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Petition launched in support of a national health insurer code of conduct
Code Would Require Greater Focus on Transparency, Clinical Autonomy, Corporate Integrity and Patient Safety and Welfare
MIAMI, FL – APRIL 13, 2009 – In an effort to ensure and protect patient access to approved medical treatments, a petition in support of a Health Insurer Code of Conduct was launched by the Alliance for Patient Access (AfPA). The petition calls for the adoption of a Code of Conduct, currently being drafted by the American Medical Association, which will address the restrictive practices of the managed care industry that undermine the integrity of doctor-patient relationships.
The AMA House of Delegates passed a resolution in November of 2008 to draft and adopt a National Health Insurer Code of Conduct. According to the resolution, the AMA code will set forth clear and concise principles addressing both medical policies and payment issues, as well as create a mechanism to monitor compliance by managed care companies.
Currently, while many managed care organizations maintain appropriate focus on quality measures, some managed care plans and pharmacy benefit managers employ aggressive tactics to cut costs, while at the same time shifting blame for consequences of actions such as premium increases and cost-sharing strategies onto other parties in the healthcare industry.
"A code of conduct is needed to prevent health plans from using dangerous practices, such as drug switching, that interfere with the doctor/patient relationship,” said Dr. Bruce Rubin, assistant professor of Clinical Neurology at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine and president of the AfPA Florida. "Health plans have begun to overstep their bounds and should follow a code of conduct that places patient health above cost savings."
AfPA’s petition calls for autonomy between doctors and managed care companies, as well as full transparency regarding a patient’s prescribed course of care. This includes any relationships with outside parties that might influence doctors’ decisions. AfPA also calls for upholding business integrity, with fees reflecting acceptable rates and prescribed courses of treatment resulting from medically-based, not fiscally-driven, decisions. Finally, AfPA’s first priority remains patients’ access to quality medical care that ensures their safety and welfare.
“A Code of Conduct for the managed care industry is long overdue,” said Dr. David Charles, AfPA Chairman. “Signing the petition is an excellent way for physicians and the public to urge the AMA to adopt a National Heath Insurer Code of Conduct. Anyone who cares about preserving the inviolability of the doctor/patient relationship should sign the petition in order to urge the AMA toward action on this important issue.”
“I am proud to join the Alliance for Patient Access in its quest to level the playing field so that physicians can act in the best interests of our patients without the interference of outside influences,” said Dr. Rubin. “The National Health Insurer Code of Conduct Petition is an important tool in building nationwide support to hold managed care organizations to the same standards the rest of the healthcare industry already adheres to.”
The AMA is currently drafting a Health Insurer Code of Conduct and will vote to adopt the code in June.
The AfPA petition for a Health Insurer Code of Conduct can be found at www.insurepatientaccess.org.
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AfPA is a national network of over 250 physicians with the shared mission of ensuring and protecting patient access to approved medical treatments and therapies, including prescription pharmaceuticals, biologics, and medical devices. AfPA accomplishes this mission through educating members on policy priorities and training them to be effective patient advocates. Specifically, AfPA recruits and trains health policy-minded physicians to be effective advocates at a local, state and federal level, and then facilitates communications between them as they promote pro-access health policy. AfPA’s policy agenda is focused on global health policy issues including: comparative effectiveness, therapeutic substitution, prescriptive authority, evidence-based medicine, bio-similar safety, and health access disparities.
