You are here
Patients Before Paperwork
Patients Before Paperwork is an ACP initiative designed to reinvigorate the patient-physician relationship by challenging unnecessary practice burdens.
What ACP Is Doing
Since the launch of ACP's Patients Before Paperwork initiative in 2015, the College has worked to identify and prioritize the most burdensome administrative tasks faced by ACP members and their patients; develop significant policy recommendations for how to address these administrative tasks; and engage in ongoing outreach and stakeholder engagement efforts with external sources of administrative and regulatory burden.
Policy Development and Education
- "Implementing Optimal Team-Based Care to Reduce Clinician Burnout," National Academy of Medicine, published September 17, 2018.
- "Promoting Transparency and Alignment in Medicare Advantage," American College of Physicians, published October 2, 2017.
- “Putting Patients First by Reducing Administrative Tasks in Health Care: A Position Paper of the American College of Physicians,” Annals of Internal Medicine, published online first March 28, 2017.
- "Clinical Documentation in the 21st Century," Annals of Internal Medicine, published online first February 17, 2015.
Tools and Services Offered by ACP
- Be a Champion! Advocacy Tips for the Busy Physician (webinar) - You can be an advocate! Brooke Rockwern, MPH, Health IT Policy Associate, Department of Health Policy and Regulatory Affairs, and Well-being Champion Eileen Barrett, MD, MPH, SFHM, FACP discuss what ACP is doing to advocate on behalf of physician well-being and steps you can take to advocate in your own community and chapter.
- Reducing Administrative Burden Basics – slides and handouts that can be used at local ACP Chapter meetings and educational opportunities
- Two-Pager on Reducing Administrative Tasks - Updated January 2018
- Overview of PB4P, Policy Recommendations, and Action Plan - Updated January 2018
- ACP Physician & Practice Timeline® - summary of upcoming important dates related to a variety of regulatory, payment, and delivery system changes and requirements; sign up for text alerts from the Timeline by texting ACPtimeline (no space) to (202) 952-0651 from your mobile phone.
- High Value Care Coordination Toolkit - provides resources to facilitate more effective and patient-centered communication between primary care and subspecialist doctors.
- Best Practices for E/M Clinical Documentation - resources to help physicians adapt to CMS’ 2021 evaluation and management (E/M) code changes and accompanying clinical documentation requirements.
- Medical Billing & Coding - resources pertaining to CMS’ E/M changes, ICD-10 billing codes, videos, forms, and tools.
- ACP Website - Practice Resources section - resources address:
Advocating for Internists: Feedback to Regulatory Agencies, Congress, and Other Key Stakeholders
ACP collaborates with key regulatory agencies, including CMS and ONC, to update regulations and policies to reduce excessive administrative tasks.
Comments and Responses to Regulatory and Legislative Requests
- ACP Letter of Support for H.R. 8487, The Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act
- ACP Letter to ONC Regarding Draft United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI)
- Letter to ONC Regarding Electronic Prior Authorization Standards, Implementation Specifications, and Certification Criteria Request for Information
- ACP Letter of Support for H.R. 3173, The Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021
- Comments on DEA Transfer of Electronic Prescriptions for Controlled Substances Between Pharmacies for Initial Filling Proposed Rule
- Joint Letter from America’s Frontline Physicians to Biden Administration on Priorities to Improve Health and Health Care
- Joint Letter to Congressional Leaders Supporting E/M Increases in 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule
- ACP Comments on CMS’ Proposed Rule Updating Stark Law to Accommodate Value-Based Payments
- ACP Comments on HHS OIG’s Proposed Rule Updating Anti-Kickback Statute to Accommodate Value-Based Payments
- ACP Comments on CMS RFI on the Future of Program Integrity
- ACP Comments on CMS RFI on Using Advanced Technology for Program Integrity
- ACP Statement in Support of the Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act
- ACP Response to the Senate HELP Committee on Lowering Health Care Costs
- ACP Responds to OCR's Request for Information on Modifying HIPAA Rules to Improve Coordinated Care
- ACP's Comments regarding ONC's Draft Strategy on Reducing Regulatory and Administrative Burden Relating to the Use of Health IT and EHRs
- ACP Summary of 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) & Quality Payment Program (QPP) Final Rule
- Read ACP’s Comments on 2022 Final Physician Fee Schedule & Quality Payment Program Rule
Direct Outreach to Relevant Organizations
- Joint Letter Requesting Extension of Comment Period for CMS Reducing Physician and Patient Burden Proposed Regulation
- ACP Response to CMS Request for Information on Reducing Administrative Burden
- Sign-On Letter for Proposed Exchange Program Integrity Rule
- ACP Thank You to CMS Administrator Verma for Meeting to Discuss Clinician Burden
- ACP Recommendations for CMS' Patients Over Paperwork Initiative
- ACP Feedback to CMS Regarding Meaningful Measures Initiative
- Letter to CMS Supporting "Patients Over Paperwork" and "Meaningful Measures" Initiatives
- Letter to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
- Letter to Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT
Prior Authorization
- ACP Comments on CMS Reducing Physician and Patient Burden by Improving Prior Authorization Proposed Rule
- Joint Letter to CMS on Medicare Advantage Prior Authorization Processes
- eHI Joint Letter Requesting Extension of Comment Period for CMS Reducing Physician Burden and Prior Authorization Proposed Regulation
- Sign-on Letter to CMS regarding Prior Authorization
- ACP Feedback to CMS on Reducing Prior Authorization Burden
Comments and Responses to Regulatory and Legislative Requests
- ACP Response to ONC's RFI Regarding 21st Century Cures EHR Reporting Program Criteria
- Joint Letter to CMS re Prior Authorization and Step Therapy for Part B Drugs in Medicare Advantage
- ACP Comment Letter to Senate HELP and Finance Committees regarding the Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018
- Sign-On Letter for Appropriate Use Criteria
- ACP Response to Health Innovation Caucus RFI on Value Based Payment Reforms and Arrangements and Health IT
- ACP Response to CMS' RFI on Stark Physician Self-Referral Law
- Joint Principles on Reducing Administrative Burden in Healthcare
- ACP Letter to Rep. Schweikert Regarding the Standardizing Electronic Prior Authorization for Safe Prescribing Act
- ACP Statement before the W&M Subcommittee on Health Medicare Red Tape Relief Project Roundtable
- Fee Schedule Letter
- Quality Payment Program Letter
- Ways and Means Letter
- Comments on CY19 Medicare Advantage and Part D Proposed Rule
Direct Outreach to Relevant Organizations
What You Can Do to Help
To help the Patients Before Paperwork initiative, you can provide your feedback with our new online data collection tool. This tool is a means for physicians to communicate administrative pain points with ACP staff, share best practices and innovative ideas with each other, and help inform the creation of additional tools and services. Entries will be added to the Administrative Tasks and Best Practices Library.
- Tell us about your ideas to address administrative tasks.
- Send in specific examples or vignettes explaining how these tasks have had an impact on your ability to care for a patient.
- And finally, how can ACP best serve you to address these issues?
Share Your Experiences and Tips
You may also contact us directly at policy-regs@acponline.org or discuss these issues in the Member Forum on Promoting Physician Well-being and Professional Satisfaction (ACP Membership required).
Search the ACP Policy Library
To access everything ACP has said related to Medicare reform issues search all policy statements, copies of testimony, and letters to government and non-government officials.