The American Medical Association (AMA) is the largest professional association of physicians in the United States, comprising more than 270,000 clinicians across all medical specialties. It is involved in all aspects of American medicine, from establishing standards of care, to reforming medical education, to lobbying for health care policies. Our guest in this episode is Jack Resneck Jr., MD, chair of the department of dermatology at the University of California San Francisco and President of the AMA from 2022 – 2023. In this conversation, we explore Dr. Resneck's personal journey in medicine, how the AMA is addressing physician burnout, how the AMA is coming to terms with its own history with race relations, how digital health is transforming medicine, how health care reimbursement rates are determined, and how doctors can play a more active role in advocating for their own work.
In this episode, you will hear about:
- Dr. Resneck’s early years as a self-described ‘policy nerd’ and growing up in a physician family - 2:10
- How Dr. Resneck first became involved with the AMA - 6:01
- A brief review of the history and mission of the AMA - 8:23
- A discussion of the epidemic of burnout and how the AMA is addressing it - 12:45
- A survey of the AMA’s current policy priorities - 23:42
- A conversation around the incentive discrepancies around primary care medicine and how the AMA’s Relative Value Update Committee (RUC) is addressing this - 29:26
- How artificial intelligence and other new technologies are shaping the future of medicine, and why physicians must take an active role in their development - 36:25
- Reflections on the history of the AMA’s race relations and what the modern medical establishment must do to remedy health discrepancies, including The AMA’s Strategic Plan to Embed Racial Justice and Advance Health Equity - 47:15
- Dr. Resneck’s optimistic view of the future of the profession - 55:08
In this episode we discussed several reports and articles, including:
The Flexner Report, a 1910 survey of the medical profession that was used to standardize medical education.
How Being a Doctor Became the Most Miserable Profession by Daniela Drake.
The Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a recently-passed legislation aimed at helping physicians.
Follow Dr. Resneck on Twitter @JackResneckMD.
Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.
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