Delegates representing the AASM participated in last week’s annual meeting of the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates, which adopted a new policy declaring that sleep deprivation is a crisis. The meeting was held June 6 – 11 in Chicago.
AASM delegates participated in reference committees and caucus meetings, including the Specialty and Service Society (the largest caucus in the AMA), where they discussed and debated issues impacting the practice of medicine, including education, coverage, public health, and advocacy. Then they voted on behalf of the AASM in the House of Delegates.
Sleep deprivation is a public health crisis
New resolutions passed by the AMA House of Delegates included the declaration that sleep deprivation is a public health crisis. This new AMA policy recognizes the role of sleep health for all people and declares that sleep health is a public health priority. Through adoption of this policy, the AMA will support efforts to increase research into the drivers of sleep deprivation and advocate for public health interventions and policies that improve sleep health.
Membership drives AMA engagement
The AMA is the largest physician organization in the United States, and the AASM was admitted to the AMA House of Delegates in 1996. AASM participation is crucial to ensure that AMA policies appropriately address sleep and the practice of sleep medicine. Advocacy by the AASM and our delegates has prevented passage of previous resolutions that would have had a negative impact on AASM members.
Having representation in the AMA House of Delegates also enables the AASM to have advisory seats for the AMA Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) Editorial Panel and the AMA/Specialty Society Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC). These seats enable the AASM to represent the interests and needs of sleep specialists in updating and maintaining billing codes for the sleep field. This advisory role also enables the AASM to be involved in providing recommended relative value units for physician services to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
None of these opportunities would be possible without the support of AASM members. AMA representation is dependent upon the dual membership of physicians in the AASM and AMA. We urge our physician members to become a member of the AMA, currently for half-dues, to ensure sleep medicine continues to be represented in the AMA. Help us to positively impact the field of medicine through your AMA membership.
