Tag: American Medical Association (AMA)
AMA announces educational video series on caring for people with disabilities
May 13, 2026HME News Staff
CHICAGO – The American Medical Association (AMA) has announced a collaboration with the University of Colorado Anschutz on a new educational video series to help physicians and medical students provide high-quality, patient-centered care for people with disabilities. The Caring for People with Disabilities Series is free and available on AMA Ed Hub, AMA’s online learning platform. “The AMA and physicians everywhere want all patients to receive the best possible care – and...
AMA urges Congress to make telehealth changes permanent
January 7, 2026HME News Staff
WASHINGTON – The American Medical Association (AMA) is urging Congress to enact permanent authorization of Medicare telehealth services and end the repeated cycle of temporary extensions that have undermined reliable access to virtual care.
The current Medicare telehealth waiver expires on Jan. 30.
“Since the COVID-19 public health emergency, Congress has repeatedly extended telehealth flexibilities for Medicare patients—often...
AMA: PBM markets are at risk of harming patients
July 31, 2025HME News Staff
CHICAGO – Pharmacy benefit managers had little competition in 2023, with just four firms having two-thirds share of the national market, according to a new annual analysis published by the American Medical Association (AMA).
The analysis, based on 2022 and 2023 data on prescription drug plan (PDP) enrollees, measures competition in PBM markets and vertical integration of insurers with PBMs. The assessment demonstrates low competition in PBM markets across the nation and high vertical...
AMA supports MedPAC on payment update
January 20, 2025HME News Staff
WASHINGTON – The American Medical Association supports a recommendation from MedPAC to link next year’s physician payment update to the growth in the cost of providing care. MedPAC recently voted to recommend a 2026 payment update of Medicare Economic Index minus 1%, slightly adjusting the formula it endorsed last year to increase payment by 50% of MEI. “While neither recommendation covers the estimated inflation that physician practices face, both approaches embrace the fact that...
AMA works to right-size prior auths
November 12, 2024HME News Staff
ORLANDO, Fla. – The American Medical Association will consider legislative and legal actions to fight retrospective denial of payment for care that has been pre-certified by an insurer.
A 700-member House of Delegates has approved a new policy that directs the AMA to support a federal prohibition on the inappropriate denial of payment for medically necessary care that has been pre-certified by insurers and encourages the association to take legal action against insurers that engage...
AMA seeks greater oversight of MA plans
June 11, 2024HME News Staff
CHICAGO – Physician and medical student leaders at the Annual Meeting of the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates approved policies to address the need for greater oversight of health insurers’ use of prior authorization controls on patient access to care. The new policies address insurer accountability and transparency for PA denials. “Waiting on a health plan to authorize necessary medical treatment is too often a hazard to patient health,” said AMA...
AMA calls for AI oversight
June 20, 2023HME News Staff
CHICAGO – The American Medical Association has adopted a new policy calling for greater regulatory oversight of health insurers using artificial intelligence (AI) to review patient claims and prior authorization requests. The newly adopted policy calls for health insurers using AI to implement a thorough and fair process that is based on clinical criteria and reviews by physicians and other health care professionals with expertise for services under review, and that has no incentive to deny...
AMA recommends oversight of TPAs
November 16, 2022HME News Staff
HONOLULU – The American Medical Association decided at its interim meeting here to recommend that third-party administrators of specialty pharmacy benefits be included in state and federal oversight efforts of prescription drug middlemen. Regulation of pharmacy benefit managers is on the rise in response to concerns that they can have a detrimental impact on the ability of patients to access affordable prescription drugs and, for specialty pharmacy benefits, TPAs provide many of the same services,...
AMA: Make diapers tax free
June 17, 2022HME News Staff
CHICAGO – The American Medical Association is calling for the removal of the sales tax on child and adult diapers, a tax levied in 36 states. The AMA is also calling for the inclusion of child and adult diapers as qualified medical expenses for health savings accounts. “Vulnerable patient populations need affordable access to diapers,” said AMA Trustee Scott Ferguson, M.D. “The fiscal impact is de minimis for states but significant for low-income patients.” Making diapers...
Are health insurers willing to reform PA process? AMA has its doubts
May 25, 2022HME News Staff
CHICAGO – The health insurance industry has made little progress in reforming prior authorization processes, according to the results of a new survey of physicians from the American Medical Association.
In January 2018, the AMA and other national organizations signed a consensus statement outlining a shared commitment to five key reforms to the prior authorization process that promote safe, timely and affordable access to evidence-based care for patients, enhance efficiency and reduce...