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Looking back on accomplishments but moving forward

AMA Leader Commentary. By Duane M. Cady, MD, June 5, 2006.

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AMA LEADER COMMENTARY

A few words about current events in medical practice

SEE ARCHIVES

A message to all physicians from the chair of the AMA Board of Trustees, Duane M. Cady, MD.

It's safe to say that my past year as AMA Board of Trustees chair has been an eventful one. Every year is. That's because at the AMA, every day, every minute, every second -- we're helping doctors help patients.

We helped when we worked with the administration and specialty societies to help to stop a 4.4% physician payment cut for 2006 that took effect Jan. 1.

In all, more than 600,000 of our colleagues and patients contacted their federal representatives to stop this cut, which had grave implications for Medicare patients' access to care.

On this issue and others, I was impressed throughout my year as AMA board chair by the amount of cooperation on issues important to physicians, both within the House of Medicine, and in talks with Congress, agencies such as the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the White House.

Cultivating trust among all these players doesn't happen overnight -- and isn't always perfect -- but the results can be impressive and give cause for optimism as these issues move forward.

Of course, we haven't solved the Medicare payment issue, not by a long shot. We face cuts through 2015, further adding to the woes of physicians and patients. Over the next nine years, already-lagging payments will drop 34%, while practice costs will increase 22%.

We need to adopt the Medicare Economic Index (MEI), which accurately reflects the cost of providing medical care. The current sustainable growth rate formula isn't sustainable, isn't growing and isn't working for patients or physicians.