Preventing gun violence is all about saving lives
An AMA Viewpoints post by AMA Immediate-Past President Steven J. Stack, MD
When dozens of physicians lined up to testify at the 2016 AMA Annual Meeting this week, the remarks were impassioned and derived from lifetimes of treating victims of gun violence. While this topic has become highly politicized in our country, the passion in the room stemmed from the urgent need to take a stance on a vital public health issue—one that could help save thousands of lives and prevent needless tragedies that affect so many families in our nation.
Agreement across regions, specialties and political leanings
One of the remarkable ...
Source: AMA Wire - June 16, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Troy Parks Source Type: news
From ethics to gun violence: Top stories from 2016 AMA Annual Meeting
The 2016 AMA Annual Meeting took place this week. Read these highlights from the meeting, and see AMA Wire's® full coverage of the event to learn more.
1. Code of Medical Ethics modernized for first time in 50 years
Physicians have just affirmed a comprehensive update of the nearly 170-year-old AMA Code of Medical Ethics, the conclusion of a meticulous project started eight years ago to ensure that this ethical guidance keeps pace with the demands of the changing world of medical practice.
2. Bright future on the horizon—and we know the path to get there
Physicians live in a world of contr...
Source: AMA Wire - June 16, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Troy Parks Source Type: news
EHRs to MOC: Physicians tackle practice issues in new policy
During the third day of policymaking at the 2016 AMA Annual Meeting, physicians discussed a range of topics that affect their practice of medicine. Among them were maintenance of certification (MOC) concerns, the desire to improve patient safety amid the difficulties of electronic health records (EHR) and the need to ensure coverage of telemedicine services.
Minimizing EHR-related patient safety risks
EHRs vendors have been required to make changes to EHR products at such a rapid pace in order to comply with required meaningful use certification that there hasn’t been enough time to align new functionalities with eff...
Source: AMA Wire - June 15, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Amy Farouk Source Type: news
Physicians take steps to address opioid overdose epidemic
The physician role in reducing opioid medication misuse, overdose and death is an important one. Several new policies were put into place by physician delegates at the 2016 AMA Annual Meeting addressing factors that are critical to reversing the epidemic, including prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMP), access to naloxone and addiction medicine as a sub-specialty.
The importance and effectiveness of PDMPs
The prevention and treatment of opioid use disorder has been a focus of the AMA’s Task Force to Reduce Prescription Opioid Abuse since its inception. PDMPs are important tools that physicians have to help t...
Source: AMA Wire - June 15, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Troy Parks Source Type: news
11 new AMA policies patients should know
At the heart of all policymaking of the AMA is the mission to promote the betterment of public health. Physicians at the 2016 AMA Annual Meeting adopted a variety of policies that will help improve consumer safety and reduce harm—they range from preventing drug overdose to delaying school start times and supporting paid sick leave.
1. Medication disposal programs could help prevent overdose, improve health
An unprecedented drug overdose epidemic in the United State could be addressed in part by stronger medication return programs that treat unused medications as hazardous waste. The AMA called for support of medicati...
Source: AMA Wire - June 15, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Amy Farouk Source Type: news
Physicians take on timely public health issues
In Days 2 and 3 of policymaking at the 2016 AMA Annual Meeting, delegates adopted a variety of policies on important issues affecting the health of patients across the country. Issues range from controlled LED lighting to safe provision of dry needling procedures to better training for hemorrhage control.
Attorney ads on drug side-effects
Late-night television is rampant with attorney ads that seek plaintiffs regarding complications from new medications. Potential complications are spoken about in an alarming way, and often, it is the first time the public learns about those potential complications and side effects.
...
Source: AMA Wire - June 15, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Troy Parks Source Type: news
AMA calls for background checks, wait periods to prevent gun violence
The AMA adopted policy calling for background checks and a waiting period for all firearms purchasers, expanding on its previous policy of requiring the same for only handguns. The AMA also is urging prohibitions on the sale, import and manufacture of guns made of plastic, ceramics or other material that cannot be detected by screening devices.
"The shooting in Orlando is a horritic reminder of the public health crisis of gun violence rippling across the United States," AMA Immediate-Past President Steven J. Stack, MD, said in a news release. "Mass killers have used AR-15s, rifles and handguns, and today we strengthened ...
