American Medical Association

The AMA represents hundreds of thousands of physicians, residents, and medical students across the United States.

56 articles on KevinMD · Listed in Experts by KevinMD

About

The American Medical Association (AMA) is the largest and most influential organization representing the voices of hundreds of thousands of physicians, residents, and medical students across the United States. Founded in 1847, the AMA works to advance the interests of physicians and patients by advocating for policies that improve access to quality care, strengthen the patient-physician relationship, promote physician autonomy and well-being, advance science and technology, and uphold the high medical ethics of the profession. The AMA's mission is to promote the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health.

The AMA publishes updates on LinkedIn, Instagram, X, and Bluesky.

Latest articles

Drugs and prescribing

Deprescribing in health care: Why less medication can be more

American Medical Association & John Whyte, MD, MPH

February 17, 2026Feb 17, 2026

Every day, millions of Americans take medications to manage chronic conditions or prevent disease. Prescription drugs are vital tools in modern medicine, but in some circumstances, they can also lead to serious adverse drug interactions, diminished quality of life, and…

This is a complex issue with high stakes for patients. Older adults, in particular, are often prescribed multiple drugs by different doctors for different reasons. The Centers for …

Conditions and diseases

Did you know that colder weather can complicate blood pressure control rates and treatment?

American Medical Association

March 4, 2024Mar 4, 2024

Next time you hear "cuffing season," think of blood pressure cuffs. As winter has properly set in with shorter, darker, colder days, you might see the impact on blood pressure control rates. A new study examined the health records of…

Next time you hear “cuffing season,” think of blood pressure cuffs. As winter has properly set in with shorter, darker, colder days, you might see the impact on blood pressure control rates.

A new study examined the health records of more than 68,000 adults being treated for hypertension and found that on a population level, BP control rates decreased by up to 5 percent during the winter months …

Physician voices

Women in medicine are trailblazers, advocates, and leaders

American Medical Association & Patrice A. Harris, MD

September 13, 2019Sep 13, 2019

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com. Each September, the American Medical Association (AMA) is proud to recognize and honor the immense contributions women make to the House of Medicine. Such recognition is particularly appropriate this…

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com.

Each September, the American Medical Association (AMA) is proud to recognize and honor the immense contributions women make to the House of Medicine. Such recognition is particularly appropriate this year. I count myself lucky to be joined by two exceptional women physicians in holding the offices of president, president-elect, and immediate past president, which is a first in the AMA’s …

Health policy

Challenging gender bias in the house of medicine

American Medical Association & Barbara McAneny, MD

September 21, 2018Sep 21, 20183

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com. Since the 1970s, women have been carving out an increasingly large role in medicine, and the profession is becoming more representative of our society. September is Women in Medicine…

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com.

Since the 1970s, women have been carving out an increasingly large role in medicine, and the profession is becoming more representative of our society. September is Women in Medicine Month, a great time to acknowledge the changing face of medicine, but also to note that female physicians are not immune from the challenges that face women in every other workplace …

Health policy

AMA: Urge Congress to repeal the SGR now

American Medical Association & Ardis D. Hoven, MD

March 4, 2014Mar 4, 20146

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com. It’s crunch time for our nation’s physicians. After an 11-year battle, we stand closer now than ever before to repealing Medicare’s fatally-flawed sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula. With the…

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com.

It’s crunch time for our nation’s physicians. After an 11-year battle, we stand closer now than ever before to repealing Medicare’s fatally-flawed sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula.

With the introduction of the SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014 last month, Congress took a critical step toward reforming the nation’s Medicare program. This joint legislation is the product …

Health policy

AMA: Repeal the flawed Medicare payment formula

American Medical Association & Ardis D. Hoven, MD

December 4, 2013Dec 4, 20135

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com. Last week’s release of the final 2014 Medicare payment rule serves as an urgent reminder to Congress that there are just 28 days before physicians who care for Medicare…

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com.

Last week’s release of the final 2014 Medicare payment rule serves as an urgent reminder to Congress that there are just 28 days before physicians who care for Medicare patients will face a steep 24 percent cut caused by the short-sighted, fatally flawed Medicare payment formula — the SGR.

