AMA in the News: March 2025

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. ‘That formula is broken:’ American Medical Association growing frustrated with ongoing Medicare cuts

   1. KPRC 2 Houston, March 27, 2025
   2. Bruce Scott, MD, president of the American Medical Association, sat down with KPRC 2 while visiting Houston to voice the serious concerns he and other medical officials have over Medicare’s current state.

2. Bipartisan bill seeks to reform prior authorization

   1. The Hill, March 27, 2025
   2. Ninety-four percent of physicians surveyed said they believed prior authorization requirements negatively impacted patient care, while 23 percent of physicians reported that prior authorization has led to a patient’s hospitalization, according to a 2024 survey published by the American Medical Association.
   3. “The overuse of prior authorization is a persistent obstacle that prevents patients from receiving quality care from their physicians. Often, prior authorization requests are reviewed—and denied—by insurance company representatives who lack the medical expertise to appropriately judge what level of care is necessary for a patient,” Bruce A. Scott, MD, American Medical Association president, said in a statement. 

3. CMS accepting MIPS hardship exemption applications over IV fluid shortages

   1. Fierce Healthcare, March 25, 2025
   2. Specifically, AMA CEO and Executive Vice President James Madara, MD, raised concerns that MIPS quality and cost measures during the 2024 performance year “may be impacted due to circumstances outside of their control. Physicians should not be forced to choose between preserving their performance in MIPS or appropriately rationing critical medical supplies during the current emergency situation.”

4. Doctors are caught between lawsuit fears and health insurance denials

   1. Atlanta Journal Constitution, March 21, 2025
   2. A 2024 survey from the American Medical Association found 93% of physicians said that prior authorization delays access to care, with 29% reporting that it has led to 'a serious adverse event' for a patient in their care.

5. AMA, ACR, others say Medicare cuts will impact access to care

   1. HCP Live, March 18, 2025
   2. “Congress has failed physicians, and Medicare patients will pay the price. The window to reverse this reckless decision is rapidly closing. Lawmakers must explain either why protecting access to quality health care is not a priority or how they plan to fix it,” Bruce A. Scott, MD, president of the AMA, said.
   3. The AMA statement acknowledged the extensions included for telehealth flexibilities but reiterated that the pay cuts will continue to exacerbate care access issues, especially pointing out that the research cuts will impact efforts to prevent arthritis from continuing to force early retirements for armed service members, which is the second leading cause of medical discharged from the U.S. Army.

6. MedPAC recommends Congress tie physician pay to inflation for 2026

   1. Healthcare Dive, March 17, 2025
   2. “Medicare is broken. Under the financial stress, burnout has become an occupational hazard for physicians,” AMA President Bruce Scott, MD, said in a Thursday statement. “As these cuts pile up year after year, more and more physicians are closing their practices, leaving patients without access. It just makes sense that payment must keep pace with increasing costs.”

7. Reimbursement challenges force an OBGYN to close her practice

   1. Spectrum News, March 17, 2025
   2. According to the American Medical Association, physicians’ private practice dropped 13% between 2012 to 2022. Egbert is now a member of the American Medical Association advocating for others to keep their doors open.

8. Dems’ Docs Caucus

   1. Politico, March 17, 2025
   2. “We expect that the white coats in the Democratic caucus will find common ground with their counterparts in the GOP caucus in the search for policy remedies to our health care ills,” AMA President Bruce Scott, MD, said in a statement to POLITICO. (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

9. Medicare pay cut stands as Congress passes budget bill to avoid U.S. government shutdown

   1. Medscape, March 14, 2025
   2. “With exquisite timing, MedPAC has highlighted how Congress can strengthen Medicare policy,” Scott said in a Thursday statement. “It just makes sense that payment must keep pace with increasing costs. Other providers already have automatic, yearly updates, and physicians are the foundation of health care,” Scott added. (Free registration is required to view content.)

10. An OB-GYN explains why she closed her practice after 27 years | Viewpoint

    1. Chief Healthcare Executive, March 14, 2025
    2. As the speaker of the American Medical Association House of Delegates, I preside over the policymaking body of the AMA in which physicians tackle the biggest issues in health care. At our November meeting, I guided delegate discussions about our broken Medicare payment system, out-of-control prior authorization demands, and insurance industry consolidation—the very challenges to which I was succumbing.

