A group of primary care doctors in Augusta has filed a federal lawsuit against the agencies that oversee Medicare.

The suit argues that the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services is using an illegal system to decide Medicare payments to doctors.

Doctor Paul Fischer is the founder of the Center for Primary Care in Augusta and the leader of the suit. He says an American Medical Association committee called the R-U-C has undue influence over how Medicare dollars are spent.

"The RUC is the crux of the problem.They have caused the whole system to be procedure oriented than patient oriented. And they have caused the system to do more procedures to patients than the patients really need."

A spokesperson for the R-U-C said the committee only makes recommendations as any citizen has the right to do. Their recommendations are usually made public by the government.

Tags: Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dr. Paul Fischer, American Medical Association