testimony regarding this resolution.
Your Reference Committee recognizes the importance of medical staff governance
issues and the many contributions of the OMSS. Working with the OMSS, the AMA has
been able to create many useful resources to assist hospital medical staff activities.
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(25)
RESOLUTION 623 - COUNCIL ON LEGISLATION
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that Resolution 623 not be adopted.
HOD ACTION: Resolution 623 not adopted.
Resolution 623 calls for a change to AMA Bylaws to make the Council on Legislation
elected, with authority similar to other elected Councils, and for our AMA to develop an
implementation plan to transition the Council on Legislation to an elected body.
Apart from the sponsors of this resolution, testimony was generally in opposition.
Questions were raised about the wisdom of electing the Council on Legislation, and in
light of the Board’s fiduciary responsibilities, concerns were expressed about the
potential for having the Council on Legislation carry out legislative policy as outlined in
the second resolve. Testimony was supportive of the current appointment process, and
the Council’s existing role as advisor to the Board.
(26)
RESOLUTION 610 - INTERIM MEETING LOCATION
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that Resolution 610 not be adopted.
HOD ACTION: Resolution 610 not adopted.
Resolution 610 asks that our AMA use a fair and equitable system to rotate the Interim
Meeting among all cities that have the capacity to host the meeting and hold the Interim
Meeting in Washington, D.C. triennially.
Testimony was generally against this resolution. A number of speakers questioned the
value of holding the Interim Meeting in Washington, D.C., as Congress is frequently not
in session in November. Other speakers noted that the AMA already meets annually in
Washington, D.C., at the National Advocacy Conference.
(27)
RESOLUTION 621 - PRIORITY-BASED FUNCTION IN
THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES OF THE AMA
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that Resolution 621 not be adopted.
HOD ACTION: Resolution 621 not adopted.
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Resolution 621 asks that our AMA continue to revise and refine its role as national
leader of the House of Medicine, that the Interim Meeting be devoted to the four to six
issues that are most important to physicians, and that the House of Delegates focus on
the issues determined by the prioritization process to be key for physicians.
Testimony questioned the wisdom of unduly limiting the agenda of the Interim Meeting.
Your Reference Committee believes current efforts to focus AMA priorities should not be
restricted as the current priorities reflect the wishes of the House.
(28)
RESOLUTION 622 - COORDINATING PRIORITIES IN
THE HOUSE OF MEDICINE
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that Resolution 622 not be adopted.
HOD ACTION: Resolution 622 not adopted.
Resolution 622 calls upon our AMA to continue to refine the prioritization process in the
House of Delegates, solicit help from medical societies to assist in the prioritization
process, request that state and specialty societies prioritize issues, and focus on
prioritized issues.
Testimony was sympathetic to the intent of the resolution, but your Reference
Committee believes the House already receives input from the grassroots due to the
existing makeup of the HOD, which helps it prioritize issues.
(29)
RESOLUTION 615 - USE OF THE TITLE "PHYSICIAN"
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that Policies H-405.976 and H-405.989 be reaffirmed in
lieu of Resolution 615.
HOD ACTION: Policies H-405.976 and H-405.989 reaffirmed in
lieu of Resolution 615.
Resolution 615 asks that our AMA work with appropriate bodies to ensure that the title of
physician is used exclusively by persons with an MD or DO degree.
Limited testimony was heard on Resolution 615. Your Reference Committee believes
that reaffirmation of existing policy accomplishes the goals of the authors of the
resolution. Policy H-405.976 says in part, “The AMA supports seeking immediate
modification of the social security laws to change the definition of a physician to conform
with AMA policy. The AMA will seek legislation prohibiting the use of the term “physician”
as a descriptor other than in the context of a medical doctor (MD) or doctor of
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osteopathy (DO).” Policy 405.989 says, “(1) It is AMA policy to refer only to Doctors of
Medicine (MDs) and Doctors of Osteopathy (DOs) as ‘physicians and surgeons.’ (2) The
AMA supports working to ensure that federal and state regulations and hospital medical
staff bylaws comply with this designation.”
(30)
RESOLUTION 618 - STRONGER AMA HEALTH CARE
ADVOCACY AGENDA
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that existing Policy H-440.888 “Public Health Leadership”
be reaffirmed in lieu of Resolution 618.
HOD ACTION: Resolution 618 referred for decision.
Resolution 618 requests that our AMA include the physician-patient relationship, cost
containment for health care and prescription medicines, evidence-based health
information, and public health leadership as priority issues and in any published agenda.
Given current AMA efforts to focus activities, your Reference Committee believes that
reaffirmation of existing policy supporting public health activities is appropriate and will
help ensure AMA leadership in this arena. Policy H-440.888, Public Health Leadership,
says “Our AMA: (1) urges that appropriately trained and experienced licensed physicians
(MDs or DOs ) be employed by state and local health departments to be the responsible
leader when patient care decisions are made, whether for individuals in the STD or TB
Clinics or for the community at large when an epidemic is to be managed; and (2)
defines public health leadership and decision-making that promotes health and prevents
disease in the community as the practice of medicine, requiring a licensed practitioner
with all the skills, training, experience and knowledge of a public health trained
physician.”
