AMDA has new name, plans membership changes

The organization formerly known as AMDA–Dedicated to Long Term Care Medicine (AMDA) has changed its name to AMDA–The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine and plans to welcome nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) into full membership over the next several months.

The group’s delegates approved the changes at the its most recent annual meeting, to “reflect the increasing prominence of post-acute care in the long-term care continuum and the longstanding presence of attending physicians and other practitioners in AMDA’s membership in addition to medical directors,” according to a press release (PDF).

"These changes to AMDA's bylaws directly relate to what's happening on the ground in post-acute and long-term care facilities," says new AMDA President Leonard Gelman, MD, CMD.

As full members, NPs and PAs will be able to serve on or lead national committees, participate in state chapters as those chapters deem appropriate and become delegates. Six of AMDA’s national officers will remain doctors, but one of the three House of Delegates representatives on the board, and one of the three State Presidents Council representatives on the board, may be a non-physician at any one time.

“This is a significant step towards a more inclusive membership and governance structure, echoing how the interprofessional team works together in the field,” according to the society.

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