MMS Testimony

MMS officers frequently offer testimony and/or legal perspectives to state and federal officials on issues relevant to Massachusetts physicians and their patients.

• Testimony in Opposition to Senate 303, An Act Relative to Psychotropic Medications, and Senate 308, An Act Relative to Psychotropic Medications June 18, 2013

  Testimony presented to the Massachusetts Legislature's Joint Committee on Elder Affairs.

• Testimony in Support of House 960 and Senate 498 An Act to Prevent Inappropriate Denials for Medically Necessary Services June 12, 2013

  The Mass Medical Society wishes to be recorded in support of H.960 and S.498, identical bills to prevent inappropriate denials for medically necessary services, filed by Representative David Nangle and Senator Daniel Wolf and many co-sponsors. This legislation codifies fairness and support for...

• 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...

• Testimony In Support of Senate 453 and House 936 An Act to Further Define Adverse Determinations by Insurers June 12, 2013

  The Massachusetts Medical Society wishes to be recorded in support of Senate Bill 453 and House Bill 936 “An Act to Further Define Adverse Determinations by Insurers.”  These identical bills would require that health insurers defer to the medical judgment of the treating clinician unless the...

• Testimony in Support of House 858 An Act Relative to Communications Between Health Insurers and Patients June 12, 2013

  H.858 would create a new patient protection by prohibiting those with a potential incentive to discourage patients from seeking ongoing treatment from contacting patients without the knowledge or presence of a treating physician.

• 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.

• 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...

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.