The Senate Aging Committee held a hearing on February 11 on the subject of how administrative and regulatory red tape fuels physician burnout and impacts patient access to care.
Hearing witnesses shared similar perspectives of what is contributing to physician burnout and distress that is driving physicians to leave their profession or sell their practices to hospitals, health systems or private equity. Common themes included increased use of prior authorization by payers, Medicare payment instability, and complex electronic health record use requirements.
Committee Chair Rick Scott (R-FL) referred to physicians as “victims of a broken system” and called for cutting red tape and putting the physician-patient relationship at the center of health care.
Committee Ranking Member Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) noted the breadth of support in the Senate of the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act (Seniors’ Act) that would require Medicare Advantage plans to streamline their prior authorization processes and improve transparency. She also agreed with hearing witness Jeffrey Smith, incoming board chair of the Medical Group Management Association, that the new Medicare physician fee-for-service prior authorization model ( WISeR) will “contribute to the burnout of doctors.”
ASGE members can voice their support of the Seniors’ Act by contacting their members of Congress through the ASGE Action Center.
A recording of the hearing and witness testimony can be found here.