MINNEAPOLIS, March 4, 2010 - MMA leaders met with Minnesota’s congressional delegation as part of the American Medical Association’s Advocacy Conference March 1-3 in Washington, D.C.

Minnesota physicians joined with hundreds of doctors from across the country at the event.

During the meetings with elected officials, the MMA group stressed the need for Congress to permanently repeal the Medicare’s SGR formula. The physicians also urged Congress to continue working on national healthcare reform.

Physicians who traveled to Washington included MMA President Benjamin Whitten, M.D., MMA president-elect Patricia Lindholm, M.D.; Twin Cities Medical Society President Ed Ehlinger, M.D.; Blanton Bessinger, M.D.; Mark Eggen, M.D.; John Van Etta, M.D.; Linda Van Etta; M.D.; Ron Hansen, M.D., and MMA CEO Robert Meiches, M.D.

The physicians on the trip met with most of Minnesota’s federal elected officials or their staff, including Sens. Amy Klobuchar, DFL, and Al Franken, DFL, and Reps.Tim Walz, DFL-Dist. 1; John Kline, R-Dist. 2; Erik Paulsen, R-Dist. 3; Betty McCollum, DFL-Dist. 4; Keith Ellison, DFL-Dist. 5, and Collin Peterson, DFL-Dist. 7.