Year after year for more than a decade, Medicare has threatened drastic …

Health policy

AMA: The administrative burden of being a physician

American Medical Association & Ardis D. Hoven, MD

September 15, 2013Sep 15, 20133

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com. The administrative burden of being a physician continues to fuel discontent among doctors. The unfulfilling interface with the insurance bureaucracy is a major contributor to physician dissatisfaction. But not…

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com.

The administrative burden of being a physician continues to fuel discontent among doctors. The unfulfilling interface with the insurance bureaucracy is a major contributor to physician dissatisfaction. But not all health insurers are equal when it comes to hassle factors imposed on physicians.

New data released by the American Medical Association (AMA) ranks major health insurers according to their administrative cost …

Drugs and prescribing

AMA: Effective pain management with prevention of prescription drug abuse

American Medical Association & Ardis D. Hoven, MD

August 14, 2013Aug 14, 20132

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com. Prescription drug abuse has reached crisis levels: overdoses and deaths from opioid analgesics have more than quadrupled in the U.S. since 1999. At the same time, a great deal…

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com.

Prescription drug abuse has reached crisis levels: overdoses and deaths from opioid analgesics have more than quadrupled in the U.S. since 1999. At the same time, a great deal of human pain and suffering remains inadequately treated. In fact, according to the Institute of Medicine, at least 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain, creating an imperative to better prevent …

Medical education

AMA: A significant redesign of undergraduate medical education

American Medical Association & Jeremy Lazarus, MD

June 17, 2013Jun 17, 201311

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com. To close the gaps between how medical students are educated and how health care is delivered now and in the future, the American Medical Association (AMA) has awarded $11…

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com.

To close the gaps between how medical students are educated and how health care is delivered now and in the future, the American Medical Association (AMA) has awarded $11 million to 11 U.S. medical schools to fund their bold proposals that support a significant redesign of undergraduate medical education. This is just one part of the ambitious three-part strategy the …

Conditions and diseases

AMA: A new initiative to improve health outcomes

American Medical Association & Jeremy Lazarus, MD

May 1, 2013May 1, 20132

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com. While the patient populations of individual physician practices vary greatly, nearly all physicians – regardless of practice location or specialty – see patients who have diabetes or cardiovascular disease…

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com.

While the patient populations of individual physician practices vary greatly, nearly all physicians – regardless of practice location or specialty – see patients who have diabetes or cardiovascular disease or are at risk for developing them. Because cardiovascular disease accounts for one third of all deaths in the U.S., and 100 million Americans have diabetes or prediabetes, the American Medical …

Health policy

The Physician Payment Sunshine Act is here: Are you ready?

American Medical Association & Jeremy Lazarus, MD

April 12, 2013Apr 12, 20132

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com. Information is a source of learning. But unless it is organized, processed and available to the right people in a format for decision making, it is a burden, not…

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com.

Information is a source of learning. But unless it is organized, processed and available to the right people in a format for decision making, it is a burden, not a benefit.

-Former ServiceMaster CEO C. William Pollard

The new Physician Payment Sunshine Act (Sunshine Act) was created by Congress to ensure transparency in physicians’ interactions with the pharmaceutical, biologic and medical device …

Health policy

AMA: Helping physicians thrive in an evolving healthcare system

American Medical Association & Jeremy Lazarus, MD

March 20, 2013Mar 20, 20134

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com. As American health care continues to transform, physicians in every state and specialty are attempting to comply with new rules, expectations and costs, and must evolve to meet new…

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com.

As American health care continues to transform, physicians in every state and specialty are attempting to comply with new rules, expectations and costs, and must evolve to meet new health care demands. The American Medical Association (AMA) is committed to helping physicians not only navigate the changing environment, but thrive in it. This is a key part of our strategic …

Health policy

AMA: Patients are vulnerable to health plan monopoly power

American Medical Association & Jeremy Lazarus, MD

December 14, 2012Dec 14, 20123

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com. When health plans have merged, they've said that a bigger insurance company would drive down premiums. The casual acceptance of this economic fallacy led to more than a decade…

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com.

When health plans have merged, they’ve said that a bigger insurance company would drive down premiums. The casual acceptance of this economic fallacy led to more than a decade of unchecked megamergers that helped health plans cement dominant market positions across the country.

