Michael Munger, MD, recently assumed the role of president of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). During his opening speech, he spoke about the progress being made in moving toward a value-based care approach and the angst many members feel about the increasing administrative burden on their practices.
Prior to his role as president, Munger served on the board for three years. During those three years, he noted that a recurring theme in conversations with other family physicians was what can be done about the overload of administrative work that is taking time away from meeting with patients.
“You all love interacting with patients and being a part of their lives, but are drowning in the administrative complexity and nonvalue-added tasks we all face daily,” Munger said in his speech. “It’s standing in the way of meaningful patient care. In fact, on the most recent member survey, administrative complexity was listed as the number one issue you need help on from your AAFP.”
Simplifying and streamlining administrative processes will be one of the AAFP’s strategic priorities under Munger’s watch. Munger notes that the AAFP has already begun pushing for changes with prior authorizations, interoperability and documentation guidelines. Efforts to reduce administrative burden would do extend to board certification, with Munger arguing board exams and maintenance of certification shouldn’t be “used as a sole criterion” for employment or commercial payer participation.
AAFP will “continue to hound Congress, as well, that something must be done,” he said.
Munger also alluded to his planned work on administrative burden in his September 13, 2017, blog post, noting, “So, as I take the role of AAFP president today, I can relate to our members’ individual circumstances and concerns, regardless of their practice setting. There is much work to do in the year ahead on issues such as payment reform, administrative burdens and more, and I’m honored to represent you.”
During a Q&A session, Munger was asked what topic he expects to be prominent during his presidential term. He responded with the following,
I know our members are quite frustrated with the administrative complexity that is involved in the day-to-day practice of medicine. Look at electronic health records; they were promised to simplify practice, but many physicians will tell you that has not yet happened.
Much of our members’ angst is tied to paperwork such as prior authorization requests from payers and that endless flow of forms that need attention. Family physicians are looking for relief from that overall burden and from tasks that hinder rather than help them with hands-on patient care. The AAFP recognizes their concerns and is working hard to make things better.
The increased burden AAFP criticizes has often been blamed on the transition from volume to value, but when it comes to payment reform, Munger said he believes the industry is moving in the right direction. In his own practice, he said he’s seen payment that “reflects the delivery of comprehensive coordinated care.” He praised some CMS programs, like Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+) and the Quality Payment Program, though adding the later still needed some tweaks in its “overall complexity.”
“After much talk for years about the move from volume to value, I fortunately have finally started to see changes in my practice,” Munger said.