savings from interventions to reduce waste without including administrative complexity, for which no current studies have been performed, were from $191 to $286 billion according to Shrank et al. 6 Congressional solutions are a must to prevent the Medicare Trust Fund from becoming insolvent, and continued declining adjustments to the MPFS are not and should not be the sole answer. Without change, the current business model, which is inundated with waste, fraud, abuse, and consistent cuts in Medicare reimbursement to physicians, will most certainly have a negative impact, particularly on physicians in private practice and those who care for the underserved and rural populations such as those in my home state of Louisiana. Our current healthcare and economic environments are not the time for physicians to incur a second hit when a record number of physicians are nearing retirement age and an expected physician shortage of 86,000 by 2036 looms. The time for action is now. Omar Leonards, MD LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans Cardiovascular Disease Fellow
UNITING MINDS, ADVANCING CARE: Psychiatrists Gather in New Orleans for LPMA & MPA Spring Meeting Filled with CME, Collaboration, and Community
The 2025 Louisiana Psychiatric Medical Association (LPMA) and Mississippi Psychiatric Association (MPA) Spring Meeting, held from February 14 to 16 at the University Medical Center Conference Center in New Orleans, was a resounding success. The event brought together mental health professionals from across the region for a weekend of education, networking, and celebration. Kicking off on Valentine’s Day, attendees were treated to a festive social event that set a warm and collegial tone for the weekend. Early career psychiatrists and resident fellows also had the opportunity to connect during a dedicated social hosted by the American Professional Agency, fostering mentorship and collaboration among emerging professionals. The conference offered 13 hours of Continuing Medical Education (CME), covering a diverse range of topics pertinent to contemporary psychiatric practice. Sessions included a grassroots advocacy panel, discussions on kratom, risk management strategies, insights into traumatic brain injury, and advancements in behavioral sleep medicine. These sessions provided attendees with valuable knowledge and practical tools to enhance patient care. A poster symposium was also hosted on Friday morning where judges Jean Simpson, MD, Phil Scurria, MD and Mark Wright, MD had the opportunity to speak with over 25 medical students and residents from LSU New Orleans, LSU Shreveport, and UMMC about their case studies or research projects.
Citations:
1. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. “History.” www.cms.gov, 6 Sept. 2023, www.cms.gov/about-cms/who-we-are/history.
2. O’Shea, John , et al. “The Medicare Physician Fee Schedule: Overview, Influence on Healthcare Spending, and Policy Options to Fix the Current Payment System.” 24 May 2023.
“Legislative Search Results.” Congress.gov, 2019 , www.congress.gov/search?q=%7B%22source%22%3A%22legislation%22%7D.
3.
4. “AMA: MedPAC’s Call for Higher Medicare Payments Should Spur Congress.” American Medical Association, 15 Mar. 2024 , https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/ama-medpac-s-call-higher-medicare-payments-should-spur-congress. Accessed 2 March 2024.
5. “How Medicare’s Budget-Neutrality Rule Is Slanted against Doctors.” American Medical Association, 7 June 2023 , www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/payment-delivery-models/how-medicare-s-budget-neutrality-rule-slanted-against.
6. Shrank, William H., et al. “Waste in the US Health Care System.” Journal of the American Medical Association , vol. 322, no. 15, 7 Oct. 2019, jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2752664?utm_source=The+Dispatch&utm_campaign=09e7060f28- Dispatch041&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6d0e869d45-09e7060f28-41071053, https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2019.13978.
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J LA MED SOC | VOL 177 | SPRING 2025
J LA MED SOC | VOL 177 | SPRING 2025
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