AMA House of Delegates

AMA meeting: Doctors seek payment models to replace Medicare SGR

New Association policy says physicians should have the freedom to determine what models would apply best to their practices.

By — Posted July 1, 2013

Print  |   Email  |   Respond  |   Reprints  |   Like Facebook  |   Share Twitter  |   Tweet Linkedin

Delegates to the American Medical Association Annual Meeting in June adopted policy to replace Medicare’s sustainable growth rate formula with a range of payment models, allowing physicians to choose which options would work best for them.

That approach would reflect diversity in physician-led practice models, such as patient-centered medical homes and regional health collaboratives, while maintaining fee-for-service and private practice as viable options. AMA President Ardis Dee Hoven, MD, said that in transitioning from the SGR to a new system, it was vital to support doctors “in all types of practices, and avoid being too prescriptive in suggesting alternatives.”

Doctors also should have the flexibility to determine the basic payment method for their services, as well as the right “to establish their compensation arrangements, including private contracting, at a level which they believe fairly reflects the value of their professional judgment and services,” states the policy adopted by the House of Delegates.

Long-running fight

The policy reflects the general approach the AMA has taken in the 2013 debate over the SGR formula, which has been threatening payment cuts to doctors for more than a decade. According to Medicare’s trustees, the formula is set to cut payments by 24.7% in 2014, reducing rates to 61% of what private insurers pay for the same services.

Congress has enacted stopgap measures to prevent the cuts, but a permanent solution has been out of reach. House Republicans have drafted a proposal to repeal the SGR and modernize the program, but no timeline has been set for debate. At a congressional hearing in May, the AMA and other groups urged lawmakers to stabilize payments for five years, giving doctors time to help develop and test new pay models.

Back to top


ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISE HERE


Featured
Read story

Confronting bias against obese patients

Medical educators are starting to raise awareness about how weight-related stigma can impair patient-physician communication and the treatment of obesity. Read story


Read story

Goodbye

American Medical News is ceasing publication after 55 years of serving physicians by keeping them informed of their rapidly changing profession. Read story


Read story

Policing medical practice employees after work

Doctors can try to regulate staff actions outside the office, but they must watch what they try to stamp out and how they do it. Read story


Read story

Diabetes prevention: Set on a course for lifestyle change

The YMCA's evidence-based program is helping prediabetic patients eat right, get active and lose weight. Read story


Read story

Medicaid's muddled preventive care picture

The health system reform law promises no-cost coverage of a lengthy list of screenings and other prevention services, but some beneficiaries still might miss out. Read story


Read story

How to get tax breaks for your medical practice

Federal, state and local governments offer doctors incentives because practices are recognized as economic engines. But physicians must know how and where to find them. Read story


Read story

Advance pay ACOs: A down payment on Medicare's future

Accountable care organizations that pay doctors up-front bring practice improvements, but it's unclear yet if program actuaries will see a return on investment. Read story


Read story

Physician liability: Your team, your legal risk

When health care team members drop the ball, it's often doctors who end up in court. How can physicians improve such care and avoid risks? Read story

  • Stay informed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • LinkedIn