GME Funding Gets Boost from AMA

Houston, Texas: During the American Medical Association's House of Delegates voted to adopt several new initiatives.

AMA delegates adopted, with amendments, a report from the AMA Council on Medical Education on GME funding that recommends the AMA "continue to advocate for funding for training in non-hospital sites and for all training activities required in graduate medical education programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or the American Osteopathic Association (AOA)."

The report also recommends that the AMA:

• "Continue to be vigilant while monitoring pending legislation that may change the financing of medical services (health system reform) and advocate for expanded and broad-based funding for graduate medical education (from federal, state and commercial entities)"
• "Continue to advocate for GME funding that reflects the physician workforce needs of the nation"
• Promote funding for training in non-hospital sites is particularly important for family medicine because much of that training occurs in ambulatory settings

In recommending adoption of the report, the reference committee noted that many of the federal health care reform proposals now being considered would impact the current funding system for GME. The panel also said that speakers in favor of the report's adoption commended the specific inclusion of continued advocacy for training in non-hospital sites.

The Houston, TX meeting also threw AMA support behind the following:

• Local, state, and federal government developmental support for infrastructure and faculty at medical schools
• Promote the motion to review the literature on the treatment and prevention of depression in physicians
• Reducing the maximum number of consecutive hours that residents can work to 16 and for allowing overnight call only with a 5-hour nap requirement
• Recommending that marijuana be rescheduled to allow for more study of its medicinal benefits