AMA refers to the American Medical Association and is the largest and the oldest advocacy group that represents the American physicians. The group represents approximately one-third of all the doctors in the nation. AMA publishes a weekly journal called the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), which has become one of the most influential as well as prestigious medical journal. The group also hosts other books and journals. The members of AMA enjoy access to data services as well as insurance that is provided by an insurance arm in the group. The association is mainly involved in running awareness campaigns on issues pertaining health and plays a key role in shaping the government policies affecting both doctors and patients. The financing of the group is through annual fees contributed by the members and the rest through corporate grants and publication sales as well as data services (American Medical Association).
AMA was founded in the year 1847 by a group of doctors affiliated with a number of local as well as state medical associations. This rose after the doctors had a concern on the lack regulation of the medical education at national level. The members of AMA were mainly traditional medical doctors. The main focus of the group was to make sure that the institutions that offered medical education did not teach alternative or even spiritual healing. The group also called for increase in the standards of education. The situation of giving out graduates who were underprepared was all over even in leading medical schools such as Harvard (American Medical Association).
The other aim of starting the AMA was to help and prevent the prevalence of drugs that had secret ingredients with no well known use or safety. This kind of drug was widely available before the modern drug was invented. By the year 1849, the AMA had come up with a committee that aimed at offering education to the public on the dangers of these drugs. The other aim of was to raise the medical journal standards. This was followed by the foundation of the JAMA in 1882 (American Medical Association).
The early AMA group was loosely organized and was just like any other American medical association. By 1901, the association had failed in most of their core mandate, which was to have an influence on the national medical policy. This resulted in the reorganization of the association in 1901 to give it a better national character. The decisions of the association were left to an elected body known as the House of Delegates. It was in 1902 that AMA adopted their permanent official headquarters in Chicago. Once the group was reorganized, there was an increase in the efforts to enhance the standards in the medical education offered by medical schools. The first medical schools directory, as well as the directory of the licensed physicians were put out in 1906.
Between 1920s and 1930s, the association enhanced their advocacy on various health issues with a greater authority and had a better influence on the national policies. Some of these national policies included issues such as food safety and psychiatric ratings of the persons who were accused of committing crimes. In 1920, AMA registered their opinion on the issue of compulsory health insurance. This was after the House of Delegates took through a resolution that condemned any form of national health insurance policy. The resolution was mainly following fears that there would be interference in the relationship between patients and doctors. They also feared that the physicians would not be compensated in the right manner for the services that they deliver when the insurance systems are put in place. In 1920s, there was opposition by the group on the way the physicians were being paid. They also disapproved the hiring of medical services on contract bases. There was the amendment of the principle of medical ethics by the judicial council where the solicitation of patients by the doctors was outlawed. In 1923, the group adopted the standards for the training of medical specialties.
In 1925, a radio broadcast was started with an aim of taking the messages of health to the general public. This was followed by the propaganda department being changed to be the bureau of investigation. The first list of all the hospitals that had been approved for residency training was published in 1927, and in 1929, the AMA council that focused on food came up with a subgroup of the council to deal with the issues of pharmacy and chemistry.
In 1931, AMA established a bureau that focused on medical economics and was mandated to speak against any plan insurance that may affect the mode of compensations of the doctors. The group campaigned against this issue by putting out pamphlets, use of radio broadcasting and by supplying debating teams in high schools with materials that backed their position on compulsory insurance. The act on social security, which gave the American people retirement benefits, was passed in 1933. However, the act did not have any compulsory national health insurance mainly due to the vociferous opposition that was offered by the American Medical Association.
AMA began the exercise of giving out its seal of acceptance to the manufacturers of food who met the safety standards and hygiene measures and the manufacturers who did not advertise benefits of their products that were not approved. The group also became vocal on the issues that involved general nutrition such as the recommendations on enriching milk using vitamin D, in 1936. In 1938, the group published a book titled The Normal Diet, which was the first authoritative and comprehensive listing of the things that the Americans were supposed to eat. (American Medical Association)
The council involved with pharmacy and chemistry stopped the analysis of drugs as well as direct efforts aimed at giving physicians the information on the efficacy of administration of dose in 1940. The group, however, started encouraging the advancement of new medicine through grants of developing a drug. In 1943, AMA opened an office in Washington and the medical services, and public relations council was established. In 1945, AMA made recommendations on the borderline limits in order to determine the influence of alcohol in the suspected drunken drivers. AMA began their television broadcasting in 1946 to offer health messages to the public and celebrated their centennial after the foundation in the following year (American Medical Association).
During the Second World War as well as after the war, the AMA continued working on the issues that were familiar such as the drinking water fluoridation and reducing the habit of drunk driving. They also worked on enhancing the standards of medical education by forming a committee to accredit the programs that were being offered in medical schools. In 1954, AMA gave recommendations on putting safety belts on all automobiles. The group approved the extension that was added to the Water Pollution Act as well as programs that were set to eliminate air pollution. The declaration of alcoholism as a form of illness was done in 1956, and in 1958, they started news publication (American Medical Association).
