AAP members are encouraged to participate in a survey as part of a national study that aims to understand costs faced by physician practices and to advocate for physician payment.
The Physician Practice Information (PPI) Survey is being undertaken by the American Medical Association (AMA) and is supported by 173 health care organizations. It will collect representative data on physician practice expenses to communicate accurate financial information to policymakers, including members of Congress and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
“It is important that policymakers get a complete picture of the broad clinical, operational and financial challenges that medical practices face at current payment levels,” said AAP President Sandy L. Chung, M.D., FAAP. “Your participation in this study is an important opportunity to address these challenges and ensure the voices and priorities of pediatricians influence policy set at the federal and state levels.”
The Medicare physician payment schedule, maintained by CMS and used by many other payers, relies on 2006 cost information to develop practice expense relative values, the Medicare Economic Index and resulting physician payments. Expense payments no longer reflect the relative resources typically required to provide physician services due to inflation and changes such as the widespread adoption of electronic health records and other information technology systems.
The AMA has contracted with Mathematica to conduct the survey. The independent research company has extensive experience in survey methods as well as health care delivery and finance reform.
The study will rely on information collected from practices randomly selected to complete an online financial information survey. The number of direct patient care hours is a critical component of the Medicare payment methodology, so thousands of physicians will receive a short patient care hours survey either from their practice or from Mathematica. Participation will ensure that practice expenses and patient care hours are reflected accurately.
Practice administrators will receive the invitation to complete the PPI Survey from [email protected]. Physicians will receive the Physician Hours Survey from [email protected] or from their practice. Emails to the randomly selected practices are expected to be sent in July.
For more information about the survey you may visit https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/physician-practice-information-survey-summary.pdf or https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/support-letter-medicare-ppi-survey.pdf. Contact [email protected] with questions.