In the final AMA Update episode of 2024, American Medical Association CXO Todd Unger looks back on another year of stories about the work that physicians are doing across the country and how the AMA is fighting to support them.

🩺 The AMA is your powerful ally, focused on addressing the issues important to you, so you can focus on what matters most — patients. We will meet this challenge together. Join us: https://ama-assn.co/JoinRenew

🥼 Go to https://ama-assn.co/FightingForDocs to learn more about our AMA advocacy priorities, including:

▹ Reforming Medicare payment

▹ Fighting scope creep

▹ Fixing prior authorization

▹ Reducing physician burnout

▹ Making technology work for physicians

Is obesity decreasing in the US? Do women live longer than men? What are the US Dietary Guidelines 2025? Does America have a healthy diet? AMA's Vice President of Science, Medicine and Public Health, Andrea Garcia, JD, MPH, discusses recent findings on obesity trends in the US, upcoming 2025 US Dietary Guidelines changes, the importance of a healthy diet and the need for health equity in dietary recommendations. Also covering Americans' healthspan lifespan gap and the implications of living longer with diseases. American Medical Association CXO Todd Unger hosts.

🩺 The AMA is your powerful ally, focused on addressing the issues important to you, so you can focus on what matters most — patients. We will meet this challenge together. Join us: https://ama-assn.co/JoinRenew

🗺️ CDC current avian flu map: https://ama-assn.co/avianflu_map

💻 For bird flu news visit Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC H5N1 Bird Flu Current Situation Summary (CDC H5N1 technical report): https://ama-assn.co/CDC_H5N1

What is direct-to-employer contracting in health care? What are value-based care examples? What are innovative care models? Jerry Finkel, MD, senior vice president and chief primary health officer at Henry Ford Health, discusses an innovative value-based care program between General Motors and Henry Ford Health that allows GM employees and their families to receive customized health care directly from Henry Ford Health, bypassing traditional insurance models. Dr. Finkel highlights the benefits of this direct arrangement, including enhanced quality of care, cost savings, and a concierge service for easier navigation of the health care system. American Medical Association CXO Todd Unger hosts.

🩺 The AMA is your powerful ally, focused on addressing the issues important to you, so you can focus on what matters most — patients. We will meet this challenge together. Join us: https://ama-assn.co/JoinRenew

🏥 Learn more about the AMA Health System Program here: https://ama-assn.co/HealthSystems

🥼 Go to https://ama-assn.co/FightingForDocs to learn more about our AMA advocacy priorities, including:

▹ Reforming Medicare payment

▹ Fighting scope creep

▹ Fixing prior authorization

▹ Reducing physician burnout

▹ Making technology work for physicians

What is the future of AI in healthcare? What is the future of RPM? Is telehealth increasing or decreasing? How can AI reduce physician burnout? Our guest is Margaret Lozovatsky, MD, vice president of Digital Health Innovations at the American Medical Association. AMA CXO Todd Unger hosts.

🩺 The AMA is your powerful ally, focused on addressing the issues important to you, so you can focus on what matters most — patients. We will meet this challenge together. Join us: https://ama-assn.co/JoinRenew

🥼 Go to https://ama-assn.co/FightingForDocs to learn more about our AMA advocacy priorities, including:

▹ Reforming Medicare payment

▹ Fighting scope creep

▹ Fixing prior authorization

▹ Reducing physician burnout

▹ Making technology work for physicians

Is whooping cough going around? What is the best flu medicine? What is the latest strain of COVID? Is raw milk safe? Why drink raw milk? AMA's Vice President of Science, Medicine and Public Health, Andrea Garcia, JD, MPH, discusses rising whooping cough cases, vaccines for whooping cough, and effectiveness of antiviral medicine for flu. Also covering milk safety around pasteurized milk vs raw milk and concerns over bird flu in raw milk. American Medical Association CXO Todd Unger hosts.

🩺 The AMA is your powerful ally, focused on addressing the issues important to you, so you can focus on what matters most — patients. We will meet this challenge together. Join us: https://ama-assn.co/JoinRenew

🗺️ CDC current avian flu map: https://ama-assn.co/avianflu_map

After sharing the news last month that he’s been diagnosed with a brain tumor, AMA President-elect Bobby Mukkamala, MD, joins us to share an update on how he’s doing, his treatment and lessons learned from navigating medicine as a patient. American Medical Association CXO Todd Unger hosts.

