American Medical Association
Recent News About American Medical Association
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AMA receives CDC funding to strengthen U.S. public health
The American Medical Association (AMA) has been awarded funding by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to enhance the U.S. public health infrastructure. This funding is part of the CDC’s National Partners Cooperative Agreement, which aims to improve health outcomes and reduce health inequities across the nation.
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Biden administration addresses concerns over information blocking rules
The Biden administration is set to clarify information blocking rules, addressing concerns raised by the American Medical Association (AMA). In a letter, the AMA expressed support for clear exceptions that allow patients to request physicians deliver life-changing information rather than making it immediately available on electronic health records. The proposal also permits physicians to protect patients from efforts to criminalize reproductive health care without facing penalties.
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AMA awards research grants for advancing studies on women in medicine
The Joan F. Giambalvo Fund for the Advancement of Women Award is administered by the AMA Foundation on behalf of the AMA-WPS. The AMA-WPS and AMA Foundation award scholarships of up to $10,000 to healthcare researchers to identify and address issues that affect women physicians and medical students. Since 2006, the organizations have granted 35 research awards on topics such as flexible work options, gender differences in the practice patterns of obstetricians/gynecologists, and the promotion and retention of diversity in medical education. Additional information about the...
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AMA releases updated CPT code set with significant changes
The American Medical Association (AMA) has released the CPT 2025 code set, featuring 420 updates, including 270 new codes, 112 deletions, and 38 revisions. The latest version aims to reflect advancements in contemporary clinical practice and ensure that the code set remains a trusted universal language of medicine.
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AMA supports new mental health parity rule by Biden-Harris Administration
The American Medical Association (AMA) has expressed support for the Biden-Harris Administration's efforts to reinforce the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA). The AMA highlighted the importance of this initiative in safeguarding patients from discriminatory practices by health insurance companies that limit access to mental health and substance use disorder care.
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AMA calls for increased oversight amid high consolidation in pharmacy benefit manager markets
"The call for increased regulatory oversight of PBM business practices is overwhelmingly welcomed by physicians as a check against possible anticompetitive harm resulting from low competition and high vertical integration in the PBM industry," said AMA President Bruce A. Scott, M.D. "The findings from the new AMA analysis warrant attention as Congress and the administration continue their work to protect patients and ensure prescription drugs remain affordable and accessible. The AMA urges careful monitoring, and intervention when needed, of both horizontal and vertical...
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AMA urges CMS transparency on proposed Medicare payment reductions
The American Medical Association (AMA) has called on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to be transparent about the impact of proposed Medicare payment cuts. In July, CMS proposed a 2.8% reduction in payments while estimating that the Medicare Economic Index (MEI), which measures practice cost inflation, would increase by 3.6%. The AMA expressed concerns in a comment letter, urging the administration to collaborate with Congress for a permanent, annual inflation-based update to Medicare physician payments.
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Report highlights disparities due to OB/GYN facility closures in Chicago
The report, titled “From Facilities to Outcomes: A Neighborhood-Level Examination of Maternal and Infant Care Access in Chicago,” highlights the potential impacts of maternity care deserts and measures maternal health care access at a zip code level within the City of Chicago based on three categories: low access, medium access, and full access.
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AMA urges Congress to address Medicare physician payment issues
The letter focuses on four key pillars:
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AMA announces provisional CPT update for avian influenza vaccines
The provisional CPT code is effective for use on the condition that H5N8 Influenza virus vaccine candidates receive emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The AMA is publishing the CPT code update now to ensure electronic systems across the U.S. health care system are prepared in advance for potential FDA authorization.
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Congress urged to act on medicare payment reform amid projected cuts
With CMS estimating a fifth consecutive year of Medicare payment reductions—this time by 2.8 percent—it is evident that Congress must address this issue. In addition to the cut, CMS predicts that the Medicare Economic Index (MEI)—the measure of practice cost inflation—will increase by 3.6 percent. Facing this widening gap between what Medicare pays physicians and the cost of delivering quality care to patients, physicians are urging Congress to pass a reform package that would permanently strengthen Medicare.
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AMA supports new ONC rule protecting reproductive health privacy
The American Medical Association (AMA) has expressed its appreciation for the Biden administration's efforts to clarify privacy protections concerning reproductive health care information. This development comes with the introduction of a new information blocking exception in the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT’s (ONC) proposed Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability (HTI-2) Rule.
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AMA reacts to Supreme Court decision on Idaho abortion case
The American Medical Association (AMA) has expressed relief following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to dismiss an Idaho case, effectively reinstating a pause on parts of the state's near-total abortion ban. This move restores access to emergency abortions in Idaho under federal law.
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AMA supports Surgeon General's advisory on addressing gun violence
The American Medical Association (AMA) has expressed strong support for the recent advisory issued by the Office of the Surgeon General on firearm violence. The AMA emphasizes that physicians across the United States regularly witness the devastating physical and emotional impacts of firearm violence on patients and their families.
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AMA praises Supreme Court decision maintaining protections against gun access for abusers
"The statistics on intimate partner violence are staggering, and making firearms more accessible to individuals under a domestic violence restraining order would certainly have resulted in more death and injury. As physicians who treat the victims and survivors of firearm violence every day, today’s ruling is a victory. It’s a win for our patients, our communities, and for commonsense laws," stated the American Medical Association (AMA) in response to the Supreme Court decision in U.S. v. Rahimi.
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AMA survey highlights detrimental impact of prior authorizations on patient care
Prior authorization is a cost-control tactic requiring physicians to obtain approval from health insurance companies before treatments qualify for coverage. This administrative process exacerbates care delays and has been criticized as a “medical injustice disguised as paperwork” that benefits insurers at the expense of patient well-being.
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AMA supports Supreme Court decision on mifepristone access
The American Medical Association (AMA) has expressed approval for the recent Supreme Court decision that maintains access to mifepristone, a medication used in reproductive care. The ruling comes amid ongoing debates and legal challenges concerning the drug's availability.
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AMA calls on Congress for comprehensive medicare reform
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has released its latest report to Congress, proposing several payment options that it believes would improve the current Medicare law. The American Medical Association (AMA) has commended MedPAC for recognizing the unsustainable nature of the existing system, which lacks an adequate baseline and inflation-based updates.
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AMA announces new leadership for 2024–2025
Bruce A. Scott, M.D., an otolaryngologist from Kentucky, was sworn in as the 179th president of the American Medical Association (AMA). Dr. Scott's inauguration marks the transition of the office from Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, M.D., M.P.H., an anesthesiologist from Wisconsin. Following his presidential term, Dr. Ehrenfeld now serves as the AMA immediate past president.
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AMA adopts new policies focusing on affordability, equity, and privacy
The American Medical Association (AMA) has adopted several new policies aimed at protecting patients and addressing health equity. These include measures to make prescriptions more affordable for Medicare Advantage patients, support for medical-legal partnerships, opposition to restrictive in-vitro fertilization (IVF) legislation, and guidelines on the ethical use of de-identified patient data.