NEWS RELEASE
CONTACT: Elayne R. Biddlestone                                                      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
216.520.1000 ext.100                                                                        November 11, 2009 
ebiddlestone@amcnoma.org

 

The Academy of Medicine of Cleveland & Northern Ohio (AMCNO)
Outlines Position on Health Care Reform

The Academy of Medicine of Cleveland and Northern Ohio (AMCNO) is the premier regional medical association in northern Ohio representing over 5,000 physicians, residents and medical students. Since 1824, the AMCNO has delivered networking, professional education and resources, and political advocacy for physicians in the northern Ohio region.

The AMCNO believes that the current health care system is fragmented and unsustainable and does not meet the needs of our members and their patients. Our organization and the physicians we serve recognize the need for health care reform and have long advocated for change in the health care delivery system. The AMCNO has voiced its support regarding many of the aspects included in the legislation before Congress such as the funding of patient centered medical homes, enhanced access to care for all Americans, changes in health insurance company behavior, support for prevention and wellness programs, and support for changes in geographic variations to address both costs and care provided. 

As the health care debate continues on the federal level, the AMCNO is committed to working with Congress and other stakeholders to achieve enactment of health system reforms that will:

Allow access to affordable health care for all Americans; 

Implement reform of Medicare physician payment methodologies; 

Not overburden or add costs to the Medicaid program; 

Enact meaningful medical liability reforms inclusive of alternative dispute resolution concepts and health courts; 

Provide for insurance market reforms that address the issue of physician profiling by health insurers, that enhance choice of affordable coverage and eliminate denials of care for certain conditions; 

  • Implement changes in geographic variations that affect costs and care provided; 

  • Require health care decision making by physicians and their patients, instead of by insurers or government entities; 

  • Provide for quality improvement as well as reductions in cost and waste; 

  • Provide for investments and incentives for public health and prevention and wellness initiatives; 

  • Standardize insurance claims processing requirements to eliminate unnecessary costs and administrative burdens; 

  • Provide for the implementation of health insurance exchange models versus a government-run public option; 

  • Remove restrictions on physician ownership of facilities; 

  • Provide appropriate avenues and funding for the growth of the physician workforce to meet demand.

As the legislative process moves forward the AMCNO hopes to be able to support health system reform legislation that deals with problems in our current system, includes the AMCNO points noted above, establishes a more efficient and complete health care delivery system, and preserves the physician-patient relationship. 

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