Insight Matters
Summer, 2002

Psychologist Prescribing Attracts Attention of AMA

APA and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) introduced a resolution calling for the AMA to investigate the facts leading to the passage of HB 170 in New Mexico which granted psychologist prescriptive privileges at the AMA's Annual meeting in Chicago this past June. The final resolution calls for the AMA to work with specialty societies to monitor the status of initiatives which would permit prescriptive privileges by psychologists or any other non-MDs and for the AMA to work at the invitation of component societies to develop strategies concerning the expansion of scope of practice. The AMA agreed to increase its staff support directed to scope of practice issues.

The resolution also called for the AMA to develop a mechanism for resolution of any future policy and/or strategic differences among the specialty societies and state and county medical societies represented within the AMA House of Delegates. This provision was in response to the New Mexico Medical Society (NMMS) not opposing HB 170 even though a legislative conflict existed between AMA policy and the wishes of members of NMMS as indicated in an online survey.

John McIntyre, MD, a former President of AMA met with the NMMS delegation to develop the resolution which obtained the support of NMMS, the AMA reference committee, and the House of Delegates when it seemed that concerns about the ability of state medical societies to set their own legislative agendas might cause the resolution to be sidetracked. Dr. McIntyre testified that granting psychologists prescriptive privileges would undermine medical education, while Dr. Kraus of AACAP indicated that the complexities of prescribing for children would present safety issues.

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