NORMAN J CLEMENT RPH., DDS, NORMAN L. CLEMENT PHARM-TECH, MALACHI F. MACKANDAL PHARMD, BELINDA BROWN-PARKER, IN THE SPIRIT OF JOSEPH SOLVO ESQ., INC.T. SPIRIT OF REV. C.T. VIVIAN, JELANI ZIMBABWE CLEMENT, BS., MBA., IN THE SPIRIT OF THE HON. PATRICE LUMUMBA, IN THE SPIRIT OF ERLIN CLEMENT SR., WALTER F. WRENN III., MD., JULIE KILLINGWORTH, LESLY POMPY MD., CHRISTOPHER RUSSO, MD., NANCY SEEFELDT, WILLIE GUINYARD BS., JOSEPH WEBSTER MD., MBA, BEVERLY C. PRINCE MD., FACS., NEIL ARNAND, MD., RICHARD KAUL, MD., LEROY BAYLOR, JAY K. JOSHI MD., MBA, ADRIENNE EDMUNDSON, ESTER HYATT PH.D., WALTER L. SMITH BS., IN THE SPIRIT OF BRAHM FISHER ESQ., MICHELE ALEXANDER MD., CUDJOE WILDING BS, MARTIN NJOKU, BS., RPH., IN THE SPIRIT OF DEBRA LYNN SHEPHERD, BERES E. MUSCHETT, STRATEGIC ADVISORS
THE DILEMMA OF WHO WILL CONTROL THE PROTOCOLS OF MEDICINE
INTRODUCTION
In a powerful and moving farewell address, Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, MD, MPH, the outgoing president of the American Medical Association (AMA), recounted his dedicated fight for a more equitable, stable healthcare system and a more inclusive medical society and reflected on the progress made over the past quarter-century.
Standing before his colleagues at the AMA’s annual meeting on Friday, June 7, 2024, Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld, MD., opened up about the personal sacrifices involved in his role. As he and his husband, Judd Taback, raise their two young children, a 5-year-old and a 17-month-old, the demands of his position often pulled him away from home.
Yet, the growing risks to patients, the increasing burdens on physicians, and the unrelenting tide of misinformation and mistrust made the challenges to healthcare too significant to ignore.
“This is my fight,” Ehrenfeld declared, emphasizing his unwavering commitment to the cause.
DISCUSSION
Ehrenfeld highlighted the AMA’s relentless efforts to address health disparities, pointing to his and his husband’s first-time blood donation last fall. The FDA lifted a long-standing ban on gay men donating blood, a change that the AMA had championed for years, made this possible.
He also recounted a significant meeting with the Old North State Medical Society, one of the oldest medical societies for Black physicians. Despite the AMA’s historical issues with discrimination, Ehrenfeld was proud to share the substantial work the AMA has done to combat health disparities, diversify the physician workforce, and rectify past wrongs.
Moreover, Ehrenfeld spoke on the AMA’s vital role in advancing mental health parity. He celebrated a proposed rule that ended a protracted 16-year battle with insurance companies to enforce a 2008 parity law, ensuring easier access to mental health care for patients and proper compensation for physicians.
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“A new rule will finally put some teeth into this law,” he said, “making it much easier for patients to access the mental health care they need and for physicians to be appropriately compensated for the care they provide.”
Addressing the nation’s drug overdose epidemic, Ehrenfeld pointed to the first decline in overdose deaths in five years as a promising sign of progress, thanks to policy changes influenced by the AMA’s advocacy.
Ehrenfeld reflected on his tenure and underscored the AMA’s transformation since he joined in 2001.
“We’ve become a more inclusive organization, a courageous ally to many — including myself — who had faced prejudice or discrimination simply because of who they are, where they were born, or what they believe in,” he said. “Although the pace of change can be frustratingly slow, we are making meaningful progress and are recognized for lending our powerful voice to the cause of equity and justice.”
Specialty: Anesthesiology/Clinical Informatics
Conflict Of Interest Members Only
AMA Affiliated Groups
President, AMA, Board of Trustees Members Term: 2023-2024 Email:Jesse.Ehrenfeld@ama-assn.org
Ehrenfeld also highlighted the AMA’s top priority: Medicare payment reform, which he warned threatens the sustainability of physician practices, patient access to care, and the future physician pipeline. He praised the AMA’s Fix Medicare Now campaign, noting the growing support in Congress for Medicare reforms that seek to establish fair payment models for physicians.
Despite challenges such as scope-of-practice expansion and prior authorization, Ehrenfeld pointed to significant victories.
The AMA successfully eliminated numerous bills aimed at expanding the scope of practice for optometrists and naturopaths and celebrated reductions in prior authorization requirements by major insurers UnitedHealthcare and Cigna, as well as a CMS final rule that will reduce decision times for all government-regulated health plans.
“These changes will save physician practices and our healthcare system an estimated $15 billion over the next ten years,” he noted, emphasizing the importance of AMA advocacy in these achievements.
In his closing remarks, Ehrenfeld pointed out the failure of some of the world’s largest for-profit healthcare systems to create a sustainable primary care model.
He vowed to continue prioritizing this challenge beyond his presidency.
ARGUMENT
“How can we ensure access to care? How can we continue recruiting and supporting the best and brightest in medicine?” he asked. “This is why we fight … And we’re going to keep fighting until this work is done.”
Ehrenfeld’s farewell address was a testament to his dedication and the AMA’s ongoing commitment to a fairer and more inclusive healthcare system, inspiring his colleagues to continue the fight for meaningful change.
FOR NOW, YOU ARE WITHIN
THE NORMS
