Top Ten Advocacy Initiatives

As the Largest Physician Organization in the State We are Your Most Influential Advocate

1. Championed medical malpractice reform in payment reform legislation. MMS advocacy ensured that meaningful medical malpractice reform was featured in Gov. Patrick's payment reform bill. If enacted, it would improve the liability climate and improve patient safety.
   
   
2. Preserved seniors' access to Medicare. We continue to thwart efforts to impose a 23-percent cut in physicians' Medicare payments, preserving seniors' access to care; we continue to work for a permanent reform of the Medicare payment formula.
   
   
3. Preserved physician choice in payment reform legislation. The MMS's work on behalf of the physician community ensured that the Governor's legislation preserved the right of physicians to choose the payment environment in which they will work; participation in these new models is not mandated by law.
   
   
4. Supported practices in a new health care environment. The Physician Practice Resource Center continues to advise and support practices, as they evaluate their options in the evolving health care environment.
   
   
5. Produced landmark reports on defensive medicine and the physician workforce crisis. We were applauded in D.C. and across the United States for the defensive medicine study providing strong, credible evidence of the negative impact of defensive medicine on patient care. The MMS's "Physician Workforce Study" has influenced health care policy throughout the nation.
   
   
6. Sponsored numerous education programs on the emerging health care challenges. Programs provided practical advice to physicians on the legal, technical and clinical aspects of new payment systems.
   
   
7. Turned back efforts to expand non-physicians' scope of practice. We advocated for patient safety and quality of care by preventing the expanding scope of practice of non-physician providers.
   
   
8. Simplified billing and coding. We secured passage of legislation requiring Medicaid and all private health plans to standardize billing and coding by 2012.
   
   
9. Secured funding for primary care initiatives. We advocated changing laws and regulations to encourage the recruitment and retention of Massachusetts primary care physicians (PCPs) and establishing statewide programs to increase the supply of PCPs, including loan forgiveness, and expanded primary care training at University of Massachusetts Medical School.
   
   
10. Supported programs for the uninsured, the homeless, and families affected by intimate partner violence. We have awarded $1.5 million in grants to nonprofit organizations.