Letter to Medicare to Change Private Practice Representation

Healthcare Advisory Committee

c/o Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Office of the Administrator

200 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20201

Dear Members of the Healthcare Advisory Committee,

Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Administrator Oz:

I am writing as a neurologist with more than 30 years in independent private practice. My patients are Medicare beneficiaries with complex, chronic neurologic conditions including multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, dementia, and Parkinson’s disease. These patients require continuous, longitudinal management and coordination across providers — care that independent physicians like me deliver every day without the administrative layers of large health systems.

The newly formed 18-member Healthcare Advisory Committee, announced on March 26–27, 2026, has no representation from any independent, community-based, or small-group private-practice physician. None of the physicians appointed to the panel are practicing physicians on the front lines. The listed MDs hold executive or leadership roles in large health systems, value-based care companies, or national associations:

•  Robert Bessler, MD – CEO of Honest Health and former CEO of Sound Physicians

•  David Carmouche, MD – Chief Medical & Commercial Officer at Lumeris

•  Clive Fields, MD – Chief Medical Officer of VillageMD

•  Kyu Rhee, MD – President and CEO of the National Association of Community Health Centers

•  Linda Thomas-Hemak, MD – President and CEO of The Wright Centers

The remainder of the committee is composed of hospital system executives, venture capital representatives, and policy insiders.

This is not a minor omission. Roughly 250,000 physicians — approximately 25 percent of all doctors in the United States — practice in independent or small-group settings. We are the physicians who manage chronic illness in the community, often serving as the only consistent point of contact for patients and families over many years. The absence of this perspective means the committee lacks direct, real-world insight into how Medicare payment structures, prior-authorization requirements, Medicare Advantage restrictions, and documentation burdens actually affect care delivery.

During the COVID-19 era, this country would have been much better served by having a plethora of independent physicians and independent thinkers who didn’t just follow vaccine mandates from large hospitals and healthcare entities. I am a big believer in individual liberty which is given to us in the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution.

This omission harms not only physicians but millions of Medicare patients. When independent practices close or stop accepting Medicare Advantage patients because of unsustainable administrative and financial pressures, patients lose continuity of care, longer travel times to specialists, and reduced access to the longitudinal relationships that improve outcomes in chronic disease. Current Medicare policies already favor large health systems with higher reimbursement rates for the same services, accelerating the decline of independent practice. Without frontline independent voices, the committee risks recommending policies that further erode patient access and choice.

This concern is shared by more than 1,188 Americans who have signed my petition https://c.org/cvgq4yD5w7   It is titled “Save Private Medical Practice – Restore Patient Choice and Physician Independence.” I have attached a current summary of the petition signatures for your review.  Also, please go to my website www.saveprivatepracticemedicine.org.   If you click the below this is also a way to see the petition signatures: 

https://www.change.org/p/save-private-medical-practice-restore-patient-choice-and-physician-independence/dashboard?download=a09bc696-d47a-4413-a759-4ef8ae0d4e57

Please see op-ed attached above that will be published in Kevin MD and Doximity Op-Med.   I did a video podcast with Kevin MD with over 30,000 views and thousands of views and comments on instagram (@tzorfasneurology) - please click here to see the video: https://t.co/13VKpK5Avj

I respectfully urge the Committee to seek meaningful input from independent, community-based physicians as it begins its important work. I am happy to provide additional information, testify, or participate in any capacity that would help ensure balanced representation.

Thank you for your service and for considering this request.

Sincerely,

Scott D. Tzorfas, MD

Independent Neurologist