AMA Agreement with Congress Suffers Backlash

On Dec. 16, 2005, the AMA reached an agreement with congressional leaders to develop about 140 standard measures of performance for physicians covering 34 clinical areas by the end of 2006. According to the agreement, doctors beginning in 2007 will report to the federal government on at least three to five quality measures per physician. The agreement adds that doctors "should receive" some additional payment to reflect the costs of collecting and reporting the data. "By the end of 2007, physician groups will have developed performance measures to cover a majority of Medicare spending for physician services," according to the agreement. Medical specialists from across the country have said they wanted to improve quality but they objected to this confidential pact between the AMA and the congressional Medicare legislators. In fact, a Feb. 10 letter sent from seven medical specialty groups said that it would be "difficult if not impossible" to achieve that goal of 140 measures by the end of the year. The letter also said that AMA did not consult with nor at the least inform other physician groups before signing the agreement. The letter stated "the AMA acknowledged the existence of this agreement only after we uncovered it," and that the association "cannot be the sole representative for the groups who are paramount to the development and implementation of quality measures." The Academy of Medicine Cleveland/Northern Ohio Medical Association, which advocated tirelessly on the issue of reimbursement for its members for much of 2005, will continue to keep a close watch on all issues related to Medicare physician payment.