Turning Expertise into Influence: Strengthening Our Voice Through the AMA House of Delegates

The American Epilepsy Society has long been a steadfast advocate for the epilepsy community—working to advance research, improve care, support clinicians, and strengthen the voice of the epilepsy community.

As the field of medicine grows more complex and ever evolving policy changes increasingly affect clinical practice and patient care, it’s become clear: to influence the broader medical landscape, AES must be in the room where national decisions are made—the American Medical Association’s (AMA) House of Delegates.

Why Now

The AMA House of Delegates is the principal policymaking body of organized medicine in the United States. “It’s where specialties come together to shape the future of healthcare policy—on issues from physician reimbursement to prior authorization reform, from telehealth access to artificial intelligence in clinical care. These are our issues.” said David Labiner, MD, FRSM, FANA, FAES, AES representative to the AMA Specialty and Service Society.

Today, AES member physicians rely on the voices of broader neurology or neurosurgery organizations to represent our perspective in AMA policy discussions. But epilepsy care is not one-size-fits-all, and the challenges we face as a field are distinct. To influence the AMA’s advocacy agenda directly and ensure that epilepsy-related concerns are prioritized, AES must secure its own seat in the House of Delegates. To do that, we need at least 20% of our Society’s physician membership to also be members of the AMA.

An Opportunity to Amplify Our Voice and Impact

Until we earn full House of Delegates representation, AES participates in the Specialty and Service Society (SSS)—a key advisory group and the largest section within the AMA. The SSS gives us a voice, but not a vote, in the House. And yet, even from this position, we’ve seen how meaningful our participation can be: when the CDC Epilepsy Section faced elimination AES successfully rallied the SSS to support a resolution for its reinstatement. That backing carried influence—because when the SSS speaks, the House listens.

Imagine what we could achieve to support our members and other clinicians working in epilepsy if we had full voting power.

Aligning Missions

The AMA’s policy priorities closely mirror ours:

• Reducing physician burnout—a growing concern in epilepsy practice
• Fixing Medicare payment systems to protect access to neurological care
• Streamlining prior authorization processes that delay treatment
• Protecting physician-led care and preventing scope-of-practice overreach
• Making technology work for physicians, including expanded Medicare telehealth coverage and purposeful, safe AI integration that meets the needs of both physicians and patients

With a seat in the AMA House of Delegates, AES can amplify these efforts with epilepsy-specific insight. We can ensure that policies crafted at the national level reflect the realities of our clinical, research, and public health work.

^{AES members may join the AMA for 50% off the cost of your first year of membership. No discount code is needed. Renewals will be processed in 2026 at the AMA's full dues rate.}

^{Need help? Contact the AMA's Member Service Center at 800-262-3211 or email msc@ama-assn.org. Staff is available Monday through Friday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM CT to answer any questions about AMA membership, benefits, or services.}