Congressman Gregory F. Murphy, MD, presented “Representative Murphy’s Vision for Medical Reform” for the Grand Rounds in Urology audience in March 2022.

How to cite: Murphy, Gregory F. Representative Murphy’s Vision for Medical Reform.” March 2022. Accessed Jul 2024. https://grandroundsinurology.com/representative-murphys-vision-for-medical-reform/

Representative Murphy’s Vision for Medical Reform

Congressman Gregory F. Murphy, MD, a practicing urologist and the Representative from North Carolina’s 3rd District, shares his vision for medical reform to help cut costs, ensure appropriate physician reimbursement, and improve care with E. David Crawford, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Grand Rounds in Urology and Professor of Urology at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Crawford congratulates Rep. Murphy on his recent assignment to the House Ways and Means Committee, where his position on the Subcommittee on Health will allow him to help set the agenda on medical reform. Dr. Murphy lists the top issues he feels need to be addressed to move medicine forward, including cutting regulation, increasing predictability in what doctors are going to get paid, and improving the accessibility of healthcare to the average American. Dr. Crawford and Rep. Murphy elaborate on these topics, first commenting on the rise of middlemen in healthcare, and discussing how this can limit doctors’ ability to make the correct choices for their patients. They then consider causes and potential solutions to high prices, from getting rid of direct-to-consumer advertising of pharmaceuticals to having doctors take the lead on cutting costs by choosing more inexpensive treatments and reducing waste. Rep. Murphy also comments on the current status of the No Surprises Act, which is intended to end high out-of-network medical bills. Dr. Crawford and Rep. Murphy conclude with a brief discussion of the VA.

For more on legislation affecting the medical field from GRU, check out Congressman Greg Murphy, MD, on the Urologist Shortage.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Originally from Raleigh, Congressman Greg Murphy graduated magna cum laude from Davidson College in 1985. He attended UNC School of Medicine graduating with Honors. After completing his residency in Urology and Renal Transplantation at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, he and his wife, Wendy, settled in Greenville, NC to begin his practice. Dr. Murphy has been the President of Eastern Urological Associates in Greenville, an Affiliate Professor and Chief of the Division of Urology at the ECU School of Medicine, Davidson College’s Alumni President and served on Davidson’s Board of Trustees. Outside of work, he has traveled extensively for the last 35 years as a Medical Missionary, including to India, several parts of Africa, Nicaragua, and Haiti.

Dr. Murphy’s professional career has been primarily one of clinical practice and administrative leadership positions. His surgical practice site is Vidant Medical Center, which serves 29 eastern NC counties. He served for three years as Chief of Staff of the Medical Center.

As a newcomer to politics, Dr. Murphy served in the North Carolina House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. During his second term in the General Assembly, he served as Senior Chair of Health Policy and Chair of Health and Human Services Appropriations. Dr. Murphy was the Primary Sponsor of both the STOP Act and the HOPE Act, North Carolina’s two main legislative actions to combat the Opioid Crisis. He led efforts to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in the state’s Medicaid system which saved the state hundreds of millions of dollars during his tenure.

Dr. Murphy was sworn in to the U.S. Representatives in September 2019, replacing the late Congressman Walter B Jones, Jr. He serves on the House Committee on Education and Labor as well as the House Veterans Affairs Committee.