AMA Advocacy issue briefs | American Medical Association

Issue briefs summarize key health policy issues by providing concise and easily digestible content targeting both relevant stakeholders and those who may know little about the topic.

Important evidence-based information is communicated succinctly along with key advocacy messages and a summary of where the AMA stands. Accordingly, issue briefs are useful for education and advocacy purposes and are frequently employed in AMA advocacy efforts.

Through these issue briefs, the AMA helps physicians and policymakers build a better future for medicine by advocating to remove obstacles to patient care and confront current health crises.

1. 1. Federal Medicaid law’s equal access requirement and the CMS-issued final rule on state access monitoring review plans.
2. 1. Major provisions, issues of importance to physicians and state implementation of the 2016 CMS-issued final rule on Medicaid managed care regulations.
3. 1. Summary of conclusions drawn from existing research on Medicaid physician payment and access to care.
4. 1. Provisions of federal Medicaid law’s equal access requirement where states should seek additional protections.
5. 1. The importance of Medicaid expansion in increasing access to care, improving the lives of working Americans and benefiting the economy.
6. 1. Managing hypertension through expanded Medicaid coverage for self-measured blood pressure clinical services.
7. 1. Issues to consider and AMA policy on integrated care models for individuals dually eligible for Medicare & Medicaid, who are more likely to experience inequities in social determinants of health.
8. 1. Medicaid reform basics and where the AMA stands.
9. 1. Medicare payment for outpatient services under the Outpatient Prospective Payment System and the Physician Fee Schedule, inadequate Medicare physician pay and recent Medicare policy changes.
10. 1. Barriers in the current fee-for-service payment system, opportunities for physician-focused alternative payment models under MACRA and recommendations moving forward.
11. 1. Physician-focused payment models under MACRA and AMA strategies to address barriers to alternative payment models.
12. 1. Hospice and palliative care programs and payment under Medicare.
13. 1. Steps to make coverage more affordable to patients, improve the individual market risk pool, and stabilize and strengthen the individual market; benefits of improving the ACA vs. pursuing Medicare-for-all; and questions to consider with Medicare/Medicaid buy-ins and public options.
14. 1. Summary of the three areas where fundamental differences between traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage can affect a patient’s Medicare experience.

1. 1. Ensuring equitable telehealth access by implementing telehealth solutions through partnerships with historically marginalized and minoritized populations and covering telehealth services by patients’ regular physicians.
2. 1. Efforts to streamline the licensure process while supporting the state-based licensure structure.
3. 1. Guidance and policy solutions for lawmakers to support continued advancement of high-quality telehealth.

1. 1. The importance of physician-led health care teams, which are higher quality, lower cost and preferred by patients.
2. 1. Evidence that allowing nurse practitioners to practice without supervision does not guarantee increased access to care in rural and underserved areas.
3. 1. Physicians, with the highest level of education and clinical training, are trained to lead the health care team. Learn how the education and training of physicians differs from that or nurse practitioners.

4. 1. Physicians, with the highest level of education and clinical training, are trained to lead the health care team. Learn how the education and training of physicians differs from that or physician assistants.

5. 1. Evidence that scope of practice expansion for nurse practitioners does not necessarily lead to more nurse practitioners in rural and underserved areas.
6. 1. Learn why the AMA opposes the APRM Compact, which unlike every other health professional compact, preempts state scope of practice laws.
7. 1. Overview of studies that confirm scope expansions lead to increased costs from inappropriate prescribing, unnecessary referrals to specialists and unnecessary orders for diagnostic imaging.
8. 1. AMA opposition to the use of the term “nurse anesthesiologists” by nurse anesthetists, which is misleading and goes against the AMA’s Truth in Advertising campaign.
9. 1. Overview of findings from existing research on scope of practice.
10. 1. High quality care, low costs and improved patient outcomes under physician-led team-based care.
11. 1. Unique team-based models designed according to practice needs, population served and relevant state laws.

1. 1. Patient harm and costs as a result of prior authorization, and prior authorization reforms for policymakers to consider.
2. 1. Results of the AMA’s 2021 physician survey on prior authorization, which reveal that prior authorization continues to harm patients and burden practices.

1. 1. Actions and policy recommendations designed to improve physician mental health and reduce physician burnout.

