Day 2: More policies adopted during AMA’s 2019 annual meeting

As the American Medical Association’s (AMA’s) Annual Meeting continued this week, the Association’s House of Delegates adopted additional new policies on:

·   Medicaid coverage for postpartum

·   use of body-worn cameras for law enforcement

·   educating physicians on the human health effects of climate change

·   increasing access to healthcare in rural and underserved areas

The AMA's House of Delegates is the policy-making body that consists of an inclusive group of physicians, medical students and residents representing every state and medical field. Delegates work in a democratic process to create a national physician consensus on emerging issues.

Extending Medicaid coverage for postpartum

Medicaid is currently required to cover pregnant women for only 60 days postpartum, after which many women have no access to coverage. Yet, AMA says health challenges from pregnancy and childbirth often persist up to a year postpartum. Many cases of pregnancy-related death occur during this period, and one study estimated that more than 60 percent of those deaths were preventable. With the nation’s maternal mortality rate rising, there is a clear need for additional coverage. The House of Delegates directed the AMA to support extension of Medicaid coverage to 12 months postpartum.

Use of body-worn cameras by law enforcement officers

The AMA will support state laws and regulations to implement body-worn camera programs for law enforcement officers. Excessive force between law enforcement officers and the public, particularly within minority communities, can be a public health issue. Evidence suggests use of body-worn cameras may improve policing behavior toward minorities and foster greater trust between law enforcement and the public. Still, privacy issues can arise when body cameras are worn in healthcare settings, such as when law enforcement officers enter facilities to interview witnesses. The AMA cautions that use of body-worn cameras must not interfere in the patient-physician relationship.

Adverse health effects of climate change

The AMA adopted policy to ensure physicians and physicians-in-training have a basic knowledge of the science of climate change and an awareness of the associated health risks. Specifically, the policy calls for the AMA to make available a prototype presentation and lecture notes that can be used to teach physicians, medical students and residents about the intersection of climate change and health.

Healthcare in rural, underserved areas

With a maldistribution of physicians in needed specialties and regions across the United States, the AMA adopted policy aimed at improving patient access to care in communities without access to specialty physicians - namely child and adolescent psychiatrists. Specifically, the policy calls for the AMA to increase awareness of two training models that use videoconferencing to allow primary care physicians in medically underserved areas to remotely learn skills and procedures from physician specialists across the nation. Under the new policy, the AMA will encourage implementation of both Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) and the Child Psychiatry Access Project (CPAP) among academic health centers and community-based primary care physicians.

In a recent letter sent to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the AMA pointed to Project ECHO as an example of a promising strategy used to improve pain care. Aligning with the new policy, the AMA has also expressed its support to CMS for healthcare payers to offer additional payment or incentive payments for physicians who participate in clinical practice improvement activities, such as Project ECHO and the CPAP.