AMA ACTIVITY AGAINST NON-MD PROVIDERS ACCELERATES

The AMA Interim Meeting of its House of Delegates (HOD) was held November 11-14, 2006 in Las Vegas, NV. Prior to the meeting the AMA posted online Report 21, which details the AMA’s 2007 Strategic Plan. Note the reference on page 4 of the plan, stating: "Scope of Practice, stating: “Our AMA will take a lead role in coordinating medicine’s response to proposed scope expansions that are not warranted by non-physicians’ education, training or experience. The Scope of Practice Partnership (SOPP) provides a foundation for these activities.

As we gain experience and traction with the SOPP, we anticipate formation of rapid response coalitions that cross specialty groups. We will consider creation of state-level joint review committees, supported in part by a compendium comparing education, licensure, etc. for different types of practitioners. We will also seek data to map the geographic distribution of various practitioner types in order to inform discussion of access to care."

AMA Meeting Highlights: As reported to AAOM by The American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA): “The opening ceremonies, following awards and acknowledgements of members who have accomplished outstanding work, Dr. William G. Plested III, President of the AMA provided his speech which called for AMA to "Take Back the Profession". He urged physicians to make a renewed commitment to the profession and place a sharper focus on the issues affecting it.

He was followed by Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O. Leavitt who spoke about the pay-for-performance initiative as well as the pending 5 percent cut in 2007 Medicare physician payments. Sec. Leavitt stated that if physicians don't develop quality measures then "MBAs" will.

The presentations prompted an Emergency Resolution introduced by the Georgia Delegation titled "Taking Back the Profession of Medicine" which resolves to a) accept and affirm Dr. Plested's pledge - to return the rightful prerogatives of the profession to the physicians of American and to b) write a letter to the Secretary requesting that the government cease and desist activities related to pay for performance.

The President of the AMA received a standing ovation and the meeting took the tone of AMA will take back Medicine.

AMA HOD Position - 902: The Reference Committee heard extensive testimony on Resolution 902. The vast majority of this testimony was in general support of the spirit of the Resolution. However, there was confusion. The Reference Committee concurs with testimony that the intent of Resolution 902 is neither to create a "superboard" that would regulate the practice of all health professions, nor to have state Boards of Medicine regulate the practice of other professionals. The Reference Committee also agrees with testimony that state Boards of Medicine have the full authority to regulate those who practice medicine, even in cases where the individual whose acts constitute the practice of medicine is licensed under the authority of another state health professions board. The Reference Committee believes that it is critical for state Boards of Medicine to define and defend the practice of medicine in order to ensure that patients receive the highest quality of care. In furtherance of this priority, and due to the urgency of this issue and impending attempts at scope of practice expansions expected in the 2007 legislative session.

AMA HOD Position - 904: The HOD adopted the Committee L report as amended which states:

Resolved, That is shall be the policy of our AMA that a PhD clinical lab scientist or other non-physician laboratory personnel work under the supervision of a physician under their applicable scopes of work to perform a study or studies that will be the basis of a diagnostic interpretation for a specific patient;

Resolved, That is shall be the policy of our AMA that the Medicare Physician fee schedule compensate only authorized persons for the diagnostic interpretation of a specific patient and should not provide payments directly to non-physician lab personnel working under the supervision of a physician to perform a laboratory study or studies;

Resolve, That our AMA pursue all appropriate legislative, regulatory and legal actions to counter expansions of the scope of work by PhD clinical lab scientists and other non-physician laboratory personnel to authorize the independent practice of medicine by an individual who has not completed the state’s requirements for licensure to engage in the practice of medicine. It was interesting that the Reference Committee added clinical lab scientists to this resolution to somewhat narrow the scope of this resolution.