AMA Meet and Greet Sessions Yield Lively Discussions

As a national organization made up of individual members, the AMA places great emphasis on connecting personally with physicians to hear what's on their minds.

That's why the AMA conducted a series of "Meet and Greet" events this fall as part of its Member Connect Roundtable program. These events present an opportunity for AMA members and nonmembers alike to sit down with AMA leaders and other colleagues to discuss a wide range of issues in health care.

"The culture at the AMA is changing for the better," said a family physician at one such event at the American Academy of Family Physicians Scientific Assembly in October in Chicago. "The House [of Delegates] seems to be a bit younger. Policies and ideas are changing. The vision is excellent."

While the conversation touched on the health insurance industry, medical tourism and cost containment in health care, a large part of the discussion centered on one issue: the number of uninsured patients in the United States.

Edward J. Parisi, MD, a family medicine physician from Akron, Ohio, asked, "What is the AMA's plan for health care reform--do we have a working model on our plate?"

AMA Board Chair Edward L. Langston, MD, answered by pointing to the AMA's three-year "Voice for the Uninsured" campaign. He explained how the campaign promotes the AMA's plan to expand coverage to the uninsured through the "three C's"--cash, choice and change. Cash means the plan provides health care coverage for everyone, supported by tax credits or vouchers. Choice comes into play because, as part of the plan, individuals would have the opportunity to choose their own health insurance. And change in the health insurance market will be needed to help the plan be effective.

"What type of 'heavy lifting' is the AMA doing regarding health care reform?" asked AMA member Anthony L. Chen, MD, a family medicine physician from Malden, Mass.

Dr. Langston said, "We're putting our money where our mouth is this year." Because the current system is unsustainable, he said, the AMA has placed a great amount of energy and emphasis on the "Voice for the Uninsured" campaign. He added that the AMA will continue to work with Senate and House committees to pursue needed change regarding antitrust laws, improve how insurance companies communicate with physicians and solve numerous other problems.

The AMA held similar events this fall at several other national specialty society annual meetings in such cities as Washington, D.C., New Orleans, San Francisco and Baltimore. Over the past three years, thousands of physicians and medical students at these events have shared what's on their minds concerning the AMA's activities and plans.

Physician Fights Back in Wrongful Liability Case

A Mississippi otolaryngologist who had been embroiled in a "mistaken identity" medical liability lawsuit is fighting back with help from the AMA Litigation Center.

Lawrence E. Stewart, MD--who practices in McComb, Miss., a small community located about 110 miles north of New Orleans--was wrongly sued for improperly prescribing a drug to a patient, even though Dr. Stewart had neither treated nor even met the patient. Dr. Stewart eventually was dropped from the lawsuit after a lengthy legal process, and two trial-court judges ruled that the patient's attorney owed him the legal fees he had incurred. The attorney appealed, though, and the case has advanced to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

To offset Dr. Stewart's legal fees, the AMA Litigation Center and the Mississippi State Medical Association (MSMA) are contributing toward his litigation expenses. "I truly believe I'll be vindicated in the end," Dr. Stewart said.

While Dr. Stewart said he greatly appreciates the support provided by the AMA Litigation Center and MSMA, he's fighting for more than just his legal fees. He called the case and subsequent appeal an example of an attorney abusing the legal system, and hopes that the playing field in medical liability cases, which he said is tilted in a way that gives attorneys an advantage, will be leveled for physicians. "It's more about the principle of the thing," Dr. Stewart said. "Somebody's got to stand up and fight for what's right."