It’s now clear that when health insurers talk about taking over another plan, what they often mean is …

Health policy

A Medicare payment system focused on quality

American Medical Association & Jeremy Lazarus, MD

November 15, 2012Nov 15, 20128

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com. Every physician caring for Medicare patients knows that the current payment system isn’t working. Most seniors know it too. For much of the last decade, patients and physicians have…

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com.

Every physician caring for Medicare patients knows that the current payment system isn’t working. Most seniors know it too. For much of the last decade, patients and physicians have joined together to tell their elected officials that the system is broken. The response from members of Congress has been to stave off an immediate access to care crisis by delaying …

Health policy

AMA: Prescription for the future of medicine

American Medical Association & Jeremy Lazarus, MD

October 17, 2012Oct 17, 20124

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com. As our nation’s health care system undergoes historic reforms, the American Medical Association (AMA) has embarked on a long-term strategic plan that seeks a better future for medicine –…

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com.

As our nation’s health care system undergoes historic reforms, the American Medical Association (AMA) has embarked on a long-term strategic plan that seeks a better future for medicine – both for the physicians who make it their profession and the patients who count on us for care. Our focus is anchored in the belief that there is a national imperative …

Health policy

AMA: Cuts to physicians who treat Medicare patients hurt jobs, patient access and Medicare modernization

American Medical Association & Jeremy Lazarus, MD

September 13, 2012Sep 13, 20124

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com. Physicians contribute significantly to both the health of our patients and the economic health of our nation, and a new report shows that the 2 percent Medicare spending sequestration…

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com.

Physicians contribute significantly to both the health of our patients and the economic health of our nation, and a new report shows that the 2 percent Medicare spending sequestration cut will put the jobs supported by the health care industry in jeopardy.

The AMA recently teamed up with the American Hospital Association (AHA) and the American Nurses Association (ANA) to release …

Physician voices

AMA works to reduce administrative burden for physicians

American Medical Association & Jeremy Lazarus, MD

August 15, 2012Aug 15, 20122

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com. Since the American Medical Association launched our National Health Insurer Report Card in 2008, there has been noticeable progress by health insurers in response to the AMA's call to…

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com.

Since the American Medical Association launched our National Health Insurer Report Card in 2008, there has been noticeable progress by health insurers in response to the AMA’s call to improve the accuracy, efficiency and transparency of their claims processing.

The AMA has been working constructively with insurers, and as a result the percentage of claims paid incorrectly by private health insurers has …

Health policy

AMA: Working to move medicine forward in the coming year

American Medical Association & Jeremy Lazarus, MD

July 17, 2012Jul 17, 2012

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com. As the new president of the AMA, I’m excited to help lead the nation’s largest physician organization during this important time for our health care system. The year is…

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com.

As the new president of the AMA, I’m excited to help lead the nation’s largest physician organization during this important time for our health care system. The year is off to a positive start – only two weeks after I was inaugurated at the AMA’s Annual Meeting, the Supreme Court declared the individual mandate constitutional and upheld the Affordable Care Act …

Health technology

AMA: Changes are needed in the stage 2 meaningful use EHR proposal

American Medical Association & Peter W. Carmel, MD

May 15, 2012May 15, 2012

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com. Continuing our efforts to move medicine forward while prioritizing patient care and minimizing administrative and financial burdens for physician practices, the American Medical Association (AMA) along with 100 state…

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com.

Continuing our efforts to move medicine forward while prioritizing patient care and minimizing administrative and financial burdens for physician practices, the American Medical Association (AMA) along with 100 state and specialty medical societies submitted a detailed comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). We urged CMS to make revisions so physicians can more easily participate in Stage …

Health policy

AMA: Delaying the implementation of ICD-10 is a win for doctors

American Medical Association & Peter W. Carmel, MD

March 12, 2012Mar 12, 20129

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com. It will come as no surprise to many of you that it can take a very long time to get things accomplished in Washington, D.C. However, a recent policy…

A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com.

It will come as no surprise to many of you that it can take a very long time to get things accomplished in Washington, D.C. However, a recent policy change from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shows that when physicians join together for a common cause we can make a difference. Since November, the AMA has been working …