MMS officers frequently offer testimony and/or legal perspectives to state and federal officials on issues relevant to Massachusetts physicians and their patients.
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Testimony In Support of House Bill 978 An Act Relative to Pre-Authorization of Medical and Health Care Services
June 12, 2013
The Massachusetts Medical Society wishes to be
recorded in support of House Bill 978, “An Act Relative to Pre-Authorization of
Medical and Health Care Services,” legislation that would require that health
insurers pay for claims for which a pre-authorization by a health care provider
was...
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Testimony in Support of S.1105 An Act Further Regulating Tanning Facilities
June 4, 2013
The Massachusetts Medical Society is in support Senate Bill 1105,
legislation that would bar persons under the age of 18 years from using
tanning devices. At present, only parental consent is required for
children under the age of 14 years.
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Testimony in Support of House Bill 1024 An Act to Encourage Quality Reviews and Reduce Costs in Health Care
May 29, 2013
Section 1 of the bill addresses
medical peer review, the process by which a professional
review body considers whether a practitioner’s clinical privileges or
membership in a professional society will be adversely affected by a
physician’s competence or professional conduct.
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Testimony in Opposition to Senate Bill 557 and House Bill 1008 An Act Relative to Patient Safety
May 29, 2013
These bills would require the Department of Public Health to develop nurse staffing ratio’s for implementation by hospitals, as a condition of licensure. The Massachusetts Medical Society supports the concept of adequate nurse staffing levels without across-the-board statutory or regulatory...
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Testimony In Opposition to House 1931 An Act Relative to Oxycontin and other Schedule II Controlled Substances
May 14, 2013
The
Massachusetts Medical Society wishes to oppose in the strongest possible way
House 1931. This legislation is the latest in an apparently never ending series
of initiatives micromanaging the practice of medicine in the Commonwealth. In
this case, the issue is prescription drug abuse.
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Testimony In Opposition To House 3359 An Act Relative to 72 Hour Emergency Prescribing
May 14, 2013
We suspect this is another anti- drug abuse
bill. However, controlled substances are defined in Massachusetts as anything
requiring a prescription. So, that would include antibiotics or any of
thousands of medications which would be prescribed for a fourteen day period or
longer.
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Testimony In Support of House Bill 1966 An Act Restricting the Sale of Tobacco Products at Health Care Institutions
May 14, 2013
Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause
of premature death in the United States today.
With an estimated more than 400,000 deaths annually, smoking kills more
Americans than auto accidents, AIDS, alcohol and illegal drugs, and, murders
and suicides combined.
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Testimony in Support of House 1002 An Act Relative to Enhancing Access to Mental Health Treatment Before the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing
April 30, 2013
This bill would repeal Section 304 of Chapter 224 of the Acts of 2012
which allows health insurers to delay implementation of new utilization
review requirements until 10/1/2015.
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Opposing Senate 531 and House 1012 An Act to Benefit the Health Safety Net Trust Fund
April 30, 2013
The Massachusetts Medical Society wishes to be recorded in opposition to
Senate 531 and House 1012, identical bills intended to modify Chapter
224 of the Acts of 2012 as it applies to registration of physician
organizations.
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MMS Testimony Concerning Proposed Regulations of the Dept. of Public Health Entitled Implementation of an Act for the Humanitarian Medical Use of Marijuana
April 18, 2013
The MMS, through its House of Delegates and
committees, has researched and debated the issue of medical use of marijuana.
We have complimented the work of the Department in its comprehensive process of
developing the proposed regulations and offer the following testimony with the
intent of...
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Supplemental Testimony Concerning Proposed Regulations of the DPH Entitled Implementation of an Act for the Humanitarian Medical Use of Marijuana
April 18, 2013
The
following comments follow the regulations on an issue by issue basis and are a
supplement to the testimony of MMS president, Richard Aghababian, M.D.
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Testimony in Opposition to Senate 462 An Act Relative to an Affordable Health Plan
April 11, 2013
The Massachusetts Medical Society wishes to be recorded in strong opposition to Senate 462, “An Act Relative to an Affordable Health Plan.” The MMS recognizes that rising health care premiums take an especially large toll on many small businesses in Massachusetts, many physicians are small...