(31)
RESOLUTION 624 - PHARMACY SALES OF PHYSICIAN
PRESCRIBING PATTERNS
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that Policy D-315.988 “Use of Physician and Patient
Prescribing Data in the Pharmaceutical Industry” be
reaffirmed in lieu of Resolution 624.
HOD ACTION: Policy D-315.988 reaffirmed in
lieu of Resolution 624.
Resolution 624 asks that our AMA continue to work with PhRMA to end the practice of
pharmacies selling physicians’ prescribing practices to pharmaceutical companies.
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Resolution 624 calls for reaffirmation of existing policy. For this reason, your Reference
Committee recommends reaffirmation of D-315.988, “Use of Physician and Patient
Prescribing Data in the Pharmaceutical Industry,” which was adopted at I-04 (BOT
Report 24). Policy D-315.988, Use of Physician and Patient Prescribing Data in the
Pharmaceutical Industry, says “Our AMA will (1) work to control the use of physicianspecific prescribing data by the pharmaceutical industry as follows: (a) implement a
suitable "opt-out" mechanism for the AMA Physician Masterfile governing the release of
physician-specific prescribing data to pharmaceutical sales reps by including appropriate
restrictions in the AMA data licensing agreements; (b) communicate to physicians the
resources available to them in reporting inappropriate behavior on the part of
pharmaceutical sales representatives and the work the AMA has done and will continue
to do on their behalf; and (c) work with Health Information Organizations (HIOs) to
describe to physicians how their prescribing data are used and work to create access for
physicians to view reports on their own prescribing data to enhance their clinical
practice; and (2) assume a leadership position in both developing a Prescribing Data
Code of Conduct for the Pharmaceutical Industry that dictates appropriate use of
pharmaceutical data, behavior expectations on the part of industry, and consequences
of misuse or misconduct, and in convening representatives from HIOs and the
pharmaceutical companies to promulgate the adoption of the code of conduct in the use
of prescribing data.“
(32)
BOARD OF TRUSTEES REPORT 31 – AUDITOR'S
REPORT
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that Board of Trustees Report 31 be filed.
HOD ACTION: Board of Trustees Report 31 filed.
Board of Trustees Report 31 notes that the consolidated financial statements for 2003
and 2004 and the independent auditor’s report have been included in the 2004 Annual
Report, which was distributed in the handbook mailing to members of the House of
Delegates.
Your Reference Committee has been very pleased with the quarterly informational
reports it receives. We congratulate the AMA on its continued sound financial
management, and we are particularly pleased that 2004 represented the AMA’s fifth
consecutive year of operating profit.
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(33)
BOARD OF TRUSTEES REPORT 21 - AMA
PERFORMANCE, ACTIVITIES, AND STATUS IN 2004
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that Board of Trustees Report 21 be filed.
HOD ACTION: Board of Trustees Report 21 filed.
Board of Trustees Report 21 provides a summary of AMA performance, activities and
status over the past year.
Questions that led to the extraction of the report were addressed by the Board of
Trustees.
(34)
BOARD OF TRUSTESS REPORT 24 - AMA
PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that Board of Trustees Report 24 be filed.
HOD ACTION:
filed.
Board of Trustees Report 24
Board of Trustees Report 24 presents an overview of our AMA’s international activities,
including international business activities, awards and advocacy efforts as well as
activities in the World Medical Association.
Questions that led to the extraction of the report were addressed by the Board of
Trustees.
(35)
RESOLUTION 608 - ESTABLISHING AN AMA
INTERNATIONAL HEALTH CONSORTIUM
RECOMMENDATION:
Madam Speaker, your Reference Committee recommends
that the sponsors of Resolution 608 be granted leave to
withdraw the resolution.
HOD ACTION: Resolution 608 withdrawn.
Resolution 608 calls on our AMA to establish an international health consortium of
physicians, residents and medical students.
The sponsors of Resolution 608 asked for permission to withdraw their resolution. Your
Reference Committee heard no objection.
Reference Committee F (A-05)
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Madam Speaker, this concludes the report of Reference Committee F. I would like to
thank Michael E. Greene, MD, Susan L. Hubbell, MD, Lawrence W. Jones, MD, Arl Van
Moore, Jr., MD, Jeffrey A. Ribner, MD, Ronald L. Ruecker, MD, and all those who
testified before the Committee. The Committee wants to acknowledge the hard work of
Roger Brown, Daniel Blaney-Koen and Yolanda Shorter.
Michael E. Greene, MD
Georgia
Arl Van Moore, Jr., MD
American College of Radiology
Susan L. Hubbell, MD
American Academy of Physical
Medicine and Rehabilitation
Jeffrey A. Ribner, MD
New York
Lawrence W. Jones, MD
American Urological Association
Ronald L. Ruecker, MD, MBA
Illinois
Carol S. Shapiro, MD
Virginia
Chair