Podcast: AMA Update

AMA Update 602: Cancer in people under 50, overdose deaths down, syphilis testing during pregnancy plus measles news

How often should you get screened for cancer? Why does everyone have cancer? How do blood tests for cancer work? Can a baby get syphilis? How many people die from overdose? Discussing the latest cancer statistics, measles outbreaks, deaths from overdose and contaminated ultrasound gel with AMA’s Vice President of Science, Medicine and Public Health, Andrea Garcia, JD, MPH. American Medical Association CXO Todd Unger hosts.

🎥 Watch #AMAUpdate for healthcare news for physicians, residents and medical students: https://ama-assn.co/AMAUpdate

💜 Not a physician? Join the Patients Action Network: https://ama-assn.co/PatientsActionNetwork

🧴 CDC alert for non-sterile ultrasound gel for percutaneous procedures (healthcare-associated infections): https://ama-assn.co/CDCalert_UltrasoundGel

🦺 For MedWatch FDA adverse event reporting and the latest safety news, visit: https://ama-assn.co/FDA_MedWatch

🚮 FDA recall lists: https://ama-assn.co/FDA_recalls

🏥 Looking for measles resources for doctors? Access CDC Project Firstline Measles on the Rise – How to Prepare and Respond in Your Clinic (CME credit): https://ama-assn.co/CME_MeaslesClinicalResponse

🌡️ For the latest CDC measles outbreaks, symptoms of measles mumps rubeola and more, visit: https://ama-assn.co/CDC_Measles

🚨 If the CDC issues new health warning, get the latest CDC health alert 2025 via the Health Alert Network (HAN CDC website): https://ama-assn.co/CDC_HAN

🩺 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

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AMA Update 601: Whooping cough FAQ: Treatment for whooping cough symptoms, vaccine safety and pertussis in children

How serious is whooping cough? Is whooping cough going around? How long does whooping cough last? What is the pertussis vaccine? What are the symptoms of whooping cough? Discussing pertussis in adults, treatment for whooping cough symptoms, pertussis vaccines and more with Alyssa Kuban, MD, associate medical director at Texas Children’s Pediatrics Cypress. American Medical Association CXO Todd Unger hosts.

🎥 Watch #AMAUpdate for healthcare news for physicians, residents and medical students: https://ama-assn.co/AMAUpdate

💜 Not a physician? Join the Patients Action Network: https://ama-assn.co/PatientsActionNetwork

😷 For more whooping cough recommendations and pertussis resources, visit: https://ama-assn.co/WhoopingCough

💉 Wondering what is pertussis? Get the latest on Tdap vaccine for tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis and more: https://ama-assn.co/TdapVaccines

🤧 Read what doctors wish patients knew about pertussis (i.e., the highly contagious respiratory infection whooping cough), here: https://ama-assn.co/Pertussis

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

🩺 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

Read More

AMA Update 600: Health IT: Helping startup companies in health care, AI in medicine and the future of digital health

What can you do with an MD? Are there non-clinical careers for doctors? What is the next big thing in health care technology? What do investors look for in healthcare startups?

Discussing health care startups and innovative ideas for health care businesses with Chris Stock, MD, a managing director for Health2047. American Medical Association CXO Todd Unger hosts.

🎥 Watch #AMAUpdate for healthcare news for physicians, residents and medical students: https://ama-assn.co/AMAUpdate

💜 Not a physician? Join the Patients Action Network: https://ama-assn.co/PatientsActionNetwork

💪 Learn how the AMA is fighting to make technology work for physicians and access AMA digital health policy: https://ama-assn.co/DigitalHealth

💻 For more on healthcare startup grants and what investors look for in a startup, visit: https://ama-assn.co/Health2047

🩺 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

Read More

AMA Update 599: 2025 measles outbreak, cervical cancer screening at home, prenatal cannabis use, healthy travel tips

What is travel illness? Can I test for HPV at home? How many cases of measles are there? What are vector-borne diseases? How dangerous is bird flu to humans? Discussing over 1000 confirmed measles cases, H5N1 bird flu, healthy travel health tips for summer, a new at-home pap smear FDA approved test, and a JAMA study on prenatal cannabis use with AMA’s Vice President of Science, Medicine and Public Health, Andrea Garcia, JD, MPH. American Medical Association CXO Todd Unger hosts.