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February 27, 2010 - Providence Journal: The creepy third person in doctors exam room
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November 04, 2009 - The Hill: A code of conduct for health insurers
October 27, 2009 - WCBU-FM 89.9 (Peoria, Ill.) radio news
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October 12, 2009 - Las Vegas Business Press: Here's a prescription: A health insurers code of ethics
September 09, 2009 - Maryland State Medical Society Resolution 14-09
August 29, 2009 - The Island Packet: AMA code puts doctors, patients in charge of care
August 28, 2009 - Baltimore Times: Group calls on health insurers
August 27, 2009 - Baltimore Times: Nursing Maryland back to health
August 20, 2009 - Lincoln Journal-Star: Pharmacists forced to serve insurers rather than patients
August 19, 2009 - WSTM-NBC3: Prescription medication battle heats up in Central New York
August 17, 2009 - New York State Senator Jeffrey D. Klein blog: For Health or Profit? Klein Unveils Sickly Scorecard of Major HMOs
August 17, 2009 - New York Daily News: Prescription Prescription drug coverage marred by bureaucracy, survey says
August 13, 2009 - Leading African American Groups Call On Health Insurers to Dismiss Restrictive Practices
August 13, 2009 - San Diego Union-Tribune: Bureaucracy won't contain costs
August 01, 2009 - Huntington, W.V. Herald-Dispatch: Insurers put stress on the physician-patient relationship
July 21, 2009 - Chicago Tribune: They authorized back surgery but denied his $148,000 claim
July 17, 2009 - American Osteopathic Association calls for Development of Code of Conduct
July 12, 2009 - Houston Chronicle: Another kind of remedy for the sick; Code of conduct would protect patients
July 07, 2009 - Washington Post: Health Reform: Who Holds the Reins on Care?
July 06, 2009 - NATIONAL HEALTH INSURER CODE OF CONDUCT HITS 1000 SIGNATURES OF SUPPORT
June 30, 2009 - Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Code of conduct needed for health insurers, too
June 24, 2009 - Penn. Pharmacists Association: A Patient Walks Up to the Counter
June 24, 2009 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Broken bonds; The physician-patient relationship is being destroyed by the cost-driven decisions of health insurers
June 09, 2009 - Bellingham (Wash.) Herald: Time for a health insurance code of conduct
June 08, 2009 - Mississippi Business Journal: Transparency is the best medicine; Health Insurer Code of Conduct may improve the quality of care
June 03, 2009 - Frederick (Md.) News Post Op-Ed: Pharmacists pawns in health care's game of chess
June 01, 2009 - KUSI-TV interview with Dr. Jack Schim
May 25, 2009 - San Francisco Chronicle: Doctor pushes back against insurer scrutiny
May 08, 2009 - Fox News Health Blog: Bad Medicine: Is Your Insurance Company Hazardous to Your Health?
April 27, 2009 - Petition for Health Insurer Code of Conduct Garners Widespread National Support
April 20, 2009 - On-line petition launched in support of a national health insurer code of conduct
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April 09, 2009 - Westchester (N.Y.) Herald letters: Access to Quality Healthcare
April 01, 2009 - Los Angeles Society of Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology Applauds the AMA for Developing Health Insurer Code of Conduct
March 24, 2009 - Arizona Republic: Patient care, not financial gain, must take priority
March 22, 2009 - Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle: Health insurers should agree to a code of conduct
March 20, 2009 - Buffalo News: Code of conduct would protect patients from insurers
March 10, 2009 - AfPA Launches Petition in Support of a National Health Insurer Code of Conduct
March 09, 2009 - Texas Medical Society: Health Insurance Code of Conduct Act of 2009; The Time Has Come
March 09, 2009 - American Medical News: MSSNY president: Insurer settlements highlight need for code of conduct
February 01, 2009 - Colorado Medicine: Health Insurer Code of Conduct?
January 24, 2009 - Fresno Bee: Doctors push code of conduct for insurers
December 10, 2008 - Lupus Agencies of New York State Applaud AMA's Resolution to Develop a "Code of Conduct" for Health Insurers
December 09, 2008 - New York State Rheumatology Society Position Paper: AMA Resolution 823
November 20, 2008 - National Minority Quality Forum Applauds AMA's Health Insurer Code of Conduct
November 14, 2008 - Alliance for Patient Access Applauds AMA's Health Insurer Code of Conduct
November 13, 2008 - Alliance for Better Medicine Calls on California Health Insurers to Adopt a "Code of Conduct"
November 13, 2008 - Los Angeles County Medical Association Reinforces AMA's Call for a Health Insurer Code of Conduct
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