Wyden wants to make Medicare payments to doctors public

“The American Medical Association has zero tolerance for Medicare fraud, and studies have demonstrated that physicians are not a significant source of Medicare fraud,” AMA President Cecil Wilson said in a statement. “Medicare claims are subject to scrutiny by the Department of Justice, the Office of the Inspector General and others responsible for aggressively ferreting out improper claims. Physicians, like all Americans, have the right to privacy regarding their personal financial information, and courts have repeatedly upheld this right.”

Wyden said he hoped to get bipartisan support for his idea.

“Given the growing interest from a policy standpoint in healthcare towards being careful about heavy-handed regulation, and putting more of a focus on transparency and accountability and information … I think this gives us much stronger prospects than we would have years ago,” he said. “I think we’re on the right side of history… and we’re going to go forward with our bill.”