Episode
From Capitol Hill to the Clinic: Incoming MGMA Board Chair Jeff Smith on Burnout, Prior Authorization, and the Future of Care
- Podcast
- MGMA Podcasts
- Published
- Apr 8, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1959
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://mgma-podcasts.transistor.fm/760
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Summary
This episode of the MGMA Insights Podcast opens with Jeff Smith , CEO of Piedmont Healthcare and MGMA’s incoming board chair, delivering testimony before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging . Speaking on behalf of MGMA members, Jeff laid out the real-world consequences of administrative burden — from prior authorization and regulatory pressure to physician burnout, staffing strain, and threats to patient access. Following the opening testimony, Jeff joins host Daniel Williams, Sr. Editor at MGMA , for a wide-ranging conversation that expands on those themes, exploring what policymakers often miss, how payment and workforce challenges are reshaping independent practice, and what it will take to reduce burnout and let physicians — and their teams — focus on caring for patients again. Episode Takeaways Burnout is no longer theoretical — it’s driving physicians out of practice. In MGMA’s 2026 administrative burden survey, more than half of responding practices reported losing a physician to burnout in the past three years, with over 75% citing regulatory burden as a major contributor. Prior authorization is compounding workforce and access problems. More authorizations and denials increase staff workload, push physicians into unpaid administrative work, and delay or prevent patient care — often leading to higher downstream costs when patients end up sicker in the ER or hospital. Payment policy and administrative skepticism are sending mixed signals to physicians. While E&M codes have increased, physicians feel continuously second-guessed through audits, measures, and utilization controls — undermining the message that they are truly the “quarterbacks of care.” Primary care faces a pipeline problem. Medical students increasingly choose higher-paying specialties,…