There's a lot of news coming out of the American Medical Association, which voted yesterday during its annual meeting to adopt several new policies.
One new AMA policy aims to improve the way care is delivered to Medicare and Medicaid dual-eligibles by streamlining care plans and eliminating conflicting payment rules. The principles would customize benefits for this patient population and help maintain the patient-physician relationship amid care coordination efforts, the nation's largest physician organization said yesterday in a statement.
The AMA also welcomed the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA) to the AMA's policy-making body, which will foster AMA policy and programs that better reflect the diverse needs of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) patients.
Under another new policy, the AMA will work with other health profession organizations to advocate for reducing medical student loan interest rates and curb the rising student debt for future doctors.
The physician organization also is addressing how future physicians are trained, awarding 11 medical schools $1 million for education innovation, the AMA announced Friday. The physician group hopes to identify and share best practices that will close the gap between medical education and healthcare delivery.
NYU School of Medicine will use its grant to create an individualized, technology-enabled curriculum to improve care coordination and quality, while Penn State College of Medicine's grant will train medical students for careers in the hospital, home, skilled nursing and community settings, according to the proposal descriptions.
To learn more:
- check out the new policies
- here's the awards announcement and winners