All of these goals are critical to the future of patient care in rheumatology, and all require effort—progress does not materialize without input from clinicians and patients telling state officials what is important to maintain good rheumatologic care. We cannot expect legislators and regulators to read our minds. We must educate our policymakers and be forthright in our advocacy. This requires a coordinated effort, and the ASC is here to help.
As I end my term as ASC chair, I challenge every rheumatologist and rheumatology professional to take time at least once a month to visit the ACR Legislative Action Center and become a valuable voice for the future of rheumatology. Better yet, take time to connect personally with your state representatives and senators (an email will do as an introduction), establish a relationship with your state medical society advocacy team and become a Key Contact for ACR.
Participating in the development of healthcare policy is just as important an obligation for rheumatologists as attending department meetings or visiting with your business accountant regularly. As I have discovered, if you don’t take time to manage healthcare policy through advocacy, healthcare policy will surely manage you.
Chris Adams, MD, FACP, FACR, chief of rheumatology at the East Alabama Rheumatology Center in Auburn-Opelika, was chair of the ACR’s Affiliate Society Council from 2017–2020.
