Regulatory burdens continue to mount for physician practices (Fierce Healthcare)

The administrative weight on physician practices is not just heavy — it is getting heavier, and Medicare Advantage is at the center of it. A new MGMA survey of over 230 group practices found that 95% reported an increase in regulatory burden over the past three years, with prior authorization, MA denials, and automatic downcoding ranking among the top pain points. The numbers behind the burden are striking: 40% of practices now employ three or more full-time administrative staff per physician just to manage regulatory requirements — a resource allocation that speaks to how deeply these demands have restructured the economics of running a practice.