Celebrating 40 Years of AMDA

AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine held its 40th Annual Conference March 16-19 in Phoenix, AZ. It's amazing to reflect on, not only how much the Society has changed over the past 40 years, but also how much the post-acute and long-term care setting has changed – and I expect it will continue to evolve rapidly over the next 40 years.

Even since I joined the Society as Executive Director four years ago, I have seen the Society and the setting change a great deal. We've opened membership to include full voting rights for attending physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. Advocacy and dealing with new, complex payment mechanisms have become a bigger and bigger priority for our members. And the patients our members care for have shifted from the traditional long-term care nursing home patients, to a combination of those patients, post-acute care patients, rehab patients, younger adults, and those living in assisted living and community-based settings. Coming out of our Annual Conference, and carrying through the next few years, these changes, challenges, and opportunities have come into focus as five key priorities for the Society.