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By Dr. Bill Jessee
 
Recently, more than 50 MGMA members who serve as leaders of our assemblies and societies were in Denver for the annual Assembly/Society Council meeting. During a freewheeling session on a late Saturday afternoon, we brainstormed about the changes occurring in medical practices and how MGMA should respond to them.

Some interesting observations include the following:

• More members are becoming hospital employees as more physicians either sell their practices to hospitals and health systems, or simply choose employment over independent practice. MGMA needs to respond to this growing membership category while continuing to help administrators in freestanding practices keep those organizations viable – and in some cases help them make job transitions if their practices are purchased by hospitals.

 

• The economy is bad and may get worse before things turn around. Making members aware of all the resources they have through MGMA is even more important now than it was when things were economically better (the "good old days" of a couple years ago). Frankly, we have not been very effective in that communications effort. We need to do more to help our members find the tools, tips and information they need during these hard times.

 

• There was a real division of opinion about arbitration as a means to resolve disputes among physicians, with employees, with health plans, etc. Some people had positive experiences; others thought the process was costly and unproductive. All agreed that MGMA should do more to help members learn about arbitration and mediation, and help them decide how to respond to contract language that references those approaches for resolving disputes. What do you think?

 

• Several leaders said that "physicians charge too much," and called for more pricing transparency. But attendees all agreed that insurers have to be the ones to open up their books, because they're the ones that mainly determine what physicians receive and what patients have to pay.

We're working on our business plan and budget for fiscal year 2010, which begins in July. We hope to address many of the issues that the assembly/society leaders raised regarding that business plan. But what else should we be doing? How can MGMA make your membership more valuable to you and your practice, especially in the midst of a recession?

William F. Jessee, MD, FACMPE, is president and CEO of MGMA. 
 
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