Category: Advocacy
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House of Delegates Pass Policy Opposing Further Imposition of MOC
During Annual Session, the Medical Association’s House of Delegates passed a resolution formally opposing additional Maintenance of Certification requirements as dictated by the American Board of Medical Specialties and the American Osteopathic Association. While it was agreed that the need for continuing medical education to improve the quality of care, the expense and clinically irrelevant…
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Medical Licensure Compact Goes Live
The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, a pathway to expedite the licensing of physicians already licensed to practice in one state, who seek to practice medicine in multiple states, is officially live. Alabama became the seventh state to enact the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact and the final state necessary in order for the expedited pathway to…
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Medical Association Joins Coalition for PA Reform
Responding to unreasonable hurdles for patients seeking care, the Medical Association has joined a coalition including the American Medical Association and 16 other health care organizations urging health plans, benefit managers and others to reform prior authorization requirements imposed on medical tests, procedures, devices and drugs. The coalition, which represents hospitals, medical groups, patients, pharmacists…
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Medical Association Urges CMS to Reduce EHR and MU Burden on Physicians
The Medical Association has joined forces with the American Medical Association, Medical Group Management Association and 85 other medical groups to urge Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to reduce electronic health record and meaningful use requirements on physicians. In a letter to new CMS Administrator Seema Verma, the groups first welcomed the new administration’s…
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House Cancels ACA Repeal/Replace Vote Today
UPDATED Friday, March 24 at 3 p.m.: House Republicans have stopped the vote today on the legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act amid speculation the bill did not have the 215 votes needed to pass. The decision to pull the vote came after House Speaker Paul Ryan met with President Trump at the…
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New American Health Care Act Comes Under Fire
Earlier this week, members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee released legislation as part of the House Republicans’ efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare. Although the legislation cleared its first hurdle with a lengthy, contentious markup session that began Wednesday, the House Ways and Means Committee approved the American Health Care Act. The House…
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Medical Association Joins Call to CMS to Delay EHR Certification Requirements
The Medical Association has joined with the American Medical Association and a large number of physician organizations and state medical societies to urge federal health officials to delay 2015 electronic health record certification requirements at least one year to avoid disrupting physician practices citing the limited number of vendors that have fully upgraded their EHR…
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Florida’s Physician “Gun Gag” Overturned on Appeal
The full panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit struck down the Florida law restricting physicians from speaking to patients and families about the risks of guns in the home. The case, Wollschlaeger v. Scott, was filed on June 6, 2011, challenged the Florida law, which could censor, fine and revoke…
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Physicians Call for Prior Authorization Reform
The Medical Association has joined a coalition of physicians’ groups, hospitals, medical groups, pharmacists and other health care organizations to urge health plans, benefit managers and other groups to reform prior authorization requirements imposed on medical tests, procedures, devices and medications. The coalition is responding to what has been deemed unreasonable hurdles for patients seeking…
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Between Doctors & Patients: Prior Authorizations
Physicians face various regulatory and administrative hurdles in a day, but few are as frustrating, or as expensive, as prior authorizations, or PAs. Commercial insurance companies, Medicaid, Medicare and other third-party interests use PAs to reduce costs. This leaves physicians and their staff wondering when the practice of medicine became more about the dollars and…