New AMA Policies Address Medical Student Debt, Health Care Reform

Physicians at the American Medical Association's (AMA) annual policy-making meeting held this week in Chicago adopted a political and legislative agenda to address health reform alternatives, new approaches to Medicare payment reform, and strategies to address ballooning medical student debt.

According to their new policy, the "AMA supports health system reform alternatives consistent with principles of pluralism, freedom of choice, freedom of practice, and universal access for patients." They offered a number of approaches to improve patient care while reducing health care costs.

According to AMA president Dr. J. James Rohack, "Medicare payment methods should incentivize better care coordination and disease management." Potential strategies to meet that goal include better teamwork among health care providers and hospitals to reduce hospital readmissions, and patient-centered medical home care, without restriction of access to specialty care.

Furthermore, Dr. Rohack said, "Government action is needed with anti-trust relief, repeal of the fatally flawed Medicare physician payment formula, and medical liability protections."

Finally, the organization is calling for strategies to ease the cost of medical school education, which is leaving graduates with debts of $155,000 or more.

To that end, the AMA has committed itself to working for increases in federal and state scholarships for medical school, as well as loan repayment programs.

"We must look for novel ways to help medical students afford their education so that we have enough physicians to care or our nation's growing population," said AMA board member Dr. William Hazel.

Source : http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/704601?sssdmh=dm1.488649&src=nldne