Legacy of Excellence Digital Flipbook

Chapter 2: 2002 – 2006

State Legislative Action Center, a collaborative venture with the American College of Surgeons that allowed a mutually beneficial focus on local scope of practice issues. This effort was aided by the Academy’s improved State Legislative Tracking Service. The Academy achieved a scope of practice victory in 2004 in response to the final rule published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in May 2003. The Academy worked to ensure that the final rule language did not alter existing regulations that stated that the individual must be referred by a physician or other licensed practitioner of the healing arts within the scope of his or her practice. Contributing to this regulator victory was the Academy’s Advocacy Center, which provided direct, online communications with members of Congress or state legislators directly on specialty-specific issues. Another scope of practice success for the Academy happened in 2004 at the state level when Michigan otolaryngology leaders teamed with the BOG and staff to successfully enact passage of model legislation that clarified the scope of practice for audiologists in the state. Seeing the value in coalition building over the years and enhancing the voice of the specialty in the name of patient care, the Academy joined with other organizations and health providers. One such collaboration resulted in 2004, when the International Hearing Society and the American Otological Society were approached to join the Academy to promote joint legislative issues affecting the deaf and hard of hearing. “We recognize that this is the time for all medicine to mend fences and come together as one voice. We must come up with the best ideas and prove our abilities to manage our patients. If we don’t take the initiative, the federal government will see the need to step in and create laws and rules that will not make the lives of our patients better or healthier,” said Robert H. Maisel, MD, 2004-2005 President, in the February 2005 Bulletin .

The visibility of the Academy before members of Congress, state legislators, regulators, and other special medical boards to advance specialty and patient interests continued to increase in 2005 and beyond. As issues became more complex, coalition building with other medical

2003: Legislative Briefing Day (March 11) was combined with BOG Meetings (March 8-10).

societies became a necessity of which the Academy embraced as an essential element of its advocacy efforts in the unchartered waters of future legislative and regulatory implications on the otolaryngology-head and neck surgery community. Richard T. Miyamoto, MD, 2006-2007 President, noted in the December 2006 Bulletin , shortly after taking office, “The advocacy efforts of our Academy are more important now than ever before. There has never been a more exciting time to practice medicine from a scientific and technological viewpoint, but the sociopolitical and economic climate is cloudy.” Through research and health policy collectively and no longer standing apart from each other, the Academy and Foundation focused on expanding its level of preparedness in the face of evolving technology and regulations in a way that still allowed measurable improvements in the quality of patient care. RESEARCH: TODAY’S EVIDENCE, TOMORROW’S PROGRESS

Philip A. Wackym, MD Coordinator for Research, 2002-2006 David L. Witsell, MD, MHS Coordinator for Research, 2006-2010

Significant expansion and diversification characterized the AAO-HNSF’s research programs. Gathering the

There are no shortages of socioeconomic, political, and governmental challenges facing medicine today. Our specialty is dedicated to meeting those challenges through collaborative and coordinated action that will preserve and protect quality care for our patients. We are much more likely to be effective in joint efforts than we are with fragmented energies.”

- David R. Nielsen, MD, EVP, February 2003 Bulletin

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