In 1962, Dr. Edward Annis gave a speech in response to the speech by President John Kennedy on Medicare. During the same time, the group spent heavily in the campaign against the insurance program, Medicare. The first National Congress dedicated to mental health was first held in 1962 and in 1963, the first edition of a system of the terms that were preferred and the supplementary ones as well as the descriptors for disease. This release was known as Current Medical Terminology. In 1964, American Medical Association adopted the report that was released on the hazards of cigarette smoking (American Medical Association).
In 1965, AMA adopted a statement that recognized the danger behind air pollution, and they provided the medical basis for the government to act. In 1966, the group encouraged the physicians to enhance exercise as one of the ways to have a better health. In the early years of 1970s, there was an increase in the number of members who left the association. This was mainly due to the fact that various state chapters did not require their members to be AMA members. This led to American Medical Association losing 11671 members by the year 1971. In 1972, AMA made open its membership to residents and students, and in the same year they launched the war against smoking, and they urged the government to reduce and control tobacco use (American Medical Association).
In the year 1975, American Medical Association established a National Commission that was to look at the cost of medical care. They also adopted a resolution that opposed sex discrimination that was being witnessed in medical institutions. In 1976, they encouraged access to the public facilities by the handicapped. In 1978, the group developed a national policy that was meant to endorse hospice care. This enabled caring for the terminally ill giving them a homelike environment. The group also established the Medical Student Section and supported the legislation by the state that required the use of seat belts be made mandatory. In 1980, the French edition of JAMA was launched and in 1982 George Lundberg started working as the editor-in-chief of JAMA, as well as Scientific Publications. In the same year, the group encouraged the medical societies in each state to seek and give support to rising the legal age for drinking to 21 years.
In 1984, AMA gave guidelines on the diagnostic and treatment of the cases that involved child abuse and neglect. The group encouraged the research and AIDS studies to be continued and requested the government to provide adequate funding in 1985. The group called for a ban on advertisement of tobacco, and they also supported the enactment of legislation that prohibited smoking on public means of transport (American Medical Association).
In 1987, AMA provided an outline of a comprehensive approach to be used in the prevention as well as control of AIDS. The outline also gave procedures on the adoption of an AIDS public awareness. They also urged the physicians to send women for mammograms. The office of HIV/AIDS was established in 1988, and a national policy on HIV was developed in 1989. They also recommended that the testing of HIV be made confidential and be available to all people who wished to be tested. In 1991, AMA started a campaign against violence in families and in 1992 the group called on the companies making tobacco to stop from engaging in practices of advertisements that targeted children. In 1993, the American Medical Association passed a resolution that declared that the physician assisted-suicide is not consistent with the professional role of a physician (American Medical Association).
In 1996, American Medical Association scores important victories in the Congress for patients and physicians in the legislation on health insurance and antitrust relief reform. The by the AMA resulted in the FDA regulating the sale of tobacco to minors, and in 1997, the association celebrated the sesquicentennial since it was started. In 2000, AMA used the media and the members in the grassroots to forge ahead the advocacy for a comprehensive legislation of the patient’s bill of right in the congress. It was in the year 2002 that AMA together with other organizations launched a nationwide campaign to bring the awareness that there are a huge number of people who are not insured in the United States. The medical education council celebrated their 100 years anniversary in 2004 and in 2005 AMA embarked on the ITME (Initiative to Transform Medical Education). The second phase of ITME was started in 2006, and the third phase was initiated in 2007. This phase continues in 2008. In 2011, AMA brought in its first-ever smart phone application that was designed for physicians to enable them get the current procedural terminologies with ease.
Since AMA was started, it has dedicated its efforts in improving the health and well-being of the citizens. In the twentieth century, there has been advancement in biological and technological techniques that are used by practitioners in both medical and public health. This has enabled the implementation of strategies that are offer effective improvement in the health of the public. The AMA has also affected the way in which treatment of diseases is done where efficiency has been witnessed within the clinical settings without the need to rely on community interventions.
Today, there is much that is done by American Medical Association including leadership provision to providing organized medicine in areas of public health. They have also taken a lead in providing preventive services to the youth, control of tobacco, and alcohol abuse prevention among the youth. The group has also facilitated the provision specialized care to the elderly which included health literacy, donation of organs and the prevention of domestic violence.
The American Medical Association group has also enhanced changes in the malpractices that were witnessed in medical fields. This has limited damage awards that make it hard for patients to have the necessary medical care. There have been reports on the movement of the high risk specialists form one state to another especially those that have enacted the reforms. AMA has also enhanced the setting up of legislation that have led to smooth running of the medical schools as well as providing proper services in hospitals (Weiss Ratings).
The American Medical Association group has been involved in the study and evaluation of medical education aspects such as making sure that there is enough and continuous supply of physicians who are well qualified. This aims at making sure that there is sufficient. The group also reviews policies and makes recommendations in the medical education. This has an effect on the kind of physicians who qualify to work in the medical field. American Medical Association plays a crucial role in the considering and recommending ways and methods that can be used to help physicians and assist them to maintain their professional competence as well as in the development of ways and means to recognize those who attain such achievements. The AMA group is the one, which is responsible and the only accredited body to enhance continuous medical education (American Medical Association).
Works Cited
American Medical Association. AMA History Timeline. 2013. 26 April 2013.
Weiss Ratings. Medical Malpractice Caps Fail to Prevent Premium Increases. 2003. 26 April 2013.
