Development of the American Medical Association's Health Equity in Organized Medicine Survey

Many efforts to embed equity into systems and policies have been launched across the health care ecosystem in the past five years, including in medical and professional societies. There are many examples of equity-focused initiatives in organized medicine, often announced or celebrated at national meetings and conventions of specific organizations. Yet until now, we have not had a systematic view, with standardized questions and data, of equity efforts across state/territorial medical associations and specialty societies. This paper explores methodologic and strategic lessons learned from the first two waves of the American Medical Association's Health Equity in Organized Medicine Survey. There is potential to use these data to motivate additional initiatives and evaluate the longer-term impact of equity efforts.