By Sara Hussey, MBA, CAE
Washington, DC | February 23–25, 2026
In late February, I joined physician leaders from across the country in Washington, DC for the American Medical Association National Advocacy Conference (NAC). The conference brings together organized medicine to share frontline experiences, strengthen advocacy skills, and elevate physician voices on policies that protect patient access to care and support the sustainability of the medical profession.
This year’s agenda focused on national priorities including Medicare physician payment reform, prior authorization, Medicaid access, and healthcare affordability. Yet beyond the policy specifics, many of the most powerful conversations centered on trust, communication, and the evolving role of physicians in an increasingly complex healthcare environment.
I encourage any Allegheny County Medical Society member interested in advocacy to consider attending the conference in 2027. Based on interest, ACMS can explore opportunities to help support travel expenses. This conference offers a valuable opportunity for ACMS physicians to engage directly in national policy discussions and bring the perspective of our local medical community to the table.
For more information, visit: https://www.ama-assn.org/member-benefits/events/national-advocacy-conference
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Communicating medicine in an era of skepticism
Physician and journalist Dr. Sanjay Gupta spoke about the growing erosion of trust in institutions and information sources. In a world shaped by social media and fragmented news consumption, he noted, people increasingly “trust nothing,” making credible voices more important than ever.
Physicians are uniquely positioned to fill that gap, but doing so requires intentional communication. Dr. Gupta noted that preparing a two-minute CNN segment can take hours of work to ensure clarity and accuracy for those absorbing the content. The same principle applies in the exam room: simplifying complex medical information is not “dumbing it down,” but making it understandable.
Dr. Gupta also reflected on how physicians and scientists were sometimes perceived as overly certain during COVID, which at times came off as arrogancy. He reminded that
audience that demonstrating humility – including saying “I don’t know” when appropriate -can strengthen credibility and build trust.
Rather than focusing on persuasion, he encouraged physicians to offer perspective. Data and policy matter, but behind every statistic is a human story. Helping patients and policymakers understand those lived experiences can bridge divides more effectively than argument alone.
He also underscored the importance of global perspective, noting the value international medical graduates bring to the U.S. healthcare system and warning that visa restrictions risk limiting those essential contributions.
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Affordability, transparency, and system pressures
Entrepreneur Mark Cuban delivered a candid critique of structural inefficiencies driving healthcare costs. He highlighted opaque pricing structures, pharmacy benefit manager practices, and insurance designs that leave patients effectively uninsured despite coverage.
“If you can’t afford your deductible,” he noted, “you might as well not have insurance.”
His message was straightforward: healthcare affordability cannot be separated from real household economics. For many families, high deductibles and out-of-pocket costs create barriers to accessing care.
Cuban also spoke to the growing financial pressures facing independent physicians and pharmacists, emphasizing that meaningful reform often occurs when stakeholders consistently raise their voices and advocate for transparency and accountability.
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Navigating a shifting federal landscape
The message from Washington was unmistakable: disruption isn’t easing. In fact, it’s accelerating.
Political volatility, regulatory shifts, and the approaching midterm elections are shaping a policy environment where priorities can change quickly and implementation remains uncertain. Policy direction is increasingly influenced not only by legislation, but also by executive actions, regulatory adjustments, and broader economic pressures.
Healthcare affordability will remain central to national debate, but the path forward is anything but straightforward. Analysts noted that with the balance of power in Congress
potentially tightening or shifting, healthcare policy may continue to recalibrate rather than settle into predictability.
For physicians, the challenge is navigating not only what may change, but how and when those changes take effect.
One message rose above the noise: trust lives locally. Patients may distrust institutions and politics, but they trust their own physicians. That trust gives physician voices credibility – and responsibility.
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Practice sustainability, payment, and administrative burden
Conference discussions highlighted growing concern about physician compensation, practice sustainability, and the long-term viability of patient access to care.
As AMA Immediate Past President Bruce Scott, MD noted, “If there aren’t any doctors, there won’t be any access for beneficiaries,” underscoring the urgency of ensuring payment models and policies support a sustainable physician workforce.
Speakers explored the ongoing tension between market forces and policy design in determining physician compensation, as well as structural inequities such as site-of-service payment differences and indirect practice expense challenges that can influence where and how care is delivered.
At the same time, administrative burden continues to erode the time physicians can devote to patient care. Prior authorization and utilization management processes, originally developed to promote appropriate care and cost stewardship, now frequently delay treatment and strain physician–patient relationships.
Chris Klomp, Deputy Administrator and Director for the Center for Medicare at CMS, emphasized the need to strengthen the physician practice environment and reduce administrative complexity so physicians can focus on patient care rather than paperwork. He noted that meaningful change requires a combination of legislation, regulation, and convening stakeholders – and that regulatory reform is an ongoing process rather than a one-time fix.
Speakers also discussed how prior authorization has evolved over time. What began as a safeguard to ensure appropriate care has expanded into a process that can fracture trust among physicians, payers, and patients, with patients often bearing the greatest burden.
Administrative complexity extends beyond prior authorization. Medicaid eligibility processes and documentation requirements, along with broader utilization management
policies, add layers of friction to an already stretched system. Federal leaders acknowledged the need to modernize these processes, explore automation where appropriate, and reduce unnecessary administrative work so physicians can spend more time caring for patients.
