MMA takes action on a host of resolutions
MINNEAPOLIS, September 19, 2008 - The MMA’s House of Delegates adjourned Friday after considering about 40 resolutions as part of the MMA’s 155th Annual Meeting.
About 250 physician delegates from around the state gathered to vote on the resolutions. The MMA's House of Delegates deliberates and votes on resolutions drafted by physicians to determine MMA policy and direction.
Here are some of the resolutions the House of Delegates adopted:
Medical home certification - R205 calls for the MMA to ensure that the certification process for medical homes be designed so that those already providing the services of a medical home can reasonably be certified as a medical home. It also says that the basis for creating medical homes should be a physician-directed health care team and not insurance companies. It also asks for the MMA to submit a resolution to the AMA requesting that it work to ensure that physician-directed personal health care teams, who currently act as medical homes, be designated as such.
Embryonic stem cell research – R405 calls for the MMA to update its stem cell research policy by adopting the AMA’s position in favor of embryonic stem cell research so that the MMA
- supports research on multipotent stem cells (including adult and cord blood stem cells);
- supports using somatic cell nuclear transfer technology in biomedical research (therapeutic cloning);
- opposes the use of somatic cell nuclear transfer technology for producing a human child (reproductive cloning);
- encouraging strong public support of federal funding for research involving human pluripotent stem cells,
- and will continue to monitor developments in stem cell research and the use of somatic cell nuclear transfer technology.
Undocumented residents - R300 calls for the MMA to oppose any policies regulations or legislation that would criminalize or punish physicians and other health care providers for the act of giving care to patients who are undocumented immigrants. The MMA will also oppose efforts to make physicians collect and report data about patient’s legal status or efforts to make citizenship a condition of providing care.
Physical education - R401 calls for the MMA to support legislation that would increase the level of physical activity for students in grades kindergarten through eighth.
Unequal copays - R302 that the MMA provide resources and information to physicians regarding the legal issues and options associated with reducing fees or waiving copays for uninsured or underinsured patients.
Capitated payment - R308 that the MMA provide ongoing information to physicians regarding the 2008 health care reform legislation including information about and experiences with payment methodologies such as capitation.
Student loan forgiveness - R100 calls for the MMA to advocate for an increase in the funding for state-run student loan forgiveness programs, including the Minnesota State Loan Repayment Program and Rural Physician Loan Repayment Program. It also calls for the MMA to seek full support by the federal government of the 20-220 pathway for economic hardship deferral.
Reading to children - R101 that calls for the MMA to encourage physicians to speak to their patients about the importance of reading to their children and to seek community partners that encourage and support the reading of books to children.
The house also voted to refer R303 to the MMA Board of Trustees. R303 calls for the MMA to educate health plan leaders and lawmakers about the corrosive effect that unequal copays between clinics and retail clinics could have on medical homes.