The revenue your practice is already losing, with MGMA Acting CEO Akash Madiah

Practices are calling the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) most often about how to make the finances work amid Medicare cuts and prior authorization, according to Akash Madiah, the association's acting CEO.

Physicians Practice Managing Editor Keith Reynolds sat down with Madiah following MGMA's 100th annual conference in San Antonio. Madiah used MGMA data to redo physician compensation plans while working in practice finance before taking on the acting CEO role in the association's centennial year.

Madiah says practices facing flat Medicare pay and rising costs should make sure they're collecting every dollar they've already earned before adding volume. He also recommends knowing the practice's productivity, staffing ratios, payer performance and denial trends, and investing in staff retention, which he says often provides a better return than recruitment.

He also discusses what MGMA's first member pulse survey says the association needs to improve, its priorities for its second century and two things any practice leader can start on Monday.

Register for the Physicians Practice Practice Academy Series: Protecting Your Practice's Revenue, a virtual event on Thursday, Oct. 29, from 12 to 4 p.m. ET.

Don't miss our recent episodes on direct primary care, unanswered patient calls, defamatory online reviews and patient access to medications.

Music Credits:

Coffee Shop Sketches by Buurd - stock.adobe.com

A Textbook Example by Skip Peck - stock.adobe.com

Editor's note: Episode timestamps and transcript produced using AI tools.

0:00 – 0:32 | Cold open. Madiah on finding the revenue a practice is already losing before chasing new revenue.

0:32 – 1:44 | Introduction. Austin Littrell introduces the episode and the guest and previews the Physicians Practice Practice Academy on Oct. 29.

1:44 – 3:13 | What practices are calling MGMA about. Medicare cuts and prior authorization top the list, echoing the town hall Anders Gilberg led at the conference.

3:13 – 4:11 | From data user to association leader. Madiah describes using MGMA data to redo physician compensation plans and why he judges every offering by how members will use it "on Monday morning."

4:11 – 5:54 | What he heard in the hallways. Reimbursement and administrative burden dominated the conversation in San Antonio, along with members asking how to get involved and volunteer.

5:54 – 7:44 | What MGMA still needs to get right. MGMA's first member pulse survey found trust is strong, but members want easier access through digital tools, education and local engagement.

7:44 – 9:12 | What administrators should do this quarter. Know your numbers, collect what you've already earned before adding volume, invest in retention and benchmark against peers.

9:12 – 10:08 | P2 Management Minute. Keith Reynolds shares practice management tips and invites listeners to submit their own workflow ideas.

10:08 – 13:23 | Preparing for MGMA's second century. Madiah outlines three priorities: evolving MGMA's data products, engaging members from early-career staff to veterans, and building the association's voice as an industry leader.

13:23 – 15:12 | Two things to start on Monday. Pick the one metric that matters most to your organization and review it every week, then schedule one conversation with a peer outside your organization.

15:12 – 16:21 | Closing thoughts. Madiah reflects on MGMA's role in taking work off physicians' plates so they can focus on patients.

16:31 – End | Outro. Littrell thanks listeners and reminds them about the Oct. 29 Practice Academy.