The overarching message was clear: sustaining access to care requires policies that support physicians, reduce unnecessary administrative barriers, and maintain trust at the center of the healthcare experience.
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Artificial intelligence and the future of care
Artificial intelligence surfaced repeatedly throughout the conference, reflecting both its rapid integration into healthcare and the questions it raises for physicians, patients, and care delivery.
During his session on the role of physicians in the AI era, Dhruv Khullar, MD, MPP, Associate Professor at Weill Cornell Medical College and Director of the Physicians Foundation Center for the Study of Physician Practice and Leadership, described AI as a technology with extraordinary promise, and significant responsibility.
One of the greatest opportunities for AI, he noted, is reducing administrative burden. By offloading clerical tasks and documentation demands, AI has the potential to return time to patient care and restore space for the human relationships at the center of medicine.
AI may also function as an effective patient navigator, not steering patients around the healthcare system, but helping guide them through it. Other emerging applications include supporting diagnostic synthesis, accelerating drug development and repurposing, and streamlining routine, transactional care.
Other speakers suggested that within the next five to seven years, certain routine processes, such as medication refills and other transactional care functions, may become increasingly automated. The is not to serve replacement of physicians, but relief from repetitive tasks that can redirect time and attention back to patient relationships.
At the same time, presenters emphasized important cautions.
Physicians must remain the final arbiters of clinical decisions. AI should serve as an input, not a substitute, for medical judgment. As tools become more autonomous, safety considerations increase, and maintaining physician oversight becomes essential.
Khullar stressed that trust remains the most important issue in healthcare. Responsible deployment of AI will require transparency about how these tools are used, humility about
their limitations, and a commitment to helping patients understand their role in care decisions.
He also raised questions that extend beyond technology itself: – How do physicians maintain agency in an increasingly automated environment? – What happens when AI recommendations conflict with patient expectations? – Are we collecting the data needed to evaluate effectiveness and safety?
This session emphasized that professional guidance and physician leadership must shape how these technologies are integrated into care delivery. Too much regulation risks stifling innovation; too little risks a “wild west” environment. Finding the right balance will depend on the level of autonomy involved and the degree of clinical oversight.
Importantly, AI will not replace the need for clinical knowledge, judgment, and meaningful patient relationships. In fact, as technology advances, the ability to communicate, interpret nuance, and build trust may become even more essential.
The emerging consensus was clear: AI will transform workflows and support clinical decision-making, but its success will depend on physician leadership, data-driven evaluation, and a steadfast commitment to patient trust.
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Advocacy on Capitol Hill
As part of the conference, the Pennsylvania delegation met with members of Congress and their staff to share frontline perspectives from physicians and patients.
I was paired with PAMED Board Chair Lorraine Rosamilia, MD, and PAMED staff member Allison Meckley for our Hill visits. We met with Rep. Lloyd Smucker (PA-11) to discuss national policy priorities and how potential Medicare changes could affect constituents as implementation timelines approach in 2027.
In a meeting with Gillian Mueller from Rep. Chris Deluzio’s office, we discussed opportunities to collaborate more closely with ACMS and our physician members. I offered ACMS as a resource should the Congressman seek physician insight, clinical perspective, or testimony on issues affecting patient care. The conversation was productive and efficient, as Rep. Deluzio is aligned on many of the issues that we are focused on advocating for as an organization.
Our delegation also met with staff from Senator John Fetterman and Senator Dave McCormick, reinforcing the importance of continued dialogue between policymakers and practicing physicians.
These conversations help ensure that the realities of patient care in Allegheny County inform federal policy decisions.
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Why this matters locally
Healthcare policy may be written in Washington, but its consequences show up in our exam rooms, waiting rooms, and late-night phone calls with worried families.
Patients may be skeptical of systems, insurers, or government, but they trust their own physicians. They trust the familiar face who helps them make sense of frightening diagnoses, navigate complex decisions, and find reassurance in uncertain moments.
When physicians speak up, sharing real patient experiences, advocating for fewer barriers to care, and protecting practice environments that allow them to serve their communities, you help to ensure that policy is grounded in humanity, not abstraction.
County medical societies play an essential role in connecting those lived experiences to policymaking. By elevating physician voices and patient stories, we help safeguard access to care and strengthen the health and resilience of our region.
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Moving forward
Advocacy is not a single trip to Washington or a single trip to visit your local legislator. It is a continuous commitment to patients, communities, and the future of medicine.
Whether communicating with patients, elevating frontline experiences, advocating for affordability and access, or guiding the responsible use of emerging technologies, physicians help shape a healthcare system grounded in trust and compassion.
In a time of rapid change, one truth remains constant: the voice of a trusted physician carries extraordinary weight. Staying engaged ensures that voice continues to guide a system worthy of the people it serves.
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Trust remains the cornerstone of care. By providing perspective – not just data – physicians can bridge divides and shape better policy.
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What Physicians Should Watch Heading into 2026
- Affordability will drive policy decisions Healthcare costs and household economic pressures will shape priorities.
- Expect continued policy movement Regulatory actions and election dynamics may shift direction quickly.
- Administrative burden remains under scrutiny Prior authorization and documentation reform remain key pressure points.
- Independent practice sustainability Payment and regulatory policy will influence community-based care viability.
- AI adoption is accelerating Transparency, safety, and physician oversight will guide responsible use.
- Trust is local Patients trust their physicians — making physician voices essential.