AAHKS Delegate, Courtland Lewis, MD and Alternate Delegate Christopher Dangles, MD, attended the AMA Interim Meeting November 8-11 in Dallas. Dr. Lewis and Dr. Dangles report that there were several policy issues addressed that were relevant to arthroplasty surgeons:
- Modernization of the AMA Code of Ethics by the Council on Ethical & Judicial Affairs – the updated version is available on the AMA website
- Reaffirmation of policy to not implement ICD-10 but with directive to seek financial compensation for costs of implementation assuming CMS does not modify 2015 plans
- New policy to address financial gain for certifying boards (such as ABOS) around development and production of MOC-related products
- AMA to study the long-term impacts of physician employment on practice and professionalism as well as a study of the role of collective bargaining for employed physicians; also, for multi-hospital systems, a directive to study the implications of system-wide medical staff bylaws
- Given the inadequacies of existing EHR infrastructure, a directive to seek cancellation of penalties for failure to meet Meaningful Use.
As announced at the AAHKS business meeting, Dr. Lewis’ term will expire after the AMA Annual Meeting next June. Dr. Dangle will become the Delegate, and we invite any interested member of AAHKS who is also a member of the AMA to contact us to learn about the Alternate Delegate position. This is an opportunity to contribute first hand to the broader issues facing American medicine today and the future practice of medicine.