🎥 Watch #AMAUpdate for healthcare news for physicians, residents and medical students: https://ama-assn.co/AMAUpdate

💜 Not a physician? Join the Patients Action Network: https://ama-assn.co/PatientsActionNetwork

🫄Read the JAMA study on prenatal cannabis use and neonatal outcomes, here: https://ama-assn.co/JAMAstudy_PrenatalCannabisUse

🌡️ For the latest CDC measles outbreaks, symptoms of measles mumps rubeola and more, visit: https://ama-assn.co/CDC_Measles

🪽 For bird flu news visit AMA H5N1 Resource Center to get clinical information, the latest CDC updates and more AMA resources: https://ama-assn.co/BirdFlu

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

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

🚨 If the CDC issues new health warning, get the latest CDC health alert 2025 via the Health Alert Network (HAN CDC website): https://ama-assn.co/CDC_HAN

🩺 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

Read More

AMA Update 598: Artificial intelligence survey: The benefits of AI in health care and how doctors are using AI

Is AI good for health care? How are doctors using augmented intelligence? What is AI used for in medicine? What percentage of doctors are using AI? Do doctors trust AI? Our guest Margaret Lozovatsky, MD, vice president of Digital Health Innovations at the American Medical Association, discusses key findings from the latest survey on physician attitudes on AI in healthcare. Highlights include AI tools for administrative tasks, the importance of feedback loops, and AMA programs supporting physician AI education, artificial intelligence governance, and AI collaborative initiatives. AMA CXO Todd Unger hosts.

🎥 Watch #AMAUpdate for healthcare news for physicians, residents and medical students: https://ama-assn.co/AMAUpdate

💜 Not a physician? Join the Patients Action Network: https://ama-assn.co/PatientsActionNetwork

📋 Read AMA Augmented Intelligence Research on physician sentiments around the use of AI in heath care: https://ama-assn.co/AIsentiments2024_PDF

🤖 AMA’s Governance for Augmented Intelligence toolkit: https://ama-assn.co/STEPSForward_AIgovernance

💻 AMA STEPS Forward login: https://ama-assn.co/STEPSForward_Login

🩺 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

Read More

AMA Update 597: Understanding the patient experience: The journey through surgery and recovery with Dr. Mukkamala

Why is relating to patients important? How do you treat brain cancer? What is brain cancer treatment like? What are the benefits of understanding patient experience? AMA President-elect Bobby Mukkamala, MD, shares his personal journey from brain tumor diagnosis through recovery. Dr. Mukkamala discusses how being a patient reshaped his views on health care, the challenges of understanding a cancer diagnosis, the importance of family support—and how these experiences align with AMA priorities like prior authorization reform and addressing physician shortages. American Medical Association CXO Todd Unger hosts.

🎥 Watch #AMAUpdate for healthcare news for physicians, residents and medical students: https://ama-assn.co/AMAUpdate

💜 Not a physician? Join the Patients Action Network: https://ama-assn.co/PatientsActionNetwork

🩺 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

Read More

AMA Update 596: 2025 measles outbreak, bird flu updates, Alzheimer’s disease news, plus colon cancer and gut health

Is there a blood test for Alzheimer’s? What causes colon cancer? How many measles cases in 2025? Is bird flu still an issue? What outbreaks are happening right now? AMA’s Vice President of Science, Medicine and Public Health, Andrea Garcia, JD, MPH, covers the first measles cases of the year in new U.S. cities, and avian flu outbreaks in dairy cattle and poultry. Also discussing a recent survey on Alzheimer’s disease and new research suggesting links between gut bacteria and colon cancer in younger adults. American Medical Association CXO Todd Unger hosts.

