AMA in the News: December 2024

AMA in the News covers media coverage and mentions about the American Medical Association. Find articles recognizing our efforts in health care, advocacy, medical education and improvements in public health. Read coverage on the achievements of our leadership and the members of the AMA community.

1. 'Would he have lived?' When insurance companies deny cancer care to patients

   1. NBC News, Dec. 27, 2024
   2. Requiring patients to clear endless hurdles to secure treatment is a rising problem throughout health care, according to Dr. Bruce Scott, an otolaryngologist who is president of the American Medical Association.
   3. “Nowhere are the stakes higher than in cancer care,” he said, “where delays can literally be the difference between life and death.”

2. Congress adjourns without easing Medicare doc pay cut

   1. Medscape, Dec. 23, 2024
   2. “It didn’t even offer doctors a Band-Aid in the form of a cut reduction,” said Bruce A. Scott, MD, president of the American Medical Association (AMA), in a statement.
   3. By AMA calculations, Medicare payment rates have fallen by 33% over the past two decades when adjusted for the costs of running a practice, Scott said. In 2025, physicians will face an effective 2.83% pay cut for treating Medicare patients.
   4. “Physicians are frustrated, and patients are angry. With another cut almost certain to take effect, Congress must enact meaningful long-term reforms,” Scott said. “Patients and physicians are counting on cooperation to reform Medicare.” (Free registration is required to view content.)

3. How prior insurance authorization affects physicians and the care they give patients

   1. NPR, Dec. 23, 2024
   2. NPR's Michel Martin speaks with American Medical Association President Bruce Scott, MD, about how physicians and patients are burdened by insurance companies' systems of prior authorization.

4. Your blood pressure reading is probably wrong

   1. Wall Street Journal, Dec. 16, 2024
   2.  Nearly half of U.S. adults have high blood pressure and 20% have it under control, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
   3. Left uncontrolled, it can lead to heart attacks, strokes, chronic kidney disease, heart failure and dementia, said Michael Rakotz, MD, group vice president for improving health outcomes at the American Medical Association. (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

5. Deny and delay: The practices fueling anger at U.S. health insurers

   1. Washington Post, Dec. 16, 2024
   2. An American Medical Association survey similarly found that almost three-quarters of physicians said that denials of pre-authorization requests for treatment have increased over the past five years. (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

6. 5 numbers on prior authorization in 2024

   1. Becker’s ASC Review, Dec. 12, 2024
   2. The percentage of physicians who do not see payer-appointed claims reviewers as "peers," according to a recent survey by the American Medical Association. (Free registration is required to view content.)

7. How health systems science can lead to better bottom lines

   1. Modern Healthcare, Dec. 11, 2024
   2. Health systems science is the study of how care is delivered, how clinicians work together to provide care and how health systems can improve care delivery, according to the American Medical Association. (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

8. Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, prominent Flint doctor, diagnosed with brain tumor

   1. Michigan Live, Dec. 11, 2024
   2. Bobby Mukkamala, MD, a prominent Flint-based physician, was speaking at a medical conference last month when his words faltered, an unsettling moment that hinted at a much larger health issue.
   3. The board-certified otolaryngologist and president-elect of the American Medical Association struggled to find meaningful words, prompting concern among colleagues. (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

9. ‘Delay’ and ‘Deny’: The outrage over prior authorization

   1. New York Magazine, Dec. 11, 2024
   2. Last year, the AMA conducted a survey (PDF) of 1,001 physicians on the effects of prior authorization and found that the typical physician submits 45 prior authorizations per week, with some of them hiring extra staff to help with the administrative burden. (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

10. How '30-second advocacy' can increase Medicare reimbursement

    1. Becker’s Hospital Review, Dec. 10, 2024
    2. Declines in Medicare reimbursement present a significant challenge to physicians. When adjusted for inflation, Medicare physician payment rates have decreased (PDF) by 26% from 2001 to 2023, according to the American Medical Association. (Free registration is required to view content.)

11. Meet the 100 most influential people in health care in 2024

    1. Modern Healthcare, Dec. 9, 2024
    2. As the leader of the nation’s largest physician organization for more than 13 years, James Madara, MD, has been instrumental in crafting and driving the trade group’s long-term strategic vision and overseeing the establishment of enterprise-wide equity goals. In the past year, the AMA has increased its membership and hit record levels of media visibility, video viewership and website traffic. Additionally, the organization released principles for Medicare reform, submitted briefs in several court cases and lobbied policymakers to shape the future of healthcare. Most recently, the AMA said it will urge Congress to put forth greater oversight on nonprofit hospitals’ compliance with community benefit requirements and called for the government to address insurers’ use of prior authorizations. (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

12. For patients and doctors, insurance prior authorization can be a dangerous game | Opinion

    1. USA Today, Dec. 8, 2024
    2. The American Medical Association found that physicians and staff spent 12 hours per week on prior authorizations.

13. AMA president on improving patient, provider experience

    1. Sanford Health, Dec. 4, 2024
    2. In this episode, host Courtney Collen with Sanford Health News talks with Bruce Scott, MD, president of the American Medical Association.

14. Medicare is breaking. Senior citizens are paying the price.

    1. U.S. News & World Report, Dec. 4, 2024
    2. In fact, physicians today are paid nearly 30% less by Medicare than they were in 2001 when accounting for inflation, according to the American Medical Association. (Free registration is required to view content.)

15. Medicare doctors face fifth straight year of payment cuts

    1. NBC Bay Area, Dec. 3, 2024
    2. Doctors who accept Medicare could soon face another pay cut in 2025, and if it follows through, it will mark the fifth consecutive year of payment cuts for physicians. Bruce Scott, MD, president of the American Medical Association, tells us more.

16. Self-insured health plan prior authorization programs are ‘demoralizing’ for physicians, AMA says

    1. Benefits PRO, Dec. 3, 2024
    2. The American Medical Association is asking an arm of the U.S. Labor Department to apply rules that are similar to new Medicare Advantage plan prior authorization rules to employers' self-insured health plans. (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

17. Doctors who accept Medicare could face another pay cut in 2025, AMA says

    1. CBS News, Dec. 3, 2024
    2. American Medical Association president Bruce Scott, MD, shares more on the impact of proposed Medicare cuts.

18. Regulating AI in prior authorization

    1. Politico, Dec. 3, 2024
    2. The AMA’s House of Delegates adopted a policy on AI’s use in prior authorization in October that’s similar to California’s. It says a doctor should review any care denials recommended by AI and asks insurers to provide evidence that their algorithms don’t discriminate or increase inequities.

19. Lame Duck: Fix Medicare’s Physician Reimbursement System

    1. Real Clear Health, Dec. 2, 2024
    2. As a result of this unlevel playing field among providers, physicians actually experienced a 29% reduction in Medicare physician payments from 2001 to 2024 (PDF), according to the American Medical Association.