Leadership of Physicians Critically Needed During Pandemic, AMA President Says

In a time of widespread distrust—of politicians, the media, and the government—public trust in physicians remains strong. In the midst of a pandemic, the trusted leadership of physicians has never been more critical, said psychiatrist Patrice Harris, M.D., M.A., president of the AMA, at the APA Spring Highlights Meeting this past weekend.

Harris said numerous false theories about the COVID-19 virus and conspiracies about the government’s intentions have been propagated in the weeks since the crisis forced the shutdown of America’s economy. Among those theories are that COVID-19 doesn’t affect African Americans or other racial groups, that it doesn’t affect children or young people, and that the government intends to force the entire population to be vaccinated.

“We have our hands full right now with misinformation about COVID-19 spreading rapidly, even intentionally, due to fear or political agendas,” she said.

Harris recalled her address last fall to the AMA House of Delegates when she spoke of the pervasive lack of trust across American society and institutions. “Three in four Americans say they have lost trust in the federal government, two in three say we are losing trust in one another. From advertising to government to media and technology, trust in our American institutions seems near at an all-time low.”

Yet people still trust their physician. “We are ranked among the most trusted professionals, and we are able to maintain that high level of trust because we value and strive to meet the three dimensions of trust: competency, honesty, and compassion,” she said. “Our competency is rooted in our adherence to science and evidence. People trust us because we fight for science, and we call out quackery and snake oil when we see it.”

She said the AMA has been diligent in emphasizing science and evidence, and she cited the following demands:

•   Media should be vigilant in communicating factual information from credible sources.

•   Tech platforms should advance evidence-based information from credible sources.

•   Scientific institutions such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health should be protected from political influence.

•   Physicians, scientists, and other experts should be free to communicate evidence-based, factual information.

•   Release of race and ethnicity data pertaining to the epidemic is necessary to ensure optimal health and fairness for all people.

Echoing the remarks of incoming APA President Jeffrey Geller, M.D., M.P.H., in his address earlier that day, Harris said, “When we get to the other side of this, we’re going to have to be ready to lead the conversation on the importance of care for patients with mental illness and substance use disorders. With a dose of rational hope comes some very practical public health activities. All of us in the physician community need to advocate for widespread testing [for the COVID-19 virus] and do everything we can to ensure the testing is accurate.”

She added, “I have faith in you and in all of my colleagues that we can absolutely meet this challenge and that we are more than a match for this moment.”

Following her address, Jacquelyn Feldman, M.D., vice chair of the meeting’s Scientific Program Committee, fielded questions from virtual attendees. These are among the questions the AMA president answered:

Q. How can individual psychiatrists make an impact on the COVID-19 crisis?

A. My message is all about leadership. You don’t have to be a leader of a large organization. Every physician is right now a leader in [his or her] practice and community. Get engaged and get involved. Every physician should know who [his or her representatives] are at the state and federal levels and call them at least once a year. And get engaged in your professional organizations—APA and the AMA.

Q. How can psychiatrists influence private insurers to be certain they are compensated for telepsychiatry?

A. Call your state insurance commissioner. Private insurance is regulated at the state level, and this is where state-level advocacy is really important. You need to belong to your professional organization, and not only the psychiatric district branch but also the state medical society. I can’t emphasize that enough—it has to be both. ■