🎥 Watch #AMAUpdate for healthcare news for physicians, residents and medical students: https://ama-assn.co/AMAUpdate

💜 Not a physician? Join the Patients Action Network: https://ama-assn.co/PatientsActionNetwork

📊 Alzheimer’s Association annual report on Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures (PDF): https://ama-assn.co/Alzheimers2025

🔍 For more on dementia and Alzheimer’s early detection, read American Perspectives on Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease in the Era of Treatment (PDF): https://ama-assn.co/Alzheimers2025_EarlyDetection

🌡️ For the latest CDC measles outbreaks, symptoms of measles mumps rubeola and more, visit: https://ama-assn.co/CDC_Measles

🪽 For bird flu news visit AMA H5N1 Resource Center to get clinical information, the latest CDC updates and more AMA resources: https://ama-assn.co/BirdFlu

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

💩 Watch FIT test or colonoscopy? Colon cancer in young adults and cancer screening recommendations with Dr. Doug Corley: https://youtu.be/xF6vle70cFE?si=JT99WGsClBwBM1P0

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

🚨 If the CDC issues new health warning, get the latest CDC health alert 2025 via the Health Alert Network (HAN CDC website): https://ama-assn.co/CDC_HAN

🩺 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

Read More

AMA Update 595: Artificial intelligence in health information management: Using AI for risk assessment in medicine

How is AI used in health care data? What does AI help with in health care? How is AI used in emergency rooms? What are the benefits of AI in health care? How is AI used in medical documentation? Learn about using AI in electronic health records to improve patient care and the future of AI in health care with guest Dana Sax, MD, research scientist at Kaiser Permanente Division of Research and emergency physician at The Permanente Medical Group. American Medical Association CXO Todd Unger hosts.

🎥 Watch #AMAUpdate for healthcare news for physicians, residents and medical students: https://ama-assn.co/AMAUpdate

💜 Not a physician? Join the Patients Action Network: https://ama-assn.co/PatientsActionNetwork

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

🩺 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

Read More

AMA Update 594: Loneliness research: Effects of social isolation and ways to combat loneliness in older physicians

Do older adults get lonely? How often do doctors feel lonely? What does long-term isolation do to a person? How often do adults feel lonely? How can loneliness be addressed? What does loneliness look like in older adults? Our guest is Ved V. Gossain, MD, the immediate past chair of the AMA Senior Physician Section, joins to discuss the epidemic of loneliness, how loneliness effects health, and addressing physicians loneliness. American Medical Association CXO Todd Unger hosts.

🎥 Watch #AMAUpdate for healthcare news for physicians, residents and medical students: https://ama-assn.co/AMAUpdate

💜 Not a physician? Join the Patients Action Network: https://ama-assn.co/PatientsActionNetwork

📊 Prevalence of Loneliness and Associated Factors Among Senior Physicians in the US via Lifestyle Medicine journal: https://ama-assn.co/AJLM_Loneliness

🫂 Wondering how does loneliness affect health? For more on what doctors wish patients knew about loneliness and health: https://ama-assn.co/LonelinessHealth

🧓 AMA Senior Physician Section (SPS): https://ama-assn.co/SPS

👥 Member groups and AMA section list: https://ama-assn.co/Sections

🩺 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

Read More

AMA Update 593: Measles misinformation, new long COVID-19 symptom studies, plus childhood antibiotics and gut health

Should I be worried about measles? What is long COVID and why is it so complex? How long does long COVID last? How many people have long COVID? Is measles endemic? Get the latest on the measles outbreak, MMR vaccines, U.S. measles endemic status and childhood antibiotics with AMA’s Vice President of Science, Medicine and Public Health, Andrea Garcia, JD, MPH. American Medical Association CXO Todd Unger hosts.

🎥 Watch #AMAUpdate for healthcare news for physicians, residents and medical students: https://ama-assn.co/AMAUpdate

📬 Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the AMA Update newsletter for a weekly roundup in your inbox: https://ama-assn.co/AMAUpdateNewsletter 

💜 Not a physician? Join the Patients Action Network: https://ama-assn.co/PatientsActionNetwork

🚨 If the CDC issues new health warning, get the latest CDC health alert 2025 via the Health Alert Network (HAN CDC website): https://ama-assn.co/CDC_HAN

🩺 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

Read More