Administrative Simplification Advocacy

The Academy supports industry-wide administrative simplification, with the objectives of reducing health care costs by strengthening the electronic exchange of data and removing unnecessary burdens throughout the compliance, claims and billing processes. The AAFP advocates for legislation and regulatory policy that eases administrative complexity and puts patients ahead of paperwork.

The Academy has pushed for expedited implementation of administrative simplification provisions in federal and state regulations that will enhance meaningful electronic communications between health plans, financial institutions and family physician practices.

It also has lobbied to eliminate aspects of the Medicare and Medicaid programs that are unnecessary, obsolete or excessively burdensome for health care providers and beneficiaries, especially:

• provisions that preclude Medicare and Medicaid re-enrollment for physicians who have not responded in a timely manner to CMS revalidation queries; and
• the Medicare rule that automatically deactivates a physician who has not submitted a Medicare claim for 12 consecutive months.

Why We Fight

Family physicians are overburdened by administrative functions at the point of care and after patient care hours — a task volume further compounded by the lack of harmonization in these functions across payers.

The AAFP and other organizations have developed joint principles on reducing administrative complexity in health care and continually call on CMS to closely consult, adopt and adhere to these principles.

The Academy is determined to help family physicians lower administrative roadblocks by identifying and eliminating regulations and processes that add cost while undermining the efficient delivery of high-quality care.