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Dear Colleagues and Friends,
“May you live in interesting times” This famous phrase comes to mind as we reflect on our AMA Annual 22.
After meeting virtually since November 2019, you could sense the anticipation building in everyone as we prepared to finally meet in person again. Then the day actually arrived: we got to see each other, share meals, and earnestly discuss issues, policies, and politics. Joy was in abundance once again in the HOD. Delegations across the country renewed old bonds and friendships.
The AMA designed safety system worked smoothly. However, on return home there have been sporadic reports of some of us testing positive for the Corona Virus, but so far reports seem to suggest most with only mild symptoms.
The AMA elections brought highs and lows for the SED. Unfortunately, a formal election complaint was filed against Dr. Willarda Edwards, our candidate for President-elect. The Speakers and the new Elections Committee judged the complaint credible. The complaint was bolstered by a secretly recorded phone conversation with Dr. Edwards, taken about 12 days before the Annual Meeting. Despite a formal pronouncement just minutes before the start of the House, on both Monday and Tuesday mornings, and all the accompanying rumors and innuendo, Willarda made it into the run-off. We continue to maintain that Willarda was “set up”. Certainly, the whole affair lacked any reasonable semblance of due process: neither the charges nor any of the evidence was ever presented for rebuttal as well as any ability for her, or us, to face the accusers. The SED has filed a counter complaint to address this lack of due process as well as the reputational harm to the SED. In addition, we point out that the way the SED operates and runs endorsements, friendships with other national AMA Delegations, and elections has been fully transparent on our web page since 2012 at www.sed-delegation.org.
Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld of Wisconsin ultimately prevailed and was elected President-elect. The SED congratulates him and we know we speak for the entire SED when we state we look forward to working with him to help advance the mission of the AMA. Dr. Ehrenfeld was a guest with us Monday evening, and we personally served him his ice cream bowl. All the other SED candidates prevailed: Dr. Sandra Fryhofer and Dr. Scott Ferguson were re-elected to the BOT, along with Dr Alex Ding, now of Kentucky. Dr. Ravi Goel of New Jersey was elected to CMS. Dr Suja Mathew, now of New Jersey, was elected to CME. Dr. Kevin Reilly was re-elected to CC&B. Dr. Padmini Ranasinghe was re-elected to the CS&PH. Congratulations to all our SED candidates.
Right after the elections were over, the AMPAC luncheon saw its largest audience ever with insightful comments by Mara Liasson, revered national political analyst and commentator. AMPAC’s fundraising benefitted from the in-person meeting, raising about $85,000 with the whole AMPAC Board working hard and Dr. Poole’s aggressive assistance during and before the meeting. we would like to recognize those SED states now at 100% AMPAC participation: they include DE, FL, KY, MS, NJ, OK, and TN. There is still time for the other SED states to make the honor roll before Hawaii.
On Tuesday evening, Dr. Jack Resneck of Dermatology and California was enthusiastically inaugurated as the 177th President of AMA. His remarks and the vision he presented were just what is needed during these unprecedented times. He will make an exceptional President. We expect he will have a great year and we look forward to working with him.
Our own Dr. Gerald Harmon gave his Presidential farewell speech Friday night to thunderous applause and an endless standing ovation. Our own Dr. Bruce Scott showed grace and class by recognizing immediate Past President Dr. Sue Bailey to finally deliver some remarks at an in-person AMA meeting. Dr. Bailey, as expected, was spectacular.
As far as policy goes, the most important item was the AMA’s Recovery Plan for America’s Physicians consisting of:
- Reforming Medicare Payment
- Supporting Telehealth
- Fighting Scope Creep
- Fixing Prior Authorization
- Reducing Physician Burnout
Also, a priority of the meeting: as our country continues to reel from the recent tragic reports in the news, the AMA stated loud and clear that we will continue to be a leader in addressing the nation’s epidemic of gun violence. The SED’s own 20 Resolutions were all Reaffirmed, Referred or Adopted as Amended, but for one.
Dr. Madera reported that membership is rising at the AMA. However, only 20% of practicing physicians nationwide are AMA members. Fully 54% of AMA members are now students, residents, and young physicians. This could be contributing to what some see as a growing tension between prioritizing “social issues” vs. “practice-sustainability issues” in the HOD. Personally, we see this as a false dichotomy. Practice sustainability will ultimately ensure that physicians will be able to address the inequities in healthcare that the pandemic so glaringly exposed. The good news is that despite the large volume of business, the meeting concluded Wednesday morning before lunch! A well deserved shout out to our reference committees for helping to facilitate this!
Keep the faith. The SED has a well-deserved reputation as thought leaders in the HOD. Your SED leadership continued our traditional networking with delegations around the country on your behalf during the meeting and we were received enthusiastically at all times including the Tuesday evening banquet. The SED continues to be successful in advancing policy and electing leaders to serve the AMA.
“We at the SED are still standing and smiling.”
We look forward to seeing you all again in Hawaii.
Signed
John Poole, MD, Chair (NJ)
Clay Hays, MD, Chair-elect (MS)
Claudette Dalton, MD, Immediate Past Chair (VA)
Stephen Imbeau, MD, SED Newsletter Editor (SC)
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