American Medical Association facts for kids

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American Medical Association

Formation	May 7, 1847; 178 years ago (1847-05-07)
Type	Professional association
Legal status	501(c)(6)
Purpose	"To Promote the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health"
Headquarters	330 North Wabash, Chicago, Illinois, United States
Region served	United States
Membership	271,660 as of 2022
President	Jesse M Ehrenfeld (MD, MPH)
Revenue (2022)	$493,147,829

The American Medical Association (AMA) is a group of doctors and medical students in the United States. It's like a club for medical professionals. The AMA was started in 1847 and has its main office in Chicago, Illinois. In 2022, it had over 271,000 members.

The main goal of the AMA is "to promote the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health." This means they want to improve medicine and help people stay healthy. When it first started, the AMA wanted to make medical education and doctor licensing better. Over time, the AMA has also worked to influence laws about healthcare. For example, they publish the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), which is a very important medical journal. They also have a list of codes that help identify what kind of doctor someone is.

The AMA is run by a group called the House of Delegates and a board of trustees. They also have a set of rules for doctors called the AMA Code of Medical Ethics. They keep a big database of information about doctors in the U.S. called the AMA Physician Masterfile. The AMA also created the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding system, which helps doctors describe the services they provide.

How the AMA Started and Grew
AMA's Role in Healthcare Policy
Political Donations
How the AMA Works
See also

How the AMA Started and Grew

The American Medical Association was founded in 1847 in Philadelphia. A doctor named Nathan Smith Davis helped start it. One of their first goals was to make sure that medicines were safe and properly made. This led to laws like the Drug Importation Act of 1848.

Early Years: 1847–1900

In 1848, the AMA began publishing a journal that shared important medical information. They also worked to warn people about fake medicines. Their efforts helped lead to the first Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906. This law made sure that food and medicines were safe.

The AMA also supported women in medicine. In 1876, Sarah Hackett Stevenson became the first woman to join the AMA as a delegate. In 1883, the AMA launched its famous Journal of the American Medical Association. Nathan Smith Davis, who helped found the AMA, was its first editor.

Towards the end of the 1800s, the AMA pushed for laws that required smallpox vaccinations. They also started looking into diseases like tuberculosis to understand how they spread and how to prevent them.

Making Changes: 1901–1920

In 1901, the AMA changed how it was organized. A new group called the House of Delegates became the main decision-making body. This group was made up of doctors from all over the United States. The AMA also started to look closely at medical schools to make sure they were teaching doctors well.

In 1905, the AMA created a group to set standards for how medicines were made and advertised. Drug companies had to prove their medicines worked before they could advertise in the AMA's journal. The AMA also started keeping detailed records of all doctors in the U.S. in their AMA Physician Masterfile.

Modernizing Medicine: 1921–1960

In 1923, the AMA set standards for special training programs for doctors. They also published lists of hospitals approved for these training programs. In 1927, a law called the Caustic Poison Act was passed, which the AMA supported. This law made sure that products with dangerous chemicals had warning labels.

The AMA also published guides on what Americans should eat, like The Normal Diet in 1938. In 1942, the AMA teamed up with other groups to set requirements for medical schools. They also helped create the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals in 1951. This group checks hospitals to make sure they meet high standards for patient care. The AMA also supported adding fluoridation to community water supplies in 1951 to help prevent tooth decay.

New Challenges: 1961–1980

In 1966, the AMA published the first version of the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding system. This system helps doctors describe the services they provide in a clear way. The AMA also published guides to help evaluate how much a person's body might be permanently affected by an injury.

During the 1970s, the AMA spoke out against unfair treatment of women in medical schools and hospitals. In 1976, they also started encouraging all public places to have access for people with disabilities.

Important Changes: 1981–2000

In 1987, a judge ruled that the AMA had unfairly tried to stop chiropractors from practicing. The AMA was accused of trying to prevent chiropractors from working in the U.S.

In 1991, the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that the "Joe Camel" cartoon character, used in cigarette ads, reached more children than adults. The AMA asked the tobacco company to stop using the character because it appealed to young people.

In 1995, Lonnie R. Bristow became the first African-American president of the AMA. In 1998, Nancy W. Dickey became the first woman to lead the organization. The AMA also worked against "gag clauses" in health plans in 1996. These clauses stopped doctors from telling patients about treatments not covered by their plan. The AMA said these clauses were bad because they limited what doctors could tell their patients.

Recent Years: 2000–Present

In 2008, the AMA formally apologized for past policies that had excluded African-American doctors. They promised to work harder to include more minority doctors. In 2013, the AMA officially recognized obesity as a disease. This was a big step to change how doctors think about and treat obesity.

In 2015, the AMA stated that there was no medical reason to stop transgender people from serving in the U.S. military. In 2019, Patrice A. Harris became the AMA's first African-American woman president.

AMA's Role in Healthcare Policy

The AMA spends a lot of money trying to influence laws and policies in the United States. This is called lobbying.

Influencing Laws

Between 1998 and 2020, the AMA spent about $18 million each year on lobbying. They work to make sure that laws help improve healthcare and support doctors.

Doctor Supply and Training

Sometimes, the AMA has supported limiting the number of doctors trained in the U.S. In the early 1900s, they pushed to close medical schools they thought were not good enough. In 1997, they even lobbied Congress to limit how many doctors could be trained, saying there would be too many doctors. This led to fewer training spots for new doctors. Because of these limits, the U.S. now faces a shortage of doctors. By 2022, about a quarter of doctors in the U.S. were trained in other countries.

The AMA has also worked to limit what other healthcare providers, like physician assistants, can do without a doctor's direct supervision.

Healthcare Access Debates

The AMA has had different views on government-run health insurance over time. In 1917, they supported it, but then they changed their mind in 1920 and opposed it.

In the 1940s, the AMA was against President Harry Truman's plan to expand healthcare. They called it "socialized medicine." They even raised money from their members to fight against his plan. In the 1960s, the AMA also opposed the creation of Medicare, which helps older people with healthcare costs. They ran advertisements against it. However, after Medicare became law, the AMA changed its position and now supports it.

More recently, the AMA supported President Barack Obama's healthcare reform, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. They also opposed efforts to repeal this law in 2017, saying it would cause millions of Americans to lose health coverage.

Medical Malpractice Laws

The AMA has supported changing laws about medical malpractice. This is when a patient sues a doctor for harm caused by medical care. The AMA believes that high damage awards in these lawsuits make it hard for doctors to practice in some states. They have pushed for limits on how much money patients can receive for pain and suffering.

Political Donations

The AMA also donates money to political campaigns. Between 1990 and 2020, they donated between $1.6 million and $3.4 million in each election cycle. Sometimes they gave money equally to both major political parties, and sometimes they gave more to one party, like in 1996 and 2004 when they gave more to Republican candidates. Most of these donations came from a special political action committee (PAC).

How the AMA Works

The AMA has meetings twice a year where different groups discuss policies. These groups include medical students, doctors in training, academic doctors, and doctors from different specialties. Representatives from state medical societies and other medical organizations also attend these meetings.