Legacy of Excellence Digital Flipbook

LEGACY OF EXCELLENCE

ELEVATING THE ADVOCACY VOICE THROUGH CONCERTED HEALTH POLICY AND GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS EFFORTS Gary T. Turner, MD, Coordinator for Practice Management, 1997-2003 James C. Denneny III, MD, Coordinator for Socioeconomic Affairs, 2002-2007 The healthcare environment was such that payments were down, malpractice premiums were skyrocketing, regulatory burden and compliance requirements seemed insurmountable and unfair. Additionally, patients still did not have a bill of rights and there were unprecedented demands by certain payers to give back payments. “We have specific legislative goals to promote, as well as responses to friends and adversaries who will propose legislation that will affect our patients or our membership. At times the battle may look daunting and endless, but we are committed to protecting the best interest of our patients and our specialty. We are prepared to act on both a federal and state level with legislative and regulatory actions. Often our victories are won one issue or one state at a time,” shared Dr. Nielsen in the September 2005 Bulletin . The Academy marched on with new initiatives in the ongoing campaign to preserve otolaryngology’s role as the key specialty for diagnosing and treating

disorders of the ear, nose, throat, and related structures of the head and neck. These included a greater presence in Washington, DC, a special focus on state healthcare legislation and regulatory actions, and coalition building among medical/healthcare societies with similar agendas. “These are interesting and difficult times in medicine. Our specialty is not immune to the problems that face the house of medicine in general. Most of these issues have a financial underpinning. Unfortunately, decisions for patients are now being made on the basis of cost and not what is medically best for the individual patient,” said Dr. Cannon in the May 2006 Bulletin . The Academy’s considerable legislative agenda during this timeframe validated the decision to establish an onsite presence in Washington, DC, for the Department of Health Policy and Government Affairs. The Washington, DC, office recognized that advancing the Academy’s interest on Capitol Hill remained an ongoing process, reflecting the nation’s long-term struggle to ensure quality care for patients despite the conflicting interests of overlapping specialties, insurance companies, and other healthcare providers. On June 23, 2005, the AAO-HNS Government Affairs and Advocacy Department moved to a new location in closer proximity to Capitol Hill. “Your Academy is heavily vested in advocacy efforts to promote the political process in directions that will strengthen your practice and sustain access to outstanding otolaryngologic care for your patients,” noted Dr. Johnson in the September 2003 Bulletin . Presenting members’ views and special concerns before government and commercial enterprises remained a key mission of the Academy. Issues and legislation addressed by the Academy before House and Senate members included Medicare physician payment rates and relative value units; medical malpractice reform; antitrust relief; Patient Bill of Rights/managed care reform; scope of practice by audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and oral and maxillofacial surgeons; HIPAA medical privacy final rule; Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) regulations; infant hearing screening funding; and Federal funding for biomedical clinical research focused on otolaryngology-head and neck surgery areas. In putting out the call for Academy members to participate in the grassroots advocacy efforts that seek

2002: It was the first time that both candidates for AAO-HNS/F President were women—M. Jennifer Derebery, MD, and Nancy L. Snyderman, MD. The election of Dr. Derebery marked the first time a woman was elected AAO-HNS/F President.

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