Big Provisions in $1.7 Trillion Omnibus: What Doctors Should Know In enacting the 4,000-plus page, end-of-the-year spending package, Washington politicians failed to stop the entirety of scheduled Medicare pay cuts, which will come at a financially precarious time for physician practices left reeling in the COVID-19 pandemic’s third year. Because of that, physicians will face a 2% cut in Medicare payment in 2023, and 2024 will bring at least a 1.25% cut. Nevertheless, the $1.7 trillion bill signed by President Joe Biden does include a number of important AMA-supported provisions that physicians should know about. Among other things, the omnibus bill ... January 27, 2023 Advocacy, AMA, Health Net, Healthcare, legislation, Physician Workforce 0 0 Comment Read More »
Physician Burnout Rate Spikes to New Height New physician burnout research builds on landmark studies conducted at regular intervals between 2011 and 2021 by researchers from the American Medica Association (AMA, Mayo Clinic and Stanford Medicine. Together, these studies found the overall prevalence of burnout among U.S. physicians was 62.8% in 2021compared with 38.2% in 2020, 43.9% in 2017, 54.4% in 2014, and 45.5% in 2011. CHICAGO - The burnout rate among physicians in the United States spiked dramatically during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a newly published study in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Researchers found that ... September 15, 2022 AMA, Mental Health, Physician Wellness Physician Burnout, Physician Well-being 0 0 Comment Read More »
Urgent Survey: CMA needs your help to advocate for better Medicare payments Since 2001, inflation has increased by 40%, yet physician Medicare fee-for-service payments have only increased by 7% - and that was largely due to the federal COVID-19 pandemic funding. Nationally, today’s Medicare payments on average, lag 40% behind the cost of providing care. The California Medical Association (CMA) is hearing that physicians are struggling to maintain their practices, which is negatively impacting patient access to care. While hospital and nursing home payments are indexed to inflation (and as a result have increased by 60% since 2001), the broken physician payment ... July 27, 2022 AMA, CMA 0 0 Comment Read More »
AMA Resources Focus on Behavioral Health Integration and Physician Mental Health In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, the American Medical Association (AMA) has released resources to help physicians integrate behavioral health into their practices as well as prioritize their own mental well-being. The two newly developed guides focus on behavioral health integration in private practices, one for practices serving adult patients and the other for children and adolescent populations. The guides outline key guiding questions relevant to independent practices caring for adult and youth patients who are considering behavioral health integration. The newly revised “Managing Mental Health During COVID-19” ... May 10, 2022 AMA, Mental Health, Physician Wellness American Medical Association 0 0 Comment Read More »
Helping Private Practices Navigate Non-Essential Care During COVID-19 The American Medical Association has released updated guidance for private practice physicians navigating the provision of care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The resource emphasizes ways physicians and practices should protect their employees, patients, and visitors while also operating within the constraints of a national healthcare staffing crisis. The guide includes recommendations to review COVID-19 federal and state guidelines to ensure patient and staff safety and to assist in adjusting workflows to support both staff and patients. Read more here View guide [PDF] April 19, 2022 AMA, COVID19 AMA, COVID, Guidelines, Private Practice 0 0 Comment Read More »
