The American Medical Association is fighting to prevent information blocking or to stop vendors from making it expensive for physicians to share data, AMA President David Barbe, MD, said over the weekend at AMA’s interim meeting.

Further, AMA is working to improve the usability of EHRs, mobile devices and interoperability.

“And we are making progress,” said Barbe. “We’re fighting physician burnout. Our work to improve patient satisfaction by reducing these headaches and making the practice environment more satisfying is at the heart of the AMA’s shared strategic vision.”

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Barbe hailed the group’s regulatory victories, which include work to help physicians avoid penalties under Medicare’s payment program, if the provider reports one quality measure on one patient for one year.

“We’re working to make sure every physician -- in every practice setting and every specialty -- is prepared to make the successful transition to the MACRA-QPP,” said Barbe. “We’ve posted multiple resources on our website including tools, tutorials, podcasts and education modules.”

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He also highlighted the group’s efforts on improving provider satisfaction.

The weekend’s meeting “recapped an aggressive year of advocacy and accomplishment, highlighting significant victories that protect patients and physicians, with the primary goal of improving the health of the nation,” Barbe wrote on the company’s blog.

Barbe also highlighted AMA’s dedication to “protect insurance coverage gains on behalf of millions of Americans.” He specifically pointed to AMA’s successful work to prevent the massive mergers of Aetna and Humana, along with Anthem and Cigna.

“Our success will be determined by how well we play or work together, as a team, to achieve our common goals,” said Barbe. “Sometimes, for winning teams, it’s all about the defense.”

“While it’s impossible to predict where the debate will go from here, our steadfast commitment to putting patients first and our unwillingness to be drawn into the partisan quagmire will continue to reassure the public that the AMA -- as the house of medicine -- is a voice of reason in Washington,” he added.

Twitter: @JessieFDavis
Email the writer: jessica.davis@himssmedia.com