AMA details concerns about payment policy changes for Medicare Part C, D

Modern Healthcare details the positions taken by the American Medical Association in response to recent changes proposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Also, in related news, a new panel sets to work on improving the physician payment system.  

Modern Healthcare: AMA Airs Concerns About Changing Medicare Drug Payment Policies
Responding to the CMS about recent proposed changes to Medicare Part C and D payment policies for 2013, the American Medical Association asked the agency to withdraw a proposal that would allow Medicare drug plans to deny coverage to beneficiaries if they suspect prescription abuse... Instead, the AMA suggests, the CMS should work with all Medicare Advantage and Part D sponsors to partner with all of the state-based prescription monitoring programs, or PDMPs, to share prescribing information (Zigmond, 3/4).

In developments related to physician payment across the board -

Politico Pro: Panel Aims To Improve Physician Payment System
A new commission, staffed by some health policy veterans with ties to both sides of the aisle, wants to find better ways to align physician payment with quality improvement. The 12-person National Commission on Physician Payment Reform, launched Monday by the Society of General Internal Medicine, will draft recommendations on how to overhaul the physician payment system with an eye toward better controlling health care costs (DoBias, 3/5).

Modern Healthcare: Medical Society Launches Panel On Doc-Payment Reform
The Society of General Internal Medicine has launched the National Commission on Physician Payment Reform, a panel investigating how physicians are paid and how financial incentives affect patient care... The panel will meet over the course of this year and, in early 2013, it will recommend how to reform physician payments and assess potential impacts of payment models such as accountable care organizations, medical homes and value-based purchasing, according to a news release (Robeznieks, 3/5).