The AMA produced two recent reports that dealt with adolescents and athletic participation. The first report, which was developed by the Board of Trustees and is the focus of the letter by Goldenring, focused on the value of the PAE.1 A subsequent report,2 developed by the AMA's Council on Scientific Affairs, focused more specifically on the balance between the need to evaluate the risk from athletic participation and the need to screen adolescent athletes for more general health issues, such as involvement in health risk behaviors.
Goldenring is correct in pointing out that the AMA, along with other national medical organizations and federal agencies, is promoting a more intensive and comprehensive schedule of clinical preventive service visits for adolescents.3 It is the view of the AMA that physicians can play an important role in improving the health of adolescents by focusing greater attention on health guidance, screening,