The lede:

Orlando, Fla. — Most climate scientists say the Earth is getting hotter and that human activity is speeding up the process. At its Interim Meeting in November, the AMA House of Delegates agreed with the scientific consensus.

The house endorsed the findings of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Delegates also warned that climate change could have dramatic public health consequences, causing heat waves, drought and flooding, cutting potable water supplies, displacing populations and spreading infectious diseases.

Policymakers should “work to reduce human contributions” to global warming, says the AMA’s new policy, which is based on a report from the Association’s Council on Science and Public Health.

The whole shebang.

The lede:

Orlando, Fla. — Nearly all hospitals have ethics committees to help resolve dilemmas facing physicians, patients and families, especially regarding end-of-life care. Yet surveys have found the typical ethics consultation service handles only three cases a year.

When should ethics services be consulted? Who should sit on ethics committees? Should they tell doctors and patients what to do, or just offer advice?

The whole shebang.

The lede:

Orlando, Fla. — Physicians who refer patients for services at facilities in which they have a financial interest should disclose the conflict to patients, according to ethical guidelines on physician self-referral adopted at the AMA Interim Meeting in November.

The new ethics policy goes beyond restrictions laid out in federal anti-kickback laws and regulations, and declares that physicians must put patients first when making referrals. In addition to disclosing self-referrals, doctors should assure patients that their ongoing care is not in jeopardy if they decide to refuse recommended referrals.

The whole shebang.

The lede:

Orlando, Fla. — A Joint Commission standard on disruptive behavior could lead to “arbitrary and capricious enforcement” against physicians, the AMA House of Delegates warned.

Delegates at the Interim Meeting directed the AMA to seek a one-year moratorium on the new standard, slated to take effect Jan. 1, 2009, to allow organized medical staffs time to change their bylaws to comply with the rule. The house also adopted policy advocating that medical staffs develop their own conduct codes and investigation and appeals procedures.

Delegates directed the AMA to update its 2000 policy on disruptive behavior and work with the commission, the Federation of State Medical Boards and other entities to develop an appeals process for physicians charged with bad behavior. The AMA also will work with these groups to “develop a definition of disruptive behavior by a physician to include the actions that would rise to the level of true abusive behavior.”

The whole shebang.