By Dr. Tony Geroulis and Dr. Robert Jackson, AACS Delegates to the AMA House of Representatives

The American Medical Association held its 2020 Special Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates virtually on November 13-17. We, AACS representatives Drs. Tony Geroulis and Robert Jackson, are reporting back on items that may be important to our fellow members. As you might suspect, this was a difficult five-day virtual meeting with many potential topics to cover.

COVID-19 and Vaccines

During this meeting, participants spent time discussing problems associated with COVID-19, which has impacted all our practices to some degree. One of the most noticeable consequences of the pandemic is the expansion of telehealth services.

At the meeting, AMA formed the following guidelines for physicians to talk to their patients and combat misinformation around COVID-19 vaccines:

• Educating physicians on how to speak with patients about vaccines
• Educating the public about the safety and efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines and building public confidence
• Forming a coalition of healthcare and public health organizations inclusive of communities of color to promote acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccination
• Supporting ongoing monitoring of COVID-19 vaccines to ensure that the evidence continues to support safe and effective use of vaccines among recommended populations

Healthcare and Insurance

Another point of discussion was the current healthcare system in the United States. AMA opposes a one-payer system, believing that a public option should not replace private insurance, but instead be used to maximize competition. AMA passed resolutions that would place the association at the table concerning public options. With appropriate guardrails, AMA will examine proposals that will provide additional coverage options for patients.

Another item that came before the House was the issue of prior authorization by insurance companies. To minimize delays in obtaining prior authorizations outside of regular working hours, the AMA House of Delegates passed a resolution to direct the AMA to “advocate that all insurance companies that require prior authorization must have staff available to process approvals 24 hours a day, every day of the year, including holidays and weekends.”

Section Council of Private Practice Physicians

At this meeting, the House of Delegates passed a resolution creating the Section Council of Private Practice Physicians. The passage of this Section Council required a bylaw change and had to be approved by the entire House of Delegates. This section gives a voice to physicians who are connected through a unique perspective but may be underrepresented, even though physician owners are outnumbered by physicians who are employees.

This new Section Council provides a forum for networking and mentoring. It will be devoted to advocating on private practice physician policy issues, providing leadership development and educational opportunities for medical students and young physicians, and monitoring trends that affect private practice.

This new section will give AACS delegates another avenue to advocate for our members. At this meeting, your delegates advocated that mid-level health providers should continue to work under supervision of physicians.

Other Updates

AMA Council on Medical Education report presented at the November 2020 AMA Special Meeting, several changes to the CBC process are under consideration by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). These include offering alternatives to the high-stakes, 10-year examinations for recertification and offering additional flexibility in the activities that are considered acceptable to meet Improvement in Medical Practice requirements. The Council on Medical Education is committed to ensuring that CBC supports physicians’ ongoing learning and practice improvement and can assure the public that physicians are providing high-quality patient care.

Additionally, Robert Jackson was re-elected as Vice Chairman of the Section Council of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

We are pleased at the large amount of business that was accomplished at this meeting. The Speakers and planners did an excellent job planning and running it. Hopefully, our next meeting in June 2021 will be in person once again.