🩺 The AMA is your powerful ally, focused on addressing the issues important to you, so you can focus on what matters most — patients. We will meet this challenge together. Join us: https://ama-assn.co/JoinRenew

📄 Read the initial announcement about Dr. Mukkamala’s diagnosis: https://www.ama-assn.org/about/leadership/ama-president-elect-bobby-mukkamala-md-has-brain-tumor

What is virtual primary care? Should you reply thank you to your doctor? What is a virtual care physician? How do doctors use EHR secure messaging? Our guest is Matthew Sakumoto, MD, virtual-first primary care physician and chief medical information officer, at Sutter West Bay Region. Dr. Sakumoto shares his best practices for EHR inbox messaging and how physicians can create a personal connection, set expectations and more when caring for patients via text. American Medical Association CXO Todd Unger hosts.

🩺 The AMA is your powerful ally, focused on addressing the issues important to you, so you can focus on what matters most — patients. We will meet this challenge together. Join us: https://ama-assn.co/JoinRenew

What are the statistics on vaccines? Are people getting vaccinated? What are common vaccines for children? Can kids get bird flu? Is it COVID season? AMA's Vice President of Science, Medicine and Public Health, Andrea Garcia, JD, MPH, discusses the latest trends in respiratory illnesses, what causes vaccine hesitancy and low seasonal vaccination rates for RSV, influenza and COVID-19. Also covering H5N1 in children, how bird flu spreads to humans and avian influenza symptoms in humans. American Medical Association CXO Todd Unger hosts.

🩺 The AMA is your powerful ally, focused on addressing the issues important to you, so you can focus on what matters most — patients. We will meet this challenge together. Join us: https://ama-assn.co/JoinRenew

🗺️ CDC current avian flu map: https://ama-assn.co/avianflu_map

💻 For bird flu news visit Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC H5N1 Bird Flu Current Situation Summary (CDC H5N1 technical report): https://ama-assn.co/CDC_H5N1

Associate Chief Medical Informatics Officer Josh Lesko, MD, joins us to discuss the need for physicians to have a voice in the development of the technology they use. Dr. Lesko talks about the benefit of having a degree in computer science as a physician, how practices can involve clinicians in technology development and lessons learned from the rollout of the EHR. American Medical Association CXO Todd Unger hosts.

🩺 The AMA is your powerful ally, focused on addressing the issues important to you, so you can focus on what matters most — patients. We will meet this challenge together. Join us: https://ama-assn.co/JoinRenew

💻 Check out all the resources from AMA STEPS Forward™: https://edhub.ama-assn.org/steps-forward

▶️ Watch the AMA STEPS Forward Innovation Academy webinar Navigating AI in Health Care: https://youtu.be/9uVVY3kOkXg

📋 Read the AMA's Future of Health report The Emerging Landscape of AI in Health Care: https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/digital/ama-future-health-emerging-landscape-augmented-intelligence-health-care

What is a respiratory infection? Can you test too early for COVID? How much exercise do adults need per day? Can exercise lower your blood pressure? AMA's Vice President of Science, Medicine and Public Health, Andrea Garcia, JD, MPH, covers current trends of COVID, RSV, and flu and preventing illness this holiday season. She also discusses the obesity epidemic in the US and why adding five minutes of exercise to your daily routine can help lower blood pressure, plus the mental and physical benefits of practicing gratitude. American Medical Association CXO Todd Unger hosts.

🩺 The AMA is your powerful ally, focused on addressing the issues important to you, so you can focus on what matters most — patients. We will meet this challenge together. Join us: https://ama-assn.co/JoinRenew

🦠 Looking for a COVID map? Get the latest CDC COVID Tracker map, charts and data: https://ama-assn.co/CDC_COVID

💉 Searching for "COVID vaccine near me"? Find vaccines in your area at: https://ama-assn.co/COVID_vaccine

📚 CDC COVID-19 vaccine recommendations and COVID Vaccination Clinical & Professional Resources: https://ama-assn.co/COVID_vaccines