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Health Care Issues Facing Portland in 2020

January 22, 2020

How To Improve Health Care in 2020


According to the American Medical Association (AMA) here are the top 5 issues facing Portland's quality of health care this year:

Reducing Physicians’ Documentation Burdens
An overhaul in evaluation and management (E/M) office visit codes has the potential to significantly reduce documentation burden and provide physicians with more time with patients. "The AMA worked with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and convened specialty medical societies and other health professional organizations to simplify the requirements and make them clinically relevant."

Stop Surprise Billings
Patients, physicians and policymakers want to stop the impact unanticipated medical bills are having on patient out-of-pocket costs and the patient-physician relationship. The AMA and more than 100 state and specialty organizations have laid out a set of core principles for policymakers that would ensure that patients aren’t burdened by unanticipated out-of-network medical bills.

Implement a Road Map to Stop the Opioid Epidemic
AMA is urging states to use a national policy road map based on in-depth analysis of the response to the opioid epidemic by four states: Colorado, Mississippi, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. The road map analyzes successful strategies used and lessons learned to provide tangible ways that policymakers can help end the epidemic.

Help Telehealth in Medicare Bill Pass in 2020
A bipartisan Senate bill makes it easier for patients enrolled in Medicare to receive telehealth services from physicians. The AMA is joining more than 100 other organizations in endorsing the bill called CONNECT Health Act of 2019: Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies Health Act of 2019.


Fix Prior Authorization and reduce the administrative burdens on physicians and others in health care.
Fix prior authorization, "the time-consuming cost-control process that often restricts or delays access to treatments, drugs and services that patients need" as "Patients Over Paperwork" initiative.

To Learn more about the future of healthcare and read the AMA's full recommendations click here.


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