Move over AMA--there's a new medical society in town. That's the message from America's Medical Society (AMS), a new group led by Adam F. Dorin, MD, the founder of Physicians Against Obamacare and co-founder of the National Doctors Tea Party.

Leveraging the AMA's declining membership and many doctors' frustration that the AMA supported the recently passed healthcare legislation sans an SGR fix, the AMS claims it "truly speaks on behalf of American physicians."

According to Dorin, "Most doctors are finding themselves peering through a cloudy window trying to understand the backroom deals struck by the AMA," adding that the AMA's government-sanctioned monopoly on medical coding copyrights contributes to its "dark legacy."

The AMA defended itself from this portrayal in a statement to Physicians Practice from Ardis Hoven, MD, board chair of the AMA, which said that the group welcomes "the diversity of physician opinions, but falsehoods and conspiracy theories do nothing to advance the common goals physicians share." He added: "Day in and day out, AMA is working hard to provide physicians with the advocacy and practical tools they need to care for patients and lead improvements to our health system."

Targeting physicians who are frustrated with the AMA and the current administration, the AMS offers three membership levels ranging from $12 to $49, with "lifetime" membership for anyone who signs up before Oct. 1, 2011. In contrast, the AMA lists its yearly membership dues as between $280 and $420 a year and no "lifetime" status.

Plenty of fed-up AMA members have already spoken with their wallets and discontinued their affiliation with the group. However, it's unclear whether the "nation's largest physician organization" will be overtaken by a newcomer. But as Physicians Practice blogger Keith L. Martin points out, the AMA is definitely tasked with some serious damage control.

To learn more:
- read the press release
- check out the Physicians Practice blog post

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