Physician Advocacy

Medical Economics spoke with MGMA's Madison Hynes about the association's draft bill to ban automatic downcoding, the Patients First Act and AI-run prior authorization in traditional Medicare.

How long before every doctor has an artificial intelligence stunt double?

The American Medical Association and five specialty societies say casting AI as smarter than physicians diminishes their expertise, a day after the health secretary praised AI second opinions.

MGMA members described capping Medicare Advantage contracts and favoring commercial patients, while one Texas practice leader reluctantly called Medicare her best payer.

At an MGMA Government Affairs town hall, attendees raised extrapolated audits, employer plans beyond state reach and denials with no reason codes.

A fallback version would make insurers prove upcoding, notify physicians and limit downcoding to 90 days.

Acting chief executive Akash Madiah credited practice leaders for outcomes patients never see, and the session's emcee offered a patient's account of two years of doctor visits.

MGMA's government affairs staff walked through the fee schedule, value-based care, prior authorization, Medicaid and the year-end fight in Congress.

The top news stories in medicine this week.

Four forces created the perfect storm to sink physician-owned medicine. There are policies that could help keep it afloat.

What if a greater number of reported safety events actually meant a hospital is safer for patients?

Kidney care advocates praise new appointees; advocacy group notes the task force creates financial effects on patients.

The top news stories in medicine this week.

Revenue per patient is a common way to split practice profit. It’s also the wrong way.

RFK Jr. appoints members to fill a panel that has not met in more than a year, but is influential on primary care.

A new Physicians Foundation survey finds 36% of physicians say they or a colleague feared seeking mental health care because of questions on licensing, credentialing or insurance applications.

The top news stories in medicine this week.

Independent primary care is struggling under a payment system stacked against it

The Pay PCPs Act of 2026 would blend prospective per-patient payments with fee-for-service, halve beneficiary cost sharing for primary care and exempt participating physicians from MIPS.

Physicians reveal which channels give the most medical misinformation to patients

The top news stories in medicine this week.

Quality, revenue, utilization, documentation and savings are not all the same thing

An Annenberg Public Policy Center survey of 1,904 adults found 87% are confident in their own doctor, nurse or other primary care physician, compared with 59% to 61% for the three federal health agencies.

AAFP issued its fall COVID-19, flu and RSV recommendations Wednesday, saying it coordinated with three other societies, while the coverage rules, counseling pay and registry logic behind them have not caught up.

Physicians Foundation findings point to problem getting worse as doctors’ time constraints increase.