Source: AMA Wire - June 15, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Troy Parks Source Type: news
If you ’re sitting on the sidelines, get involved
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Source: AMA Wire - June 15, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Troy Parks Source Type: news
If you’re sitting on the sidelines, get involved
Andrew W. Gurman, MD, in his inaugural speech as president of the AMA, issued a call to arms for physicians to be leaders and advocates for their profession.
The goal of better outcomes
“Let this be the year we tell our colleagues about all that we are doing on their behalf and on behalf of our patients, so that more may join in our fight,” he told colleagues Tuesday at the AMA Annual Meeting in Chicago.
Dr. Gurman is an orthopedic hand surgeon in private practice in Altoona, Pa. During the last eight years, he has served as the speaker and vice speaker of the AMA House of Delegates and has been an active memb...
Source: AMA Wire - June 15, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Troy Parks Source Type: news
Physicians confront the rise of “smart drugs”
Responding to the safety concerns generated by a growing use of nootropics, physicians at the 2016 AMA Annual Meeting adopted new policy discouraging the nonmedical use of these prescription drugs for cognitive enhancement in healthy individuals.
Nootropics—the so-called “smart drugs”—include a variety of prescription drugs, supplements and other substances that claim to improve cognitive functions of healthy individuals, particularly executive function, memory, learning or intelligence.
Prescription drugs that are FDA-approved to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder or narcolepsy are commonly associa...
Source: AMA Wire - June 14, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Troy Parks Source Type: news
Payment model design needs to be physician-led: New report
As new payment models become a reality, physicians know that they are best poised to balance the goal of reducing costs while delivering high quality care. Physicians passed new policy Tuesday to ensure that those payment models are physician-led to allow for the resources and flexibility needed to implement their own solutions for improving care for patients, rather than letting regulators dictate the way care should be delivered.
No single approach to payment reform will yield the best outcome for every physician or every specialty. If properly structured, physician-focused payment models will create an opportunity for...
Source: AMA Wire - June 14, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Troy Parks Source Type: news
New AMA policies patients should know
At the heart of all policymaking of the AMA is the mission to promote the betterment of public health. Physicians at the 2016 AMA Annual Meeting adopted a variety of policies that will help improve consumer safety and reduce harm.
Dangers of detergent packets
Recognizing that concentrated detergent packets can compromise children’s health and safety, the AMA today adopted policy calling for the redesign of detergent product packages to make them less attractive to children to help prevent accidental exposure or ingestion.
According to a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, between 2...
Source: AMA Wire - June 14, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Amy Farouk Source Type: news
Physicians call for funding, strategies to control Zika
As mosquito season escalates in many states, physicians and others sounding the alarm that the United States needs to act quickly to control the Zika virus, particularly when it comes to pregnant women for whom the virus could mean devastating consequences for their unborn babies.
The need for immediate action
On the heels of a letter in late May that urged Congress to make sufficient funding available to combat the virus, delegates at the 2016 AMA Annual Meeting called on lawmakers to act immediately in the best interest of public health.
“Without sufficient funding for research, prevention, control and treatment ...
Source: AMA Wire - June 14, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Amy Farouk Source Type: news
Flint lead crisis gives rise to policy promoting water purity
The AMA took vigorous action in response to lead contamination in the water in Flint, Mich., with extensive policy intended to promote public health and safety not only in that city but across the nation.
Making a clear connection between Flint’s crisis and the health of all Americans, the AMA adopted policy Tuesday at the 2016 AMA Annual Meeting, encouraging the timely removal of lead services lines, public availability of water test results, regular testing of water at schools, daycares and health care facilities, and more.
“We must do everything in our power to ensure that another Flint-like water crisis never h...
Source: AMA Wire - June 14, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Amy Farouk Source Type: news
Protecting health care workers from workplace violence
A new report by the AMA Council on Science and Public Health responds to increasingly common violence directed at physicians and other health care professionals where they work, looking at the trends in violence, solutions that have been tested and barriers to addressing the problem. The AMA adopted policy to help prevent violent acts in the health care setting.
An unacceptable hazard of the job
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that workplace assaults from 2011 to 2013 were 23,540-5,630 annually, with upwards of 70 percent occurring in health care and social service settings. Health care workers are three to...
Source: AMA Wire - June 14, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Amy Farouk Source Type: news
