Hundreds of doctors are lobbying Congress for improvements in health care.
The American Medical Association has spearheaded the "Recovery Plan for America’s Physicians."
The plan focuses on five major areas:
- Fixing prior authorization
- Reforming Medicare payment
- Fighting scope creep
- Supporting telehealth
- Reducing physician burnout
The AMA claims prior authorization programs allow insurers to control health care costs. The AMA says it's also working to block payment cuts to Medicare.
Pushing back against scope creep is fighting against the idea of utilizing more physician assistants and nurse practitioners. The AMA acknowledges that people in those professions are valuable team members, but the organization believes having a physician involved in health care decisions will result in better outcomes.
It's no secret the pandemic was hard on health care workers, including doctors. The AMA says it's fighting for doctors to spend less time on paperwork and more time with patients as well as promoting a better work-life balance for physicians.
The AMA has more than 271,000 members. Its objective is to represent physicians at legislative bodies to make health care better for doctors and patients.