AMA Sets Policy on Emergency Contraception, Advance Health Care Directives, and Underage Drinking
[Posted 07/12/07]

The California delegation to AMA's House of Delegates presented a number of important resolutions at the association's annual meeting in Chicago. The following are summaries of some of the resolutions that the AMA House adopted as policy.

Electronic Advance Health Care Directives: The AMA delegates adopted a California resolution calling on AMA to advocate for national implementation of secure electronic advance health care directives.

Access to Emergency Contraception: The delegates voted for AMA to urge that established emergency contraception regimens be approved for over-the-counter access to women of reproductive age. The resolution also urges that pharmacies be required to inform the public (via their websites or other means) whether they stock and dispense emergency contraception, and if not, provide information on where it can be obtained, either with or without a prescription.

Definition of Usual, Customary, and Reasonable (UCR): The delegates adopted a California resolution that established following definitions for Usual, Customary, and Reasonable fees.

• Usual fee: A “usual” fee is that usually charged by an individual physician to his private patient for a given service.
• Customary fee: A fee is “customary” if it falls within the range of “usual fees” currently charged by physicians of similar training and experience, for the same service, within the same geographical area; and
• Reasonable fee: A fee is “reasonable” when it meets the above two criteria and is justifiable, considering the special circumstances of the particular case in question, without regard to payments that have been discounted under governmental or private plans.

Prevention of Underage Drinking: The delegates called for a ban on the marketing of products such as alcopops, gelatin-based alcohol products, food-based alcohol products, alcohol mists, and alcoholic energy drinks that have special appeal to youths under the age of 21.

Click here for additional detail on these and other resolutions from AMA's 2007 annual meeting.

Contact: Ginnie Yee, 415/882-5170 or gyee@cmanet.org.