by Linda I. Suleiman, MD

The American Medical Association’s Annual House of Delegates Meeting took place this past week in Chicago. While AAHKS no longer has a seat in the House, we are represented. AAHKS 2018-2019 Health Policy Fellow Linda Suleiman, MD, a fellow at Rush University Medical Center and AAHKS AMA Delegate Chris Dangles, MD, represented AAHKS in the Orthopaedic Section and Specialty and Service Society meetings.

Highlights from the meeting included:

  • Inaugural meeting of the Mobility Caucus of the AMA
  • National coverage and reimbursement of High Molecular Weight Hyaluronic Acid
  • Universal and Standardized Protocols for EHR Data Transition
  • Opposition of prior authorization requirements for Post-Operative Opioids
  • Value Based Payment System:
    • AMA is working to repeal the law that conditions a portion of a physician’s Medicare payment on compliance with the Medicare Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Alternative Payment Models (APM) programs
    • AMA continues to advocate for reduction in the administrative burdens of compliance with value-based programs and that these programs comply with evidence-based standards

In addition, Rush first year resident Matt Cohn, MD, spoke to medical students and residents at the AMA Medical Specialty Showcase, where the specialty societies are invited to discuss what goes into their practices and encourage those who are interested to pursue their specialty.