CHICAGO – Physicians from Alabama were well represented at the American Medical Association’s meeting last week where discussions ranged from physician and medical student suicide to transparency in drug pricing.

Jorge Alsip, M.D., Delegation Chair, said the Medical Association’s members were represented by its eight-member delegation as well as by representatives from the state’s Medical Student Section, Resident Fellow Section, Young Physician Section, and Senior Physicians Section along with physician representatives from several specialty medical societies.

“During the five-day meeting, our delegation reviewed more than 250 reports and resolutions and offered testimony on issues of particular interest to Alabama physicians.” Dr. Alsip said.

Among the policies adopted or reaffirmed during the meeting were:

• Eliminating the barriers to appropriate pain management created by insurers and pharmacy benefit managers, which make it more difficult for physicians to provide appropriate care to patients living with pain
• Reaffirmation of the AMA’s strong opposition to physician-assisted suicide after the House of Delegates rejected a proposal by supporters of physician-assisted suicide to change AMA policy and have the organization take a neutral stance on the issue
• A report calling for the AMA to conduct a study to identify the systemic patterns and risk factors that lead to burnout, depression and suicide among physicians, residents, and medical students and ultimately help prevent it.
• New policy to improve the Affordable Care Act (ACA) while reaffirming the Association’s strong opposition to a single-payer approach to health system reform.
• Strengthened the AMA’s long-standing support for transparency in drug pricing by adopting new policy to support the active regulation of PBMs under state departments of insurance and increased PBM transparency, including utilization, rebates and discounts, and financial incentives.
• The need for the AMA to work with relevant stakeholders to support the extension of Medicaid coverage to 12 months postpartum to help address the rising maternal mortality rate.