ACS Delegation to the AMA House of Delegates

The American College of Surgeons actively participates in the meetings of the American Medical Association's House of Delegates (HOD). For many years, the College has sent delegates to the twice-yearly meetings of the HOD. Currently, the College supports an active delegation, including: Richard Reiling, MD, FACS, Charlotte, NC (delegation chair); John H. Armstrong, MD, FACS, Gainesville, FL; Charles Logan, MD, FACS, Little Rock, AR; Amilu Stewart, MD, FACS, Colorado Springs, CO; and Chad Rubin, MD, FACS, Columbia, SC.

The House of Delegates is the principal policy-making body of the American Medical Association and functions like a Congress. State medical societies and national specialty societies are represented in the House, and during these meetings ACS delegates advocate for resolutions and reports on a variety of issues of interest to surgery. The College has introduced and successfully passed resolutions dealing with reimbursement for ultrasound imaging in the office; medical liability reform relating to expert witness qualifications and affirmation statements; studying the issue of specialty hospitals to determine their impact on the health care system; and development of patient safety principles for office-based surgery.

ACS delegates are leaders in the Surgical Caucus of the AMA, which is managed by staff of the College. The Caucus provides an opportunity for all surgeons in the HOD to meet and discuss resolutions and reports, and take in an educational session focusing on a topic of interest to surgery.

The Nominating Committee of the Board of Governors recommends names of ACS delegates to the Board of Governors for confirmation. Fellows must be AMA members, and are eligible to serve up to three three-year terms of office. The delegation is staffed through the Division of Advocacy and Health Policy, and questions relating to the AMA House of Delegate and the Surgical Caucus may be addressed to jsutton@facs.org.

Revised March 5, 2008

Current Activities

Advocacy and Health Policy