Four leading physician organizations have made their vaccine recommendations for the coming respiratory virus season, clearly outlining their immunization advice for patients from birth to older adulthood, as well as for those who are pregnant or have compromised immune systems.
The respiratory virus season vaccine recommendations come from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).
The recommendations are available at a new AMA website, SpreadTheFacts.org, and they were informed by a structured, evidence-based review process to assess vaccine safety and effectiveness for the 2026–2027 respiratory virus season. The effort was launched by the AMA and the Vaccine Integrity Project in February 2026.
Following the service and some refreshments at the church, many headed to Candlelite Chicago in the West Ridge neighborhood. It is a classic Chicago pizzeria, born in 1950, and it was one of Len’s favorite haunts in his final years. They even honored Len with a place on their landmark marquee, which sadly was not big enough to accommodate “Strazewski.”
Which reminds me of a story I heard about Len’s surname. Early in his journalism career, some editor said something to the effect of: “Len Strazewski … that’s an awfully long name for a byline. Have you considered going with something different?”
“Sure,” Len said, acerbic and quick as ever. “Credit me as … Biff Strazewski.”
Half in jest Half as serious as a heart attack You carefully outlined the criteria a dining establishment Must meet to earn your business One: It must have ample parking Two: It must accept credit cards Three: It must be open 24 hours a day Every day of the year
So here I am At a Greek diner I found in suburbia I parked in the lot—check I will tap my AMEX—check It is 3 a.m.—check Open on Christmas? I’ll have to check back
I’ve got a cup of coffee and a slice of pie It’s a tonic that beats a beer And I’ve got a growing list of things to do Now that you’re not here
∞ ∞ ∞
All-night joints are hard to find around here nowadays I guess the night owls subsist on DoorDash And skip the chance to come into contact With the cops and the creeps and the crazies And the the plain-old cranks like me
Yet, I recall, that your mutant power drew them all To your side at a diner or at a Vegas lounge They saw you nursing a drink and felt pulled By some strange force to tell their tales of woe But no, they will not find you lingering As it appears you had to go
Now it is the ghosts who must bend your ear Yes, you are gone from us mere mortals But fear not, dear friend—the phantoms will find you here
While the vast majority of Americans trust the public health information they are getting from their own primary care physicians and organizations such as the AMA, nearly three in five say they do not have confidence in the advice they are hearing from the leaders of federal agencies.
Those sobering findings are the result of a nationally representative poll of nearly 1,700 U.S. adults conducted in February by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania Annenberg Public Policy Center.
More than one-third of both nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) said in surveys conducted on behalf of the AMA that they have switched the specialty in which they provide care at some point during their career.
While most nurse practitioners and physician assistants are trained to practice primary care, overwhelming majorities said additional formal training to gain the knowledge, acumen and skills needed to help provide care in the new specialty area was rarely pursued.
The findings—published last week in conjunction with the 2026 AMA State Advocacy Summit held in Southern California—shed light on a rising trend in U.S. health care that stands in stark relief with the rhetoric often advanced by nonphysician providers in their push to expand their scope of practice in ways that can undermine the physician-led care team.
As the temperatures drop and Americans spend more time together in close quarters over the holidays, the AMA is stepping up its efforts to give patients and doctors the resources they need to understand the safety and efficacy of vaccines and have productive conversations about immunization.
The work comes amid a reported measles outbreak in South Carolina, the influenza and respiratory-virus season, and actions on the hepatitis B vaccine taken by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Given the increase in conflicting information about vaccines, it is understandable that some patients may be confused about how to keep their families and themselves healthy.
“With a recent poll showing that Americans are likelier to trust the AMA than the CDC on vaccines, we are working to give patients the reliable answers they need to help protect themselves and their families from preventable diseases,” said AMA CEO and Executive Vice President John Whyte, MD, MPH. “There’s a lot of information out there on this vitally important issue and not all of it is accurate. Who is doing the talking matters. The bottom line is this: If you have questions about vaccines, talk with your physician.”
