Comments on: Who Does the AMA Really Represent?

By: Bart Williams MD

Bart Williams MD — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 10:50:43 +0000

The disconnect between the AMA and the average “in the trenches” physician could hardly be greater—they are so out of touch–they no longer represent our interests or this country’s–I gave up my membership long ago and wouldn’t join now even if it was free. They have declined from 70 to sub 30 for good reason—and they will eventually become nothing more than a fringe group unless they get new leadership

By: marbee

marbee — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 05:02:35 +0000

The AMA is complicit with the loss of freedom in this nation and the loss of business owners’ private property rights! Stated in this article, “In 2001, the AMA received almost $20 million from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in exchange for managing a nationwide effort to ban smoking”.
Pharma giant Johnson & Johnson’s main shareholder and smoking ban shill, the RWJohnson Foundation, depends on it’s livlihood from J&J making and marketing cessation products. They have hoodwinked many people and gov’t officials that without smoking bans forcing 1/3 of the entire population of the U.S. and the rest of the world into submission, that smoking and second hand smoke will kill. They have spent over one Billion dollars to influence legislation to take away freedom and private property rights in the grand marketing scam of the century, and their created obesity crisis, along with global warming. The U.S. Surgeon General managed to avoid testifying under oath to a congressional committee along with the commissioner from the FDA. I say that is a conflict of interest to say the least, especially with FDA regulation of tobacco. The “harm” from second hand smoke is nothing but a way to a means!

By: AMA Selling Out, One Million Veterans Waiting for Disability Claims, Cut Costs of Diabetic Care, and the Market for Placebos | John Goodman | NCPA

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 21:32:20 +0000

[...] Why is the AMA selling out doctors? So it can keep its monopoly on billing code revenues. (See also Linda Gorman’s previous post on who the AMA really represents.) [...]

By: Jason Boardman, MD, FACS

Jason Boardman, MD, FACS — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:16:37 +0000

As most of those before me have mentioned, the AMA is not for physicians. There is out right anger at by most physician in regards to the AMAs actions and inactions in the health care reform debate.

When President Obama stood in front of the assembly at the national meeting in the early summer and stated taht there would basically be no tort reform, the AMA did nothing. When President Obama used false analgies to villianize physicians for performing operations to benefit patients, the AMA did nothing. When the House passed a bill that does nothing but expand government, prohibit true tort reform and creates the largest government bureaucracy to date, the AMA throws it full support behind such a bill in the hopes of getting another spending bill passed (HR3961). These actions are not he actions of a group that is for physicians, but of a group that is fighting to maintain control promote their own self interests.

AS a former memebr of the AMA who is also a board member of my lcoal chapter, I am disgusted and ashamed of these actions. I have recently writtne a letter to the AMA expressing such.

By: Joy

Joy — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:55:32 +0000

What is even more egregious is that Advanced Practice Nurses who do not want to function as “little physicians” are forced to do so in order to be reimbursed at all. When APNs adopted the RBRVS they unintentionally limited their scope of practice to medically reimburseable acts. The American consumer has been the loser.

By: Jeffrey C. Hutchins, D.O.

Jeffrey C. Hutchins, D.O. — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:04:33 +0000

As a small town family practitioner who built a practice from the ground up, I am very concerned about the future of medicine and the well being of my patients. Even more, I’m concerned about the role government is trying to play in not only our profession but in the lives of every American. I always thought the AMA was on my side, doing its part to help insure good quality care for our people. WRONG!!! They are despicable! And I know nothing about Dr Rohack but I’d wager to say he never built a practice or practiced in a private setting for very long? Just a guess! Doctors who excel at patient care tend to stay in an environment where their talents are best utilized. Others move on to become polititians, perhaps like Dr Rohack.

By: John Slatosky D.O.

John Slatosky D.O. — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:06:07 +0000

The AMA is loosing memebership now faster than ever. Dr Rohhack have you read you email lately? I have read some of the letters from current AMA members that they emailed to Dr Rohack lately letting him know why they are dropping their membership. Many physicians on Sermo.com recently checked and found out that they are listed as AMA members but have not been memebers for years. These physicians are now calling the AMA to have their names removed from the roster. Wake up AMA you have sold us out and your membership is decreasing. I wonder if there will be any members in the future that are not students, residents or employed physicians. The AMA sold out the primary care docs years ago which is why we are paid poorly compared to specialists and now no medical students are choosing primary care as a specialty. I do not believe that the AMA has represented the interests of their current members in the health care debate and never even polled their members before speaking for them.

By: Nevada MD

Nevada MD — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:12:18 +0000

I recently learned of the provision in the current health care bill to punish those states that have enacted tort reform. As an open minded physician I expected the head of the AMA to address this issue. Dr. Rohack, I am still awaiting. The AMA has taken a cowardly position that promotes an additional entitlement program, fails to adequately address the issue of personal responsibility on the part of patients, and squeezes the hard working physician from both ends.
Shame on Dr. Rohack and the AMA. You do not and will not represent me.

By: Joseph Gauta, MD

Joseph Gauta, MD — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:07:24 +0000

This is the simplest way to describe it:
The AMA has forgotten who their membership consists of.

By: George Watson, D.O.

George Watson, D.O. — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:25:56 +0000

Dr Rohack says, “the AMA brought calm to this chaos.” What a perverse joke! The AMA brought more excuses for third parties to deny payment. By changing 200-300 codes per year, the AMA forces an unnecessary expense on insurance-participating doctors. Do you want proof? How many times has the insurance company read your progress note or operative report, and denied payment, because you used the wrong code or modifyer? If they can READ THE ENGLISH and tell you the code is wrong, it is obvious the code is for tracking your services, not paying you. The fact that use of CPT is recommended, but OPTIONAL with regular (not medicare or medicaid) insurance is further evidence that the codes are an unnecessary cost of treating our patients. The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons showed me how to have a booming practice with NO INSURANCE CONTRACTS!! Do I still see people with Medicare, BCBS, other plans, and no insurance? Sure! Because the patients PAY ME a fair fee (not inflated by insurance) at the time of service.