Legacy of Excellence Digital Flipbook

Chapter 5: 2017 – 2021

On April 29, 2021, the Academy issued the following statement from Dr. Denneny when President Biden and his Administration announced a Prohibition of Menthol Cigarettes and Flavored Cigars. “We stand with these organizations in support of this bold action that will help protect children from tobacco addiction, advance health equity, and save lives, especially among Black Americans who have long been targeted by the tobacco industry with predatory marketing for menthol cigarettes.” As an ongoing public safety issue, the AAO-HNS continues participating in the promotion of strict regulation and legislation of exotic cigars, snus, e-cigarettes, or any other tobacco or vaping product. “It is incumbent on the medical profession, including otolaryngology, to advocate for adequate regulation, studies of the clinical consequences of the products, and protections for the patients in these areas before Congress and the FDA,” said Dr. Denneny in the April 2019 Bulletin . Scope of Practice The AAO-HNS believes a physician-led hearing healthcare team, with coordination of services, is the best approach for providing the highest quality care to patients. The AAO-HNS strongly opposed the constant barrage of legislation at the state and federal levels that would inappropriately expand the scope of practice of nonphysician providers, particularly proposals that would permit nonphysicians to diagnose, provide audiologists with unlimited direct access to Medicare patients without a physician referral, and inappropriately include audiologists in Medicare’s definition of physician. Federal legislation opposed by the Academy during this timeframe included the Medicare Audiologist Access and Services Act of 2021 and Audiology Patient Choice Act of 2017 and Senate companion legislation Audiology Patient Choice Act. In 2018, the AAO-HNS spearheaded opposition to the 2017 legislative efforts to inappropriately expand audiology’s scope of practice and reclassify audiologists as physicians. The letter garnered more than 130 signatories from national, state, and local medical organizations. Scope of practice was further accelerated in 2020 and 2021 by the COVID-19 pandemic with the Academy further pressing on this issue as a patient safety matter. Additionally, the Academy has been working to amend the legislative language of the multi-state license

compact for Audiology and Speech Pathology, oppose unsupervised care by Physician Assistants (PAs) and supported truth-in-advertising laws defining “doctors.” Private Payer Efforts The Academy actively engaged in private payer advocacy efforts for full and appropriate coverage and reimbursement for procedures performed by otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeons to improve health outcomes. During this five-year timeframe, AAO-HNS members make the specialty’s voice heard on Capitol HIll in 2017. 2018: The American Board of Otolaryngology (ABOto) underwent a name change in June 2018, from ABOto to the American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (ABOHNS).

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