The SCCM American Medical Association House of Delegates delegation helped shape several high-impact health policies that will benefit critically ill patients through testimony, coalition-building, and resolution sponsorship.
Four Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) members act as delegates and represent the Society during meetings of the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates (HOD). During the June 2025 meeting, Daniel S. Udrea, MD; Kathleen Doo, MD, MHPE; Tina Shah, MD, MPH; and Devang K. Sanghavi, MD, MHA, elevated the voice of SCCM. The SCCM delegation, a small but vocal contingent among more than 600 voting delegates, secured major wins in public health, emergency preparedness, pediatric access, and protecting patients from medication disruptions, with SCCM physicians playing leading roles.
The HOD is the AMA’s policymaking body, serving as a democratic forum representing the opinions and interests of a diverse group of member physicians and medical students. The HOD assembles twice a year to create broad policies on health, medical, professional, and governance issues, as well as guiding principles for the AMA’s business activities. These policies and resolutions adopted by the HOD guide the AMA’s local and federal government advocacy efforts.
The SCCM delegation helped shape several high-impact health policies that will benefit critically ill patients through testimony, coalition-building, and resolution sponsorship.
Key Policy Wins for Critical Care
- Ensuring Medication Continuity for Patients: SCCM delegates authored Resolution 717 to protect patients from medication disruptions during insurance changes. Introduced by Drs. Doo and Udrea, the resolution was adopted by the HOD. It directs the AMA to pursue state and federal reforms that reduce formulary changes and prior authorization barriers when patients switch insurance plans. The goal is to guarantee continuity of necessary medications, especially for intensive care unit (ICU) patients and those with chronic conditions to prevent coverage transitions from jeopardizing patient care.
- Protecting Evidence-Based Medicine and Public Health: SCCM cosponsored, along with other specialties, Resolution 242, which reaffirmed the AMA’s commitment to science, clinical integrity, and the patient-physician relationship. The HOD passed this resolution, led by the Infectious Diseases Society of America, to ensure that defending evidence-based medicine remains central to the AMA’s mission. As a result, the AMA will “assertively and publicly lead” collective advocacy efforts to safeguard public health infrastructure, advance biomedical research, bolster vaccine confidence, and shield clinical decision-making from political interference.
- Upholding Vaccine Recommendation Integrity: SCCM supported Emergency Resolution 1001, addressing a sudden, politicized change to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). During the meeting, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy dismissed all 17 members of the ACIP, prompting an outcry. In response, AMA delegates—with SCCM’s backing—adopted this emergency resolution calling for an immediate federal investigation into the secretary’s actions and urging the AMA to uphold the ACIP’s evidence-based structure. This action directs the AMA to advocate for maintaining scientific integrity in vaccine guidance and to oppose political interference in vaccine recommendations.
Updates on Past Resolutions
- Pediatric Hospital Closures Crisis: SCCM highlighted the alarming trend of pediatric inpatient unit closures with Resolution 815 at the November 2024 AMA meeting. In 2025, the AMA began collaborating with SCCM, the Children’s Hospital Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics to address this crisis. Discussions focus on systemic drivers of closures and policy solutions to preserve access to pediatric critical care. The AMA is building on prior joint advocacy, such as supporting funding for the Children’s Hospital Graduate Medical Education Program. The AMA plans to raise awareness to protect children’s access to hospital services, including a special educational episode prioritizing equity by late 2025.
- IV Fluid Shortage and MIPS Relief: In late 2024, hurricanes disrupted IV fluid supplies nationwide and impacted ICU operations. SCCM delegates responded with Resolution 932, calling for regulatory flexibility during emergencies. In response to AMA’s advocacy after adopting this resolution, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) granted physicians relief under the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). CMS reopened the 2024 MIPS hardship exception application window from March 31 to April 14, 2025, and extended the reporting deadline to April 14. This extraordinary step applied only to those citing the IV fluid shortage, ensuring that physicians strained by the shortage could avoid financial penalties tied to quality reporting. It was a tangible win stemming from SCCM’s push to waive rigid requirements during disasters, allowing clinicians to prioritize patient care over paperwork.
Building Strategic Coalitions for Future Influence
The SCCM delegation strengthened strategic partnerships throughout the AMA meeting to amplify the Society’s impact. We actively engaged in the Chest and Allergy Caucus, a coalition of related specialty societies that meets to coordinate strategy. The caucus includes organizations such as the American College of Chest Physicians, American Thoracic Society, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and other leading allergy/immunology societies. By caucusing with these allies, SCCM can identify shared priorities and co-develop resolutions that span critical care, pulmonary, and allergy. Our delegates are planning year-round communication with caucus partners in an effort to bring forward, at the AMA Interim Meeting in November 2025, well-crafted collaborative proposals addressing the most pressing challenges facing our field. These relationships—within and beyond the Chest and Allergy Caucus—have already been key to SCCM’s success in advancing high-impact policies.
Next Steps and Call to Action: Strengthening Our Voice
The SCCM delegation is grateful for the support of SCCM’s Council and the privilege to represent critical care at the AMA. Our work at this meeting, from bolstering evidence-based medicine to ensuring care continuity, has elevated SCCM’s profile in the HOD. We will continue working with colleagues in various specialties and state medical societies to draft and champion resolutions for upcoming meetings.
Most importantly, we need critical care physicians to help amplify our voice. The influence of SCCM within the AMA grows with each member who joins the AMA. A specialty society’s delegate count is directly tied to how many of its members are AMA members. Every additional SCCM member who becomes an AMA member strengthens our representation and ensures that critical care perspectives remain front and center in national health policy debates.
The more we engage, the louder and more influential our collective voice becomes in advocating for our patients and the entire critical care team. Although AMA membership is open only to physicians, we deeply value the support and active involvement of every SCCM member across all professions in advancing critical care advocacy. As a unified multiprofessional community, we can shape policies that improve outcomes for critically ill patients and support the critical care professionals who serve them. We look forward to continuing this journey alongside you.