1. 1. CPT guidelines for use of modifier 25, payer interpretation of modifier 25 and the key to challenging payer denials.
2. 1. Challenges introduced by retail health organizations’ privacy policies and consent practices.

1. 1. Current data showing actions physicians have taken combined with evidence-based solutions to end the nation’s drug-related overdose and death epidemic; improve care for patients with pain, mental illness or substance use disorder; and increase access to harm reduction services.
2. 1. Select national, state and local news and reports detailing the scope of the nation’s drug overdose and death epidemic.
3. 1. Recommendations urging physicians to take action to remove barriers to care, provide evidence-based care for patients with pain and those with substance use disorder and increase access to harm reduction services.
4. 1. State-level strategies to enforce compliance by health insurers with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act.

1. 1. AMA’s plan to maximize health insurance coverage, increase affordability and improve the ACA.
2. 1. Improving patient access to affordable care.
3. 1. Ensuring affordable and meaningful health care coverage for low- and moderate-income patients by making coverage more affordable for patients, improving the individual market risk pool and stabilizing and strengthening the individual market.
4. 1. Aligning clinical and financial incentives for high-value care to reduce barriers to affordable care.
5. 1. Encouraging high-value care through the alignment of patient and payer financial incentives under value-based insurance design.
6. 1. Opportunities to alleviate the financial strain of long-term services and supports on Medicaid and families through public and private reform.
7. 1. Using reinsurance to provide an equitable, fair and cost-effective mechanism to subsidize the costs of high-risk and high-cost patients and protect patients with preexisting conditions.

1. 1. Resources and initiatives to overcome barriers to price transparency in order to lower health care costs and empower patients to choose low-cost, high-quality care.
2. 1. Guide to surprise billing provisions in the Consolidated Appropriations Act.
3. 1. Summary of the Final Rules and accompanying documents issued by the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury addressing several provisions of the physician and provider payment process for out-of-network care under the No Surprises Act.

1. 1. Policy proposals for pharmaceutical companies, pharmacy benefit managers and health insurers to increase prescription drug price and cost transparency.
2. 1. Policy solutions to address rising prescription drug costs by increasing pharmaceutical market competition, combatting anticompetitive practices and requiring pharmaceutical supply chain transparency.
3. 1. An overview of Alternative Funding Programs, including compliance risks, ethical concerns and recent legal actions.
4. 1. An overview of white bagging and brown bagging policies, why they are harmful to patients and providers, and legislative solutions.

1. 1. Hospital acquisition of physician practices, promoting competition and choice in hospital markets, the role of states in market regulation and protection of hospital medical staff after mergers.
2. 1. Providing safe, high-quality and personal health care through timely and consistent communications among physicians during patient hospitalizations and the post-discharge period.
3. 1. Impact of payer mix, cost of delivering services, quality measurement challenges, risk adjustment challenges and strategies to improve rural hospitals’ viability and residents’ health.

1. 1. State legislative efforts in the implementation and expansion of communication and resolution programs.
2. 1. AMA principles and policies to support states in implementing liability safe harbors for the practice of evidence-based medicine.
3. 1. State-by-state overview of constitutional challenges to state caps on non-economic damages.

1. 1. Negative health implications and ethical concerns of so-called “conversion therapy”.
2. 1. Improving health insurance coverage for medically necessary care to improve health outcomes for transgender individuals.
3. 1. Mental and physical health implications of policies preventing transgender individuals from accessing public facilities consistent with gender identity.

1. 1. Overview of state laws and AMA resources on the corporate practice of medicine.
2. 1. Comparison of state laws with federal statute and AMA policy on physician self-referral.
3. 1. Background on state certificate of need programs, which require individuals and entities in the health care industry to receive state regulatory approval before making a capital expenditure or constructing or expanding a facility or service.
4. 1. Potential risks and benefits of corporate investors on physicians, patients and health care prices.

1. 1. Legislative update on the Child Tax Credit and child poverty as a public health issue.
2. 1. Resources for confronting legislation that intrudes on ability of physicians to have open, frank and confidential communications with their patients.
3. 1. Overview of AMA model legislation and policy condemning the shackling of pregnant prisoners during the birthing process.
4. 1. Opportunities for state lawmakers to improve the public health and safety of minors through the ban of the sale of ultraviolet rays (i.e., tanning sessions) to minors.
5. 1. Strategies for state policymakers to improve food environments and promote the consumption of healthy food and beverages in school.