UMA and AMA are Separate Organizations
(a clarification regarding the relationship between UMA and the American Medical Association) 

The Utah Medical Association is a private, stand-alone organization that represents and advocates for the physicians of Utah.  UMA is not a subchapter of AMA.  UMA dues do not go to support AMA.  You do not have to be a member of AMA to be a member of UMA.

The UMA represents physicians in Utah at the state legislature and also advocates for specific physicians issues on a national level by maintaining close working relationships with Utah’s congressional delegation:  Senators Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett, and Congressmen Rob Bishop, Jim Matheson and Jason Chaffetz.

State Level Advocacy and Representation

The UMA works directly with Utah State legislators in initiating, stopping, or changing Utah bills that affect Utah physicians, their patients, healthcare and the House of Medicine in general.

National Level Advocacy and Representation

The UMA does communicate with the AMA and participates with their House of Delegates, receives updates on pending and passed federal legislation, participates in conference calls and receives other informational updates on federal issues important to physicians.  UMA has two delegates and two alternates, two young physician delegates, one medical student delegate and one alternate and one organized medical staff delegate from Utah that represent Utah physicians at the AMA House of Delegates Annual and Interim Meetings. Every other national physician specialty organization and state medical association also send delegates to the AMA so that each of them have representation and a vote.

In addition to working with AMA on issues, UMA works with other physician national specialty organizations on issues important to different groups of physicians.

The relationship that UMA has with AMA and other organizations only strengthens the influence that UMA has in working for all physicians issues.

UMA does not always agree with AMA and when UMA disagrees we express that disagreement and/or opposition.  Since UMA communicates directly with our Utah Congressional Delegation, if our views on federal issues differ from AMA, we pass that message directly to our Congressional Delegation and don’t go through AMA to express either support or opposition to federal issues. 

At times, UMA and AMA and other organizations, such as AARP, national physician specialty organizations, other state medical societies and others including patient advocacy organizations band together to support or oppose a particular issue such as expressing opposition to the proposed cuts in physician Medicare payment.  In cases such as this, UMA will co-sign or officially support an issue in conjunction with AMA and others.   

UMA does have an agreement to bill for AMA dues as a convenience to our members who wish to pay for both UMA and AMA dues at the same time, and UMA does receive a small fee from AMA for doing so.  UMA also has a joint agreement with AMA for collecting Political Action funds which allows us to receive checks back from AMPAC to give to our Utah Congressional Delegation.  This helps us keep our relationships strong with the Delegation.
 

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