Physicians Tackle Payment Reform, Public Health, and More at AMA Interim Meeting

December 11, 2025

Physicians from Minnesota and across the country gathered November 14-18 for the AMA 2025 Interim Meeting in National Harbor, Maryland, to address payment reform, public health challenges, rural healthcare, and the escalating administrative and financial pressures on medical practice.  

Minnesota representatives included: Cindy Firkins Smith, MD, delegation chair; JP Abenstein, MD, delegate; Andrea Hillerud, MD, delegate;  Dennis O'Hare, MD, delegate; Lisa Mattson, MD, MMA president and alternate delegate; George Morris, MD, alternate delegate; Ashok Patel, MD, alternate delegate; Laurel Ries, MD, alternate delegate; David Thorson, MD, delegate; and Katie Holder, MD, Resident/Fellow Section sectional alternate delegate, Region 2. 

Part of the MMA AMA delegation: Laurel Ries, MD (right); Ashok Patel, MD; Lisa Mattson, MD; George Morris, MD; and Cindy Firkins Smith, MD.

Topics discussed that have particular interest to Minnesota physicians included: 

• Strengthening the patient–physician relationship, reaffirming trust and clinical autonomy as core ethical priorities. 

• Further study on conscientious objection and improper discrimination, ensuring policy clarity that protects patient access and prevents discriminatory care practices. 

• Support for medical staff empowerment, including collective action or unionization options, referred for additional refinement. 

• New ethical guidance for whole-body and body-part donation, aligning with national best practices and supporting medical education and research programs. 

Delegates adopted strong policy directing AMA to advocate for: 

• Removing PA requirements for low-cost medications and routine services. 

• Public reporting of approval, denial, and appeal data by insurers. 

• Transparency, clinical accuracy, and guardrails for AI-driven authorization systems, including protections related to the forthcoming Medicare WISeR Model. 

This work directly supports MMA’s priorities to reduce administrative burdens and protect patient access. 

Recognizing ongoing threats to rural hospitals, the AMA endorsed minimum standards for alternative hospital payment models, including predictable fixed-cost payments, adequate reimbursement across payers, reasonable patient cost-sharing, physician-led teams, and reduced administrative complexity. These policies align closely with Minnesota’s needs, particularly in sustaining rural hospitals, and maintaining local access to care. 

New AMA policies supported expanded behavioral health services, improved access to medications for opioid-use disorder, and enhanced veteran-care standards — all relevant to Minnesota’s statewide public health goals.