We also commented in the reference committees or supported resolutions reviewed within the ACR committee structure. These included important and timely issues, such as continuation of expanded telemedicine opportunities and reimbursement, other efforts to both assist and protect physicians dealing with the pandemic, H1B and J1 visa issues affecting physician shortages and escalating pharmaceutical prices.
The ACR delegation discussed many other issues and resolutions with other societies and within the various caucuses that we are part of, including Pain and Palliative Medicine, Cancer, American College of Physicians and Mobility. We provided input and perspective from a rheumatology viewpoint based on ACR priorities and policies as put forward by the Board of Directors and/or with input from ACR committees.
Every ACR/ARP Member Has a Role
On behalf of the ACR AMA delegation, I want to thank all ACR/ARP members for your efforts on behalf of the ACR and the patients we all serve and for your continuing support of our involvement with the AMA.
Eileen Moynihan, MD, serves with me as a HOD delegate for rheumatology. Colin Edgerton, MD, and Cristina Arriens, MD, serve as alternate delegates. We were fortunate to recruit two new Young Physicians Section delegates, Christina Downey, MD, and Luke Barre, MD, who truly had a baptism by fire in their first AMA meeting. In addition, Rheumatology Fellow Rami Diab, MD, joined us while participating in the Resident and Fellow Section deliberations. We were of course admirably assisted by the ACR staff team led by Adam Cooper and Rachel Myslinski. My thanks to all of my colleagues for their service.
Because the ACR had over 1,000 AMA members at our five-year review in 2017, we retained our seat in the HOD and participation in other vital AMA-convened activities, such as the RVS Update Committee (RUC) and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) Advisory Committee. However, we cannot rest on our laurels: Our AMA membership is tabulated each year, and we must maintain membership close to our current level to retain our second delegate.
I am happy to report that we again exceeded 1,000 AMA members and have retained our second delegate for 2021. Our next five-year review will come in 2022. I encourage you to renew your AMA membership now if you have not already done so for 2021 and to recommend this to your colleagues.
Gary Bryant, MD, MACR, is a rheumatologist in Minnesota and the ACR’s lead delegate to the American Medical Association.
