As physicians face increased scrutiny over prescribing painkillers, the nation's largest medical group meets this week with delegates resolved to eliminate barriers to alternative treatments.
Addressing contaminated water supplies and the Zika virus are other public health issues slated for discussion at the American Medical Association's annual meeting, which runs June 11-15 in Chicago.
The event gathers more than 500 delegates to vote on recommendations that will shape the organization's position on government policy, medical ethics and healthcare finance and reform.
A number of recommendations this year focus on a drug abuse epidemic that was partly driven by widespread prescribing of opioid pain relievers. In an open letter to physicians earlier this year, AMA President Steven Stack wrote, “The medical profession must play a lead role in reversing the opioid epidemic that, far too often, has started from a prescription pad.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this year issued guidance that called for providers to prescribe the drugs as a last resort only after other therapies have failed. But many experts feel the CDC recommendations did not adequately identify effective, alternative treatments. Some health providers say they have trouble getting reimbursed for those therapies, forcing patients to pay out-of-pocket.
Also slated this week is a resolution for the AMA to oppose any measure to quarantine those infected by the Zika virus. During the height of the Ebola epidemic, healthcare professionals condemned calls by lawmakers to quarantine health professionals coming back from West Africa.
