MAA members can help shape Georgia health policy, weighing in on key issues facing medicine by participating in the Medical Association of Georgia's (MAG) policy-setting House of Delegates (HOD) and its annual legislative seminar. More information on MAG's advocacy efforts can be found here.

Medical Association of Georgia Physicians' Day at the Capitol 2024

MAA Advocacy Today

NEW WEBINAR "Advocacy: How to get involved and why it matters" featuring MAA President Dr. Cody McClatchey and MAA Board Member Dr. Christopher McAdams.

Dr. Anna Skold on advocacy opportunities through the MAA:

“Being the person who stands in front of a senator or representative and educates them on a topic you’re very passionate about, then having them take that information and do something that helps many patients, that is a great feeling. I love taking care of patients, I love fixing something for a patient or a family, but there is a something to be said for keeping you passionate about medicine overall by making larger contributions to healthcare and public health and policy.” Read more for Dr. Skold here.

Dr. Carmen Kavali on The Georgia Alliance for Patient Protection Foundation:

The Georgia Alliance for Patient Protection Foundation exists to 'ensure physician-led care for all Georgians and to promote truth and transparency regarding healthcare credentials'. Can you tell us more about what inspired you to fight for this vision? 

I have so much respect for medical education and for the healthcare teams that come together to give patients the care they need.  Over the decades of my time in medicine, though, I’ve seen erosion of the team concept, including replacement of physicians with non-physician practitioners.  Patients aren’t able to access physician-led care, and it’s not necessarily because a physician isn’t available, but because corporate entities who have taken control of many facilities choose to offer care from non-physician practitioners to the exclusion of physicians. At the same time, many non-physicians have developed doctorate programs and now freely use the title of “doctor” in clinical settings.  While earning a doctorate certainly allows someone to use the title of “doctor”, it becomes confusing for patients, who don’t understand exactly who is treating them.  Prior surveys by the AMA have shown that 39% of people surveyed believed someone with a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree is a physician; 11% weren’t sure.  That’s half of all patients surveyed either confused about credentials or completely wrong about them.  62% thought someone with a Doctor of Medical Science degree is a physician, and that’s also completely incorrect.  There is no place for confusion when it comes to informed consent for patients.  Truth and transparency regarding healthcare credentials is something every patient should be able to count on, and something nobody could honestly argue against. I also believe these issues, while national in scope, are best addressed on the local level within each state.  That’s why I created the Georgia Alliance for Patient Protection.

Why is this issue so crucial for physicians at this time?

The focus of GAPP is two-fold.  The first is ensuring physician-led care for all Georgians.  The second is promoting truth and transparency regarding healthcare credentials. In recent years, there has been a massive amount of consolidation in healthcare.  Hospital systems merging into mega-systems and private equity groups buying physician practices are examples of this.  In the corporatization of medicine, we typically see increased use of non-physician practitioners.  My own family members have difficulty making appointments with physicians, or are told their appointment is with a physician, but are switched to a non-physician practitioner on the day of the visit without prior notice or consent.  It’s time for physicians to remind patients of the importance of physician-led care, that our training is long and arduous for reason, and that they deserve physician-led care.  It’s also time for physicians to educate the policy-makers about the costs associated with decreased physician involvement in patient care. It has been shown in numerous studies that removing physicians from the care team leads to increased testing, increased (unnecessary) specialty referrals, increased unnecessary biopsies, and, in some cases, increased use of antibiotics, steroids, and opioids.  We can’t stand back and continue to watch the erosion of our healthcare system.  Standing up for physician-led care is one thing we can do to improve patient outcomes. With the increased utilization of non-physician practitioners comes the need for increased transparency for patients.  Of course there are times that a non-physician practitioner is perfectly appropriate to evaluate and treat a patient, but the patient should always be clear about who is treating them, never confused. 

Are there groups in other locations that you are partnering with to further your mission?

GAPP was created as an Alliance from the start. The idea behind the organization was to immediately clarify our mission and vision. Once that was done, we formulated our first project: The Healthcare Practitioners Truth and Transparency Act, legislation to support clarity for patients.  With that legislation motivating us, we began to talk with other physician organizations about joining our alliance, partnering with GAPP to promote our mission.  I’m so thankful that the Medical Association of Atlanta immediately agreed to publicly ally with GAPP.  The Georgia Society of Anesthesiologists was a quick second ally, as GAPP’s focus on physician-led care certainly includes the operating room.  Finally, the Medical Association of Georgia became part of our alliance, working with GAPP to earn an American Medical Association Scope of Practice Partnership grant to further our mission.  We hope, with the success of SB 197, the Healthcare Practitioners Truth and Transparency Act, that other organizations will see value in joining our alliance.

How did you form the Board? 

That’s easy! I called my friends and colleagues whom I knew were invested in the GAPP mission and had leadership experience that could help grow the organization.  The first call I made was to Billy Silver, MD, a facial plastic surgeon and prior President of the Medical Association of Georgia.  I knew he had a wealth of knowledge about the legislative process and a huge physician network. I’m thankful he didn’t hesitate to join the Board.  The second call I made was to Kelly Coffman, MD, MPH, a psychiatrist in Roswell.  I knew she had run for office in the state legislature, has a thriving practice, and has a passion for physician-led care.  She also didn’t hesitate to ask, “what’s next?”  Finally, Amanda Brown, MD, came to the Board through the Georgia Society of Anesthesiologists.  She is an anesthesiologist herself, and absolutely understands how critical it is to have the right care at the right time by the right physician. We have many other physicians and non-physicians as unofficial advisors to the organization.  It definitely takes a village to make it run successfully.

When did this process begin? How long has this alliance been in the works, and were there certain steps that you would recommend to others looking for form similar groups to support their own advocacy efforts?

The organizational process began last year, when it was clear that Georgia physicians needed to go on the offense for a change.  We spend so much of our advocacy time battling changes that tear down the physician-led team, and I thought it was time that we do something to proactively protect physician-led care and to ensure transparency for patients. There was a lot of thinking that came before the doing.  Thinking about what GAPP should look like, creating clear mission and vision statements, defining the major work for the upcoming legislative session, creating a website for the GAPP Foundation (theGAPP.org), and hiring a lobbyist for GAPP were all part of the work.

What is the best way for MAA members to get involved? Is there a certain day during this legislative session that would be particularly impactful to show support?

We would love for any interested physicians to join in!  We send occasional email updates and have periodic virtual meetings, so pitching in is pretty painless. This legislative session just ended yesterday, and I’m thrilled to report that Senate Bill 197, the Healthcare Practitioners Truth and Transparency Act is headed to the desk of Governor Kemp for signature.  We had an amazing first effort, with passage of flagship legislation in a single session.  Just shows what a small group of dedicated individuals can accomplish, so imagine what we can do with even more people involved!

When physicians make a donation, what kinds of educational tools are you planning share with the public, and are you looking for assistance in creating these?

We intend to create social media tools to educate the public and legislators about our mission.  One-pagers, flyers, and website content are all on the list.  It was our intent to create some of these in past months, but SB 197 was moving so quickly that those ended up on the back burner.  With the passage of SB 197, we’ll be able to refocus on this type of content, and would absolutely love assistance in creating and distributing them.  We are also working on our next legislative priorities and will share those soon. Your donation to GAPP supports our legislative work. A donation to the GAPP Foundation supports our educational work. Both are critical to our success.

Read more about The Georgia Alliance for Patient Protection Foundation