Medical Association of Georgia
The Medical Association of Georgia (MAG) is the leading advocate for physicians in the state – with an emphasis on legislative and legal and third party payer issues.
MAG was founded in 1849.
MAG’s mission is to, “Enhance patient care and the health of the public by advancing the art and science of medicine and by representing physicians and patients in the policy making process.”
MAG has more than 7,000 members, including physicians that represent every specialty in every practice setting.
MAG’s state legislative priorities for 2012 include preserving physician autonomy, ensuring adequate Medicaid pay for physicians, tort reform, relieving the burdens that are placed on physicians by health insurance companies and monitoring the state’s implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).
There are 54 county medical societies in Georgia. MAG enjoys a close working relationship with those constituent groups, as well as specialty societies and other state medical associations and the American Medical Association (AMA).
Meeting once a year, the House of Delegates (HOD) is MAG’s primary legislative and policy-making body. The HOD consists of representatives from the county medical societies and specialty societies that meet minimum membership requirements, as well as representatives from the International Medical Graduate Section and the Medical Student Section.
The MAG Board of Directors and the MAG Executive Committee decide association matters between HOD meetings.
MAG has a number of committees, including Annual Sessions, Constitution and Bylaws, Continuing Medical Education, Coalition of State Medical and National Specialty Societies, Council on Legislation, Correctional Medicine, Electronic Health Care, Finance, Judicial Council, and Third Party Payer Advocacy.
While MAG and AMA are separate organizations, MAG elects an AMA delegation to represent Georgia’s physicians at the national level.
MAG’s president for 2012-2013 is W. Scott Bohlke, M.D., a family physician from Brooklet.
MAG’s executive director/CEO is Donald J. Palmisano Jr.
MAG dues for newly licensed physicians in Georgia are free for the first year. Dues for other first and second-year members are $275 per year, which increases to $500 per year in the third and subsequent years.
MAG also offers membership discounts to physician groups of 20 or more.