The American Medical Association (AMA) will gather physician and medical student leaders from all corners of medicine at its annual meeting in Chicago to shape the health care policies of the nation's largest physician organization.

The AMA's House of Delegates is the policy-making forum at the center of American medicine, bringing together an inclusive group of physicians, residents and medical students representing every state and medical field.

During the five-day meeting, 640 delegates will work in a democratic process to create results-focused policies on topics in public health, science, ethics, business and government that enable physicians to answer a national imperative to measurably improve the health of the nation.

Issues to be addressed at the AMA Annual Meeting include:

• Expanding access to affordable health care coverage
• Protecting privacy in the age of mail-order DNA tests
• Ending unreasonable health insurance hurdles for patients seeking care
• Reducing use of controversial glyphosate-based herbicides
• Removing a toxic medical sterilant from health care
• Opposing mandatory gender-based medical treatments for athletes
• Preventing misuse of sedatives with opioids
• Enhancing the nation's public health response to an increase in vector-borne diseases
• Addressing the health care and social needs of homeless patients
• Advocating for improved social and economic support for paid family leave
• Making augmented intelligence work for patients and physicians
• Incorporating augmented intelligence in medical education
• Continuing efforts to adequately fund physician training programs
• Collecting data to study suicide among physicians and physicians-in-training

Policy proposals to be considered by the House of Delegates represent the views, positions and recommendations of the authors or sponsors, not the AMA. No report or resolution can be represented as official AMA policy until approved by a vote of the House of Delegates. For a comprehensive list of the policy proposals to be considered by the House of Delegates, please visit the AM

WHAT: 2019 Annual Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates

WHERE: Hyatt Regency Chicago, 151 E. Wacker Drive, Downtown Chicago

WHEN: Special events and programs start Friday, June 7. The House of Delegates will convene from Saturday, June 8 through Wednesday, June 12.

SCHEDULE & AGENDA: The AMA Annual Meeting website has comprehensive information, including an agenda, travel information and reports and resolutionscontaining policy proposals to be considered by the House of Delegates.

CONNECT: Join us on Facebook and LinkedIn or get in the conversation at Twitter using #AMAmtg.


SPECIAL EVENTS: The AMA Annual Meeting includes the following presentations and discussions that will explore emerging issues in the practice of medicine. These special events are located at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.

Friday, June 7

A question of ethics: Perspectives on end of life care and the role of medical aid in dying
8:30 am (CT) in Acapulco Ballroom
Includes a discussion on the ethical, legal and logistical perspectives of implementing medical aid in dying as guest speakers Daniel Sulmasy, MD and David Grube, MD explore the current structure and form of state policies regulating medical aid in dying and debate the medical dilemmas associated with this topic.

What's the future of Medicare quality measurement? CMS has a vision.
11:30 am (CT) in Crystal Ballroom A
In 2017, CMS announced a signature initiative called "Meaningful Measures" intended to streamline the quality measures that physicians and health systems report, and move to a smaller set of more impactful measures that assess outcomes rather than processes. Please join Michelle Schreiber, MD from CMS as she outlines progress on "Meaningful Measures" and shares the agency's vision for the future of quality measures. A reaction panel with physician leaders from three health systems will discuss the potential impact of CMS's quality measurement initiatives and the challenges confronting physicians and health systems.

Pop medicine: The impact of mainstream media on patients' preconceptions of health care
1:00 pm (CT) in the Acapulco Ballroom
For better or worse, pop culture has had a significant impact on the way patients view and understand health care. This discussion will examine the impact of entertainment and social media portrayals of medicine and learn what individual physicians and organizations can do to increase the awareness and accuracy of medical topics.

Is there a vaccine for burnout? Perspectives on resiliency and wellness
2:15 pm (CT) in the Acapulco Ballroom
The AMA's foremost experts on burnout research, practicing physicians, and residents will explore physician burnout, resiliency, and wellness in medical school, residency training, and beyond. The discussion will explore tangible tips and success strategies for handling the challenges and stresses of medicine, both as a student and throughout a medical career.

