The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 News
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Psoriatic Arthritis Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
    • Interprofessional Perspective
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
      • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / Health Policy Resolutions from the AMA House of Delegates 2016 Interim Meeting

Health Policy Resolutions from the AMA House of Delegates 2016 Interim Meeting

November 30, 2016 • By Kelly Tyrrell

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF

This year’s interim meeting of the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates (HOD) took place Nov. 12–15, just days after the national election that, in 2017, will usher in a GOP-led Congress and presidential administration.

You Might Also Like
  • ACR Delegates Attend AMA House of Delegates Interim Meeting
  • Aloha from the 2007 AMA House of Delegates Interim Meeting
  • AMA House of Delegates 2018 Annual Meeting Recap
Also By This Author
  • Nevada Rheumatologists Take on Biologic and Biosimilar Substitution

“It was a highly interesting meeting,” says Gary Bryant, MD, FACP, associate professor of medicine and rheumatology at the University of Minnesota, and chair of the ACR’s delegation to the AMA.

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Solidifying the Stand on Healthcare
With the future of the Affordable Care Act now uncertain, much of the work at the AMA HOD focused on sharing information and solidifying where the AMA stands with regard to new efforts to reform healthcare in the U.S.

“The AMA is a policy-driven organization, and at the meeting a resolution passed that reaffirmed the AMA’s previous policies as the touchstones for how we are going to work with Congress and the new administration, no matter what happens with repeal and replace of the ACA,” says Dr. Bryant.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

In a statement issued following the HOD meeting, AMA President Andrew W. Gurman, MD, said the organization is committed to reform that improves access to care for all patients. This was reiterated in a vision statement published by the AMA on Nov. 15, which stated: “The AMA remains committed to improving health insurance coverage and healthcare access so that patients receive timely, high-quality care, preventive services, medications and other necessary treatments.”1

Additional Rheumatology-Related Priorities & Discussion Points
Additionally, Dr. Bryant says several other priorities were discussed that will have an impact on rheumatologists.

For example, the AMA passed a resolution to advocate for the exemption of small practices from some aspects of the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) once the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) is implemented in 2017, because of the difficulties many small, private practitioners may face in trying to comply.

ad goes here:advert-3
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

“It passed with a higher level of priority,” says Dr. Bryant, “so the AMA will specifically put more resources toward that advocacy.”

The AMA also plans to address FDA regulations that could make it more challenging for physicians to mix drugs in the office. The HOD put forth a resolution that will seek to exclude ambulatory and surgical centers from these rules.

As a new policy, the AMA will also advocate for independent evaluation of pharmaceutical prices.

“These evaluations have to be transparent and easily accessible, and ease the administrative burdens of obtaining access to pharmaceuticals for our patients,” says Dr. Bryant. “Our patients are on complex, expensive drugs—often biologics—so this is an important thing for us.”

Pages: 1 2 | Single Page

Filed Under: Meeting Reports, Professional Topics Tagged With: AMA, AMA HOD, American Medical Association, Healthcare Reform, House of Delegates interim meeting

You Might Also Like:
  • ACR Delegates Attend AMA House of Delegates Interim Meeting
  • Aloha from the 2007 AMA House of Delegates Interim Meeting
  • AMA House of Delegates 2018 Annual Meeting Recap
  • AMA House of Delegates Meeting: Decisions Affecting You

Rheumatology Research Foundation

The Foundation is the largest private funding source for rheumatology research and training in the U.S.

Learn more »

Simple Tasks

Learn more about the ACR’s public awareness campaign and how you can get involved. Help increase visibility of rheumatic diseases and decrease the number of people left untreated.

Visit the Simple Tasks site »

Meeting Abstracts

Browse and search abstracts from the ACR Convergence and ACR/ARP Annual Meetings going back to 2012.

Visit the Abstracts site »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2022 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.