Nov. 20, 2024

Physicians from around the country – including your elected Colorado Delegation – gathered in Orlando Nov. 8-12 for the interim meeting of the American Medical Association to discuss and pass policies on a national level.

A top advocacy concern of the AMA, and one that garnered much discussion at the meeting, is the impending 28 percent payment cut in Medicare that will go into effect Jan. 1 unless Congress intervenes. Already, a bipartisan majority of 233 members of the House of Representatives has written to leadership demanding inclusion of a positive 2025 payment update for physicians in the year-end omnibus and a bipartisan group of House members introduced H.R. 10073, which would raise physician payment rates by one-half of the Medicare Economic Index by applying a 12-month payment update of 4.7%.

Other policies passed ranged from making technology work for physicians to fighting scope creep in the emergency room to simplifying administrative processes like in CME reporting. 

The Colorado Medical Society is actively monitoring state budget discussions that could impact physician payment for providing care to patients with Medicaid coverage. Governor Jared Polis has proposed a budget for FY 2025-26 that includes $74.6 million in cuts ($22.1 in state General Fund) to provider payments. That includes some $16.6 million in physician-related cuts to reduce payments to a 95% of the Medicare payment benchmark.

We want to know how the proposed cuts may affect your practice; reply to this email with your concerns.

Registration for the 2025 AMA National Advocacy Conference is open, and you are invited to attend Feb. 10-12 at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C. As physician practices are facing yet another year of unsustainable Medicare payments, now more than ever—we need your voice on Capitol Hill. The key focus for this year’s conference will be Medicare physician payment reform. 

View the preliminary agenda. A highlight of the meeting are Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon Hill visits, and the AMA and CMS will once again coordinate meetings between Colorado physicians and members of the Colorado congressional delegation. Reply to this email with questions about AMA NAC -- especially if you are interested in attending and have not yet coordinated with your local component society.

Are you an early- or mid-career physician eager to enhance your leadership skills and engage in policy advocacy that promotes health equity? The National Hispanic Medical Association invites you to apply for their Advancing Physician Leaders Fellowship Program.

Through a combination of in-person and virtual sessions, participants will engage with key policymakers, meet with government health agencies, and collaborate with fellow leaders in the field. The fellowship culminates in a capstone project focused on improving health outcomes in the Latine community. Learn more and apply online by Dec. 6.

The Physicians Foundation and Brandeis University are announcing the launch of The Physicians Foundation’s Leadership Institute at Brandeis University. Physicians will develop and sharpen leadership, policy and advocacy skills, address critical drivers of health and promote physician wellbeing—all key to advancing effective health care delivery. All costs will be covered (tuition, travel and CME credits) for 25 physicians selected to participate in this prestigious, one-year hybrid training program. Learn more and apply by Dec. 31.

Have you thought about a leadership role in the Colorado Medical Society? We encourage members of all walks of life, perspectives, backgrounds, practice settings, career stages and geographic locations to consider a leadership position now or in the future. The nomination period for the 2025 election -- during which CMS members elect the president-elect and members of the Colorado delegation to the American Medical Association -- is open through Jan. 31, 2025. The election takes place in August.

Thank you to all members and practice managers who have renewed your individual or group memberships for 2025. 

All dues invoices are due Dec. 31, 2024 for the membership period ending Dec. 31, 2025. If you haven't already, renew today to ensure you have no disruption in benefits through the end of 2025 -- especially if you are Copic insured and benefit from this significant discount in medical liability insurance!

Individuals can view your personalized invoice at www.cms.org/renew. Just enter your medical license number or CMS number to find your renewal notice.

Need help? Call 720-859-1001 or email [email protected] to make changes to your membership classification, contact information or component society, or have general questions about the benefits of membership.