Nevertheless, she persisted: Women leaders in medicine
4:00 pm (CT) in the Acapulco Ballroom
This panel discussion features AMA Women Physicians Section council members who will share their unique challenges and experiences regarding their pathway to leadership in medicine. The panel will discuss growth as a female in the medical field.

Saturday, June 8

What does the science say about opioid management?
10:00 am (CT) in Crystal Ballroom C
With the US in the midst of an opioid epidemic, this session will examine the state of current scientific data on opioid and non-opioid pain management. The discussion will highlight best practices on differentiating when opioid prescription is acceptable and when it should be avoided, and look forward at the future of pain management.

Central American forced migration: Public health knowledge for care delivery and advocacy
11:30 am (CT) in Crystal Ballroom C
This session will explore the public health implications of Central American forced migration through case-based, interactive programming highlighting pertinent psychosocial and epidemiologic factors that impact many Central American migrants.

Opening Session of the AMA House of Delegates

2:00 pm (CT) in the Grand Ballroom

The AMA's policymaking body convenes its Annual Meeting. Keynote speakers include AMA CEO James Madara, MD and AMA President Barbara L McAneny, MD.

Sunday, June 9

Committee Hearings
8:30 am to 6 pm (CT) - please contact AMA Media & Editorial for specific times and room locations.
Open hearings are convened to review and debate proposed policies.

Monday, June 10

International medical school accreditation: Understanding progress and workforce implications
8:00 am (CT) in Crystal Ballroom A
The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) is in the process of instituting a policy requiring all foreign medical graduates applying for US certification must have completed training in a medical school accredited by a body officially recognized by the World Federation for Medical Education. This requirement was instituted as part of a larger effort to enhance the quality of medical education at the international level. However, not all countries have moved toward implementation of this goal. This session will discuss the medical school accreditation requirement, logistics and progress made to date, and review potential implications for the US physician workforce.

Litigation Center open meeting
9:00 am in the Grand Ballroom
This session with discuss contrasting contexts of two freedom of speech court cases in which the AMA has intervened. First, involves a website operator has been sued for facilitating an illegal sale of handguns, which resulted in a multiple murder. The question is whether the right of public safety trumps the right of open communication on the internet. Second, the AMA is suing the US Department of Health and Human Services for passing regulations that limit the right of physicians to communicate freely with their patients at Title X public health clinics.

Reimagining Residency: How the AMA will transform graduate medical education
9:00 am (CT) in Regency Ballroom B
The AMA will announce on June 5 the awardees of Reimagining Residency grant funding to transform residency training to better address the workforce needs of our current and future health care system. The five-year, $15-million program builds on the AMA's work to accelerate change in undergraduate medical education and create the medical schools of the future. In this session faculty leading the Reimagining Residency effort will outline the initiative and its major aims and what the next five years will bring as the AMA Accelerating Change in Medical Education initiative expands into graduate medical education.

Address by the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
2:00 pm (CT) in the Grand Ballroom
CMS Administrator Seema Verma will address the AMA House of Delegates.

Voting session of the AMA House of Delegates
3:00 to 6:00 pm (CT) in the Grand Ballroom
Delegates convene for the first day of voting on proposed policies.

Tuesday, June 11

Voting session of the AMA House of Delegates
9:00 am to 3:00 pm (CT) in the Grand Ballroom
Delegates convene for the second day of voting on proposed policies.

Inauguration of the 174^th AMA president
5:00 pm (CT) in the Crystal Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Chicago
Patrice A. Harris, MD, MA, a psychiatrist from Atlanta, Ga., will accept the highest elected office of the AMA and present her inaugural address to a gathering of the nation's physician leaders. Dr. Harris will be the first African-American woman to hold the office of AMA president.

Wednesday, June 12

Voting session of the AMA House of Delegates
9:00 to 11:00 am (CT) in the Grand Ballroom
Delegates convene for the final day of voting on proposed policies.