11. The CEO Forum: James Madara, MD, CEO, American Medical Association (AMA)

    1. The CEO Forum, March 12, 2025
    2. James Madara, MD, CEO of the American Medical Association (AMA), talks about the future of health care, including technology, face time with physicians, and the importance of home monitoring and self-diagnostics in the overall integration of care.

12. How Medicare reimbursement & student loan rates affect health care delivery & access

    1. Physicians Weekly, March 12, 2025
    2. The American Medical Association stresses just how crucial it is to address the rising financial strains felt by physicians facing reimbursement volatility and increased education costs.

13. House votes to extend telehealth for 6 months, sends funding bill to Senate

    1. Fierce Healthcare, March 11, 2025
    2. It does not include a rollback of the 2.83% Medicare physician pay cut that went into effect Jan. 1, a major pain point for physician lobbying groups like the American Medical Association. 

14. Lawmakers move to allow Medicare pay cut, drawing rebuke from physicians

    1. Healthcare Dive, March 11, 2025
    2. In a statement on Sunday, Bruce Scott, president of the American Medical Association, decried the spending bill. “The window to reverse this reckless decision is rapidly closing,” Scott said. “Lawmakers must explain either why protecting access to quality health care is not a priority or how they plan to fix it.”

15. Doctors are still burned out five years after COVID exposed systemic failures

    1. Axios, March 9, 2025
    2. "We need to address the root causes of the problem, all the failures in our health care system right now that are causing challenges for physicians," American Medical Association President Bruce Scott, MD, told Axios. Nearly half of physicians (48%) say they feel burned out, according to the AMA's most recent poll, published in July. Women physicians face higher levels of burnout and risk of suicide than their male counterparts.

16. Doctors outraged Republican Congress to allow Medicare pay cut

    1. Forbes, March 9, 2025
    2. “Today’s decision to allow the 2.8 percent cut to go forward is particularly devastating for rural and underserved communities," AMA president Bruce Scott, MD, said Sunday. “These physicians and their patients have borne the brunt of the rising practice costs—3.5 percent this year according to Medicare’s own estimate. When adjusted for inflation, Medicare payment to physician practices has dropped 33 percent since 2001. Let me be clear: these unsustainable cuts will force more practices to close and leave patients with fewer options for care.”  (Publication subscription is required for full or unlimited access.)

17. A Doctor. His Brain Tumor. A New Perspective.

    1. CNN, March 7, 2025
    2. What can a doctor learn from becoming a patient? That’s what Bobby Mukkamala, MD, a surgeon and president-elect of the American Medical Association, set his mind on when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor last year. Sanjay Gupta, MD, sits down with his old friend, before and after surgery, to see what Mukkamala’s experience taught him about U.S. health care being on the other side of the stethoscope. 

18. MedPAC hammers out recommendation on doctors’ reimbursement in Medicare Physician Fee Schedule

    1. Medical Economics, March 6, 2025
    2. Over the past two decades, Medicare physician payments have decreased by 29% when adjusted for inflation, according to the American Medical Association.

19. Are you at risk for measles? Miami sees case amid U.S. outbreak. What to know in Florida

    1. Miami Herald, March 6, 2025
    2. “With measles outbreaks occurring in multiple states and spring break travel approaching, the AMA urges everyone who isn’t already vaccinated to get themselves and their families vaccinated against measles now,” Bruce Scott, MD, president of the American Medical Association, said in a statement.

20. What’s going on with physician pay?

    1. Becker’s ASC, March 4, 2025
    2. The American Medical Association said it strongly supports the bill and will work with members to include it in upcoming legislation to fund the federal government beyond the March 14 statutory deadline.
    3. “This legislation would begin to roll back the cuts physician practices have faced over the last four years while we all have experienced high inflation,” AMA President Bruce Scott, MD, said in a Jan. 31 news release. “Patient access to care and practice sustainability are not partisan or geographical issues. It’s an urgent national issue that demands immediate attention from Congress.” (Free registration is required to view content.)