The American Medical Association (AMA) is an organization that provides information and guidelines for medical providers during the treatment of a patient through the use of several available resources. For example, a physician may use the AMA’s guidelines to evaluate permanent impairment to determine a patient’s limitations as they relate to an injury sustained on the job or from an automobile accident. The guidelines are called the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Impairment. The most recent edition is the 6th Edition. However, Georgia workers’ compensation law still references the 5th Edition.
We use the AMA Guides often in workers’ compensation cases. In order for a claimant to obtain a Permanent Partial Disability rating, the AMA Guides must be used. Often, the disability ratings are expressed in percentages to the whole body or the affected body part. We also use the AMA Guides in personal injury cases to establish a disability rating to present to a jury if the case goes to court. These percentages can prove useful tools in evaluating the severity of an injury.
The AMA additionally offers information for law offices and attorneys to use while reviewing a case. For example, my Douglasville law firm often uses a handbook comprised of Current Procedural Terminology (CPT codes) while reviewing medical records. CPT Codes are a major part of medical records and billing. The term CPT is a registered trademark of AMA. These specific topics will be discussed in greater detail in upcoming blogs.
Further, the AMA is known for its promotion of policies and activities that involve public health issues and preventions, such as geriatric or adolescent health awareness and violence prevention, amongst others. A complete list of ethical standards and a list of issues that the AMA is involved with can be found at the official AMA website: http://www.ama-assn.org
