Rounds NEWS FROM AMERICA’S BEST MEDICAL SOCIETY
Left to right, medical student Rachel Solnick, of Houston; U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas); Leslie Secrest, MD, of Dallas; and David Fleeger, MD, of Austin, meet in Congressman Sessions’ office to discuss legislation repealing Medicare’s Sustainable Growth Rate formula. Texas physicians and medical students shared their views on the issue with dozens of lawmakers before, during, and after the 2013 Interim Meeting of the American Medical Association House of Delegates.
AMA adopts principles for physician employment
BY STEVE LEVINE, TMA DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS Buoyed by what American Medi- cal Association President Ardis Dee Hoven, MD, called “a new cause for optimism,” the 2013 interim session of the AMA House of Delegates enthusiastically embraced a congressional plan to repeal Medicare’s Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula. About 75 Texas physicians and medical students representing the Texas Medical Association and various sections and national specialty societies participated in the Nov. 16–19 meeting just outside of Washington, D.C. The location — long-sought by the Texas delegation — gave house members the opportunity to convert policy directly into advocacy.
“Petty differences must vanish” In an increasingly rare show of unity on a difficult issue, the house endorsed a strong plan to repeal the SGR by the end of the year. The plan maintains support for AMA
and TMA pay-for-performance principles and pushes to keep fee-for-service as an important Medicare payment model. Be- fore approving the proposal, delegates insisted on adding language directing AMA to work for future increases in the Medicare physician fee schedule. The focus of conversation was the joint plan from the House Ways and Means Committee and Senate Finance Committee to repeal the SGR. The plan would also impose a 10-year freeze on physicians’ Medicare payments and es- tablish several new pay-for-performance programs. While several national specialty so- cieties announced early support for the bill as is, TMA, AMA, and the Coalition of State Medical Societies pushed for substantial improvements and for the concomitant elimination of a host of onerous federal health care regulations. The house did not vote specifically in favor of the congressional plan, but the near unanimous policy decision certainly kept the ball moving forward. “The AMA House of Delegates came together with a positive statement on the importance of repealing the SGR, reaffirming our pay-for-performance principles, and working in the future for payment increases,” said House Vice Speaker Susan Rudd Bailey, MD, of Fort Worth. “It was an example of organized medicine at its best.” The Texans used several opportuni- ties before, during, and after the AMA meeting to speak with the state’s con- gressional delegation and win support for SGR repeal. In fact, within days, 21 of the 34 U.S. representatives from Texas signed a letter calling on House leaders
January 2014 TEXAS MEDICINE 9
STEVE LEVINE
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