In the latest episode of the MGMA Insights Podcast, host Daniel Williams sits down with Kelly Ladd, the CEO of Piedmont Internal Medicine in Georgia and the MGMA Legislative Liaison of the Year. Ladd shares her insights on the critical role of advocacy in supporting small medical practices, the challenges of navigating the complex legislative environment, and the resources MGMA provides to practice leaders.
Navigating the Legislative Landscape
Ladd's advocacy journey began when she was involved with a local ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat) organization, where she gained experience in grassroots advocacy and engaging with legislators. Over the years, she has expanded her efforts to the state level, working with the Medical Association of Georgia on various legislative initiatives. Ladd describes how she started seeing overlap between state and federal issues, prompting her to reach out and coordinate advocacy efforts. As she recalls, “I started reaching out to MGMA and the Washington office, saying, 'Hey, this is what's going on in Georgia, and I see this is what's happening on the national level. And, you know, is there a way that we can combine the two and start working?'"
The Importance of Advocacy for Small Practices
As the CEO of a small practice, Ladd has firsthand experience with the unique challenges facing medical practices of her size. She emphasizes the vital role of advocacy, particularly in the legislative arena, to ensure the concerns of small practices are heard and addressed. Ladd explains that reimbursement has been steadily decreasing while expenses have been increasing, putting small practices in a precarious financial position. She stresses the need for Congress and CMS to understand the significant impact these changes have on physician offices, especially those without access to alternative funding sources. “We’re all fighting for dollars for survival,” Ladd says.
The Power of Grassroots Advocacy
Ladd strongly emphasizes the importance of grassroots advocacy and the role of MGMA members in influencing legislation. She encourages members to be on the lookout for MGMA's calls to action, as the laws and regulations being proposed can have a significant impact on their practices. “Look out for those emails, because on the grassroots advocacy level, this will affect you,” she says. “The laws that are coming out, whether it’s state or federal, they will affect every practice in one shape or another.”
Ladd shares an example of how MGMA and its members were able to provide feedback on pre-authorization legislation, helping to shape the proposals in a way that would not overly burden physician practices. “Some of the pre-authorization language that was first introduced in these bills had some things in there that really would have added a lot more work onto the physician practice than what we could handle,” she says. “Had it not been for MGMA and people that are in my role across the United States, basically knocking on the door of CMS and Congress saying, ‘Hey, we're all for standards. Standardizing this because we don't like to have 20 different formats in order to get a prior authorization … However, we would like to suggest that you do it this way if you want to achieve maximum efficiency without killing the doctor's practice and their staff.’ So this is the type of advocacy that is really important.”
The Value of MGMA Membership
MGMA provides critical resources and support for administrators navigating the complex healthcare landscape. One crucial resource includes networking and information-sharing within the MGMA community, which can help small practice leaders address challenges they may have never encountered before. "I think it's critical to be a member of an organization such as MGMA,” Ladd emphasizes. “The information is great, but what's even better is the networking … being able to meet people, get some ideas and network to the point where if you run into a situation that you've never encountered before, then you can pick up the phone and actually call somebody and say, 'Hey, I remember when we were at MGMA, we went out to dinner, and we were talking about this subject, and I remember that you had mentioned that you had some experience with this. Can you help me out?'"
Conclusion
As the 2024 MGMA Legislative Liaison of the Year, Kelly Ladd's insights underscore the value of advocacy for small medical practices. By engaging in grassroots efforts and leveraging the resources and community provided by MGMA, practice leaders can ensure their voices are heard and their concerns are addressed in the legislative process.
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