Advocacy Update

AAHPM’s Rising Profile at the AMA: A Report from the 2016 Interim Meeting of the House of Delegates

Chad D. Kollas, MD FACP FCLM FAAHPM

In November, the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates (HOD) held its 2016 Interim Meeting in my hometown of Orlando. Nearly 600 delegates from more than 170 societies convened to establish policy on health, medical, professional, and governance matters, as well as the principles that guide the AMA’s business activities. Serving as the Academy’s delegate to the AMA, I was joined at the meeting by AAHPM Past President Ron Crossno, MD FAAFP FAAHPM, who is our alternate delegate, and Kyle Edmonds, MD, AAHPM’s delegate to the AMA Young Physician Section.

This year’s Interim Meeting featured robust discussion on a wide range of issues, from maintenance of certification to parity in reproductive health coverage for same-sex couples to environmental sustainability and climate. By the end of the 4-day meeting, the AMA had adopted dozens of new policies, including ones that establish principles to support value-based prescription drug pricing; encourage expanded residency and fellowship training in the treatment of opioid use disorders; address healthcare access of incarcerated individuals; seek to destigmatize mental illness and enable timely, affordable access to mental health services for students; and recognize the effect on health of individual patient spirituality and encourage access to spiritual care services.