Light it up, light it up Let’s catch a spark in the dark Nothing to see but a ball Glowing green, being tossed to and fro Nothing to hear but the bugs Beating out their bottomsong And blissfully nothing to know, except— This can’t last too long
You yell over the din To tell me all about how You’ve realigned things again Baseball will be all over North America, you say You looked up each metropolitan statistical area In Canada and Mexico and the USA And you did some weird math To figure out where they’ll play Mexico City’s got five teams New York’s got a few Some other town’s got a bunch And Chicago still has two
“So you looked up the population on Wikipedia,” I press “But what was the underlying source of your data?” “What’s that?” you reply “I couldn’t hear you over the cicadas” And so we fall silent Except for the pop of the ball in the glove And it pops—boy, it pops Ow—my hand Eleven years old, but you throw like a man
For many long minutes we go With nary a drop “How many, you think?” I finally ask “Oh, boy, I dunno—hundreds,” you say As your throw slices the air And you add with a laugh: “I forgot you were even there” You were in your imagination And so was I On a splendid summer night Under a soft, black sky
The AMA is applauding New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for safeguarding the vision of patients by recently vetoing legislation that would have allowed optometrists to perform a wide range of complex surgical procedures.
In her veto message, Lujan Grisham reiterated concerns raised by the AMA and other physician organizations, stating: “I am vetoing this bill because it sets a dangerous precedent for allowing nonsurgeons to perform surgical procedures.”
The governor’s message says “there is no persuasive evidence that this bill would increase access to care. Data shows that expansion of laser authority for optometrists has not resulted in a statistically significant increase in access to these procedures for patients.”
The massive budget package passed by the House of Representatives Thursday includes provisions on Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program that “could create additional administrative burdens for patients,” AMA Executive Vice President and CEO James L. Madara, MD, noted in a May 20 letter to House leadership.
Such hurdles “in these two safety-net programs are a proven barrier to eligible individuals enrolling for coverage, especially given that of the estimated 25.3 million uninsured Americans in 2023, 6.3 million were eligible for Medicaid or CHIP but not enrolled, often due to administrative barriers.”
In his letter, Dr. Madara wrote that physicians “know that Medicaid is a vital component of America’s health care infrastructure, providing health insurance coverage to millions of patients and serving as a critical safety net for children, pregnant and postpartum women, seniors, and people with disabilities and serious health conditions.”
He added that “Medicaid coverage is associated with improved long-term health, lower rates of mortality, better health outcomes, fewer hospitalizations, better educational outcomes, and greater financial security.” The AMA’s letter goes on to describe the federal-state program as “an indispensable source of coverage for maternal health services, covering over 40% of all births in the United States, including almost 50% of births in rural areas.”
The House budget bill’s provisions “may increase the risk of wrongful denials or disenrollments, disrupting patients’ access to care and potentially affecting the continuity of care physicians strive to provide,” Dr. Madara wrote. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that 8.7 million people would lose Medicaid coverage under these provisions, and 7.6 million more would be uninsured within 10 years.
The AMA strongly supports moves in Congress that would adjust Medicare physician payment to rise with the rate of practice-cost inflation while warning that Medicaid proposals in the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s budget-reconciliation text would add administrative complexity and lead to coverage interruptions that especially affect Americans with low incomes and those living in rural areas.
In response to the budget-reconciliation text released Sunday night, AMA Executive Vice President and CEO James L. Madara, MD, wrote in strong support of section 44304 of the committee’s recommendations, which “provides the first Medicare physician payment update that is permanently built into baseline Medicare rates since the passage of the Medicare and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) in 2015.” Such a change was recommended by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) and would link Medicare physician payments to the Medicare Economic Index (MEI).
My latest for the AMA. Read the whole shebang, which also addresses the impact of proposed Medicaid changes.
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has recommended that Congress link next year’s physician payment update to the growth in the cost of providing care. The first move in that direction came last month as Congress failed to eliminate this year’s 2.8% cut, marking the fifth consecutive year of cuts.
“MedPAC has highlighted how Congress can strengthen Medicare policy,” said AMA President Bruce A. Scott, MD, who noted that the MedPAC “report offers a road map to Congress on how to address the cuts.”
Dr. Scott added that “the AMA appreciates commissioners and staff for listening to physicians around the country.”
MedPAC voted in March to recommend to Congress a 2026 payment update to physician practices of Medical Economic Index (MEI) minus 1 percentage point.
“MedPAC was created to advise Congress. Now, will lawmakers listen?” Dr. Scott said. “We welcome MedPAC’s help in highlighting the danger of doing nothing. The status quo is not an option.”
kboreilly.com 
You must be logged in to post a comment.