MGMA's CEO on MACRA, Negativity in Medicine
Physicians Practice spoke with Medical Group Management Association CEO, Halee Fischer-Wright, on the MACRA final rule and the reasons for physician angst.
Welcome to the latest edition of the Physicians Practice Pearls Podcast. In this podcast, we'll aim to bring you some of the most interesting, influential guests in the healthcare industry. If you have any ideas for podcast guests or topics, shoot us an email at editor@physicianspractice.com.
In the opening keynote at this year's Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) conference, held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, Halee Fischer-Wright, a physician and President and CEO of MGMA, cited an alarming statistic. "We're on the verge of historic breakthroughs [in healthcare], so how is it that 90 percent of physicians, when asked, say they wouldn't go into medicine again?" Fischer-Wright said.
Live on site at MGMA16, Physicians Practice spoke with Fischer-Wright on reversing this wave of negativity in medicine. How can MGMA and other provider advocacy groups bring optimism back into the fold?
"There are so many things being done to medical practices and the perception is there are very few things we can do for ourselves," Fischer-Wright said. "We as MGMA are starting to take a look at where we can be a resource for practices so we can advocate for them, advocate for ourselves, and push forward. Turning that victim mentality to more of a victor and in control position, I think that'll yield some positive outcomes in the future."
One of the hottest topics at MGMA16 has been the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). Every session that covered the final rule for implementation of the law has been packed, with standing room only. In the podcast, Fischer-Wright says MACRA has made practices realize they can't ignore the shift toward value-based care if they are going to be a viable practice of the future.
Later on in the podcast, Fischer-Wright says that MGMA will be making more concerted efforts to reach out to physicians and include them in the annual conference. "Until February 2017, we will not be certified to provide continuing medical education credits, so we knew we couldn’t get physicians to the conference if we weren't getting those credits," Fischer-Wright said. "That will be alleviated, so in [next year's conference] we will have several physician-specific sessions."
For more onsite coverage of MGMA16, click here.
