AMA Appeal to Docs: Complete 2008 Physician Practice Survey

Were you randomly selected to participate in the AMA's 2008 Physician Practice Information Survey?

Selected survey participants from more than 60 medical specialty societies should have received postcards earlier this summer outlining the AMA's efforts to conduct a comprehensive multispecialty survey of America's physicians.

However, in light of the vast amount of mail that flows into physician offices -- and the likelihood that some postcards were overlooked -- the AMA is encouraging physicians to check a recently activated Web site to see if they were among those chosen to participate.

The AMA recently reported that the survey company enlisted to collect the data had met the halfway mark in its survey response efforts. However, the low response rate from family physicians -- just 33 percent of the number required by the survey team -- is significantly behind survey response rates from some other medical specialties/subspecialties and other health professional groups, including:

According to the AMA, the practice expense section of the survey is especially critical for family physicians because CMS will use the data to help determine physician payment levels.

It takes just a few seconds for a physician to visit the 2008 Physician Practice Information Survey Web site and type in his or her first and last name and zip code. A message immediately pops up that informs the user if he or she was not selected to participate in the survey. If the physician was selected but has not completed the survey, instructions pop up on how to get started.

Physicians who were selected to participate and have questions about the survey should call (877) 816-8940 and ask to speak with an executive interviewer about the 2008 Physician Practice Information Survey.