NEWS
AMA Delegate Report
Joseph B. Selby, MD Delegate and Chair
This year marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America. This year also marks the 139th year since the American Medical Association( AMA) was founded in 1847. Nearly 700 physicians and medical students met in Chicago from June 5 – 9, 2026, for the annual House of Delegates( HOD) meeting.
West Virginia had a full delegation, including two delegates, myself and Dr. Hoyt Burdick, and two alternate delegates, Dr. Joe Prud’ homme and Dr. Lisa Costello. Prud’ homme is the current president of West Virginia State Medical Association( WVSMA) and Costello is a past president and chair of the WVSMA legislative committee. Joining the four of us was Mitchell Nelson from Marshall University, a medical student representing the medical student section.
At this meeting, Willie Underwood III MD, MSc, MPH was inaugurated as president of the AMA. He is a urological surgeon from New York. Sandra Fryhofer, MD, was elected to the office of president elect. She is an internal medicine physician practicing in Atlanta, Georgia. She will take office in June 2027.
During the deliberations of the HOD, 248 items were presented for consideration from the eight standing reference committees. Of the 248 items presented, 39 were extracted for discussion on the floor of the HOD. The remaining 209 items were accepted by a consent vote and became AMA policy.
There were many policies adopted that addressed ongoing issues facing medicine:
• Artificial intelligence( AI), transparency, and quality; physicians must help shape how AI is developed, implemented, and regulated
• Ongoing prior authorization fight; challenging insurance companies to eliminate case delays, patient harms, and practice hassle
• Scope of practice infringement
• Medicare and Medicaid payment fix
• Projected physician workforce shortage
The following are specific resolutions and reports addressed at this meeting:
• Resolution 002, physician workload and scheduling: Physicians should have the professional right and authority to decline, modify, or limit patient volume expectations that compromise safety and patient centered care.
• Resolution 010, fatigue and mitigation: The AMA supports the provision of funded transportation, options for interns, residents, and fellows after extended or overnight shifts as a core fatigue mitigation strategy.
• Resolution 505, avoiding misuse of AI and clinical practice: Prior to the use of AI in the medical record, there should be training to include the benefits and potential harm that could exist in an AI generated document.
• Resolution 307, recognizing advocacy as a component of faculty appointment and promotion in academic medicine: This is an encouragement, not a mandate, as in some states, advocacy is illegal.
• Resolution 413, erosion of the public evidence base for health policy: This resolution emphasizes the critical importance of a robust, transparent, and well-funded public health surveillance system, and asks for transparency in federal surveillance systems as well as the need for adequate staffing, funding, and congressional oversight to ensure reliability and accountability.
8 • www. wvsma. org