Previously Posted
MSMA Protests Webinar Aimed at Eliminating Patient Safety Provisions
The MSMA has joined the AMA and other state medical societies protesting a webinar entitled, “States Implementing Health System Reform: Advancing Health through Nursing,” hosted by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), suggesting that the nation’s serious health care workforce challenges could be solved by eliminating important patient safety provisions in state law regarding non-physicians’ scope of practice.
Specifically, the webinar promoted the advocacy agenda of certain nursing and other organizations who argue against the value of all health care professionals working together in a coordinated, team-based fashion.
The letter, co-signed by the MSMA, stated that the future of our nation’s health care system is contingent on highly effective and efficient team models of care – not autonomous practice and that a health care professional’s scope of practice of should be determined by one’s education and training.
Despite repeated attempts by the AMA to offer a balanced presentation, the webinar allowed a one-sided presentation to a very complex set of issues. Since it is the state legislators who must hear all sides of these critical issues, the letter strongly encouraged the NCSL to include the nation’s physicians in future discussions.
With St. Louis Media Tour, MSMA Urges Congress to Repeal SGR
MSMA leaders participated in a St. Louis Media Tour on Jan. 26 to communicate the importance of a permanent repeal of the SGR to avoid Medicare payment reductions of 21 percent effective March 1. This is an ongoing situation that comes up every year and is brought about by the faulty sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula utilized by Medicare. Each year that Congress delays fixing the formula, the projected reduction in payments increases.
MSMA Responds to Health System Reform
MSMA is committed to meaningful health care reform and appreciates the difficult but important task Congress has at hand. However, we are deeply concerned that the far-reaching set of proposals being considered by the United States Senate – the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590) – does not adequately address some of the most important problems in the current system. In fact, we fear this proposal would increase the cost of health care and allow unaccountable government bureaucrats to stand between patients and their physicians.
View Position Paper. View News Release.
