Rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals, whether they are primarily academics or clinicians, are affected by decisions made by politicians and others who don’t necessarily understand the impact their choices make on the people they represent and serve. One of the primary benefits of ACR/ARP membership is the advocacy efforts expended on behalf of physicians, care team members and patients to steer public policy on your behalf. The ACR has professional staff and dedicated volunteers lobbying for the interests of the rheumatology community in the U.S. Congress, at federal regulatory agencies, your state capitol and with private payers.
On Nov. 12, 9–10 a.m., the ACR Legislative & Public Policy Update session at ACR Convergence 2023 will introduce those individuals and update attendees on current public policy that may impact their work, including cuts to Medicare reimbursement, prior authorization reform, step therapy reform, prescription drug pricing, supporting the medical workforce, adjusting to biosimilars, the evolution of telehealth and federal funding for biomedical research.
“Your voice matters,” says Adam Cooper, MS, ACR VP for Practice, Advocacy & Quality. “The ACR needs to hear about what’s important to you, your practice and your patients. In this session, you’ll hear about the ACR’s advocacy work on the many priority issues affecting the rheumatology community, and you’ll have an opportunity to tell the people lobbying on your behalf about the issues most impacting your practice—so those issues can be elevated.”
Learning Objectives
- Review prior year’s legislative wins and losses. Understand what current challenges face the rheumatology community and how access to care are impacted by government policy
- Learn inside information about the current happenings in Congress and the regulatory agencies
- Appreciate the ACR’s role in shaping public policy and the role of the membership in impacting change
Speakers
Chair, Government Affairs Committee
American College of Rheumatology
Loma Linda University Medical Center
Redlands, CA, United States
Disclosure information not submitted.
Amanda Grimm Wiegrefe, MScHSRA
Director, Regulatory Affairs
American College of Rheumatology
Washington, DC, United States
Disclosure(s): No financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose
Director, Congressional Affairs and Head of Washington DC Office
American College of Rheumatology
Washington, DC, United States
Disclosure(s): No financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose
Presentations
Sunday, Nov. 12
9–9:15 a.m. PST
Advocacy Year in Review and Current Issues
Speaker: Christina Downey, MD, RhMSUS, Loma Linda University Medical Center
9:15–9:30 a.m. PST
Legislative Update: What Is Happening in Congress
Speaker: Lennie McDaniel, JD, American College of Rheumatology
9:30–9:45 a.m. PST
Policy Update: What Is Happening at CMS and the FDA
Speaker: Amanda Grimm Wiegrefe, MSc, American College of Rheumatology
9:45–10 a.m. PST
Questions & Answers
Key Sessions to Help Support Your Practice
12S119: Making the Clinic a One-Stop Shop: In-Office Dispensing
Sunday, Nov. 12
11 a.m.–12 p.m. PST
Location: Room 30D-E
Speakers: Ashley Beal, MD, Gary Feldman, MD, Colin Sheffield, PharmD
12S123: Challenges in Access to Care: Payor Issues, Prior Authorizations and Practice
Sunday, Nov. 12
12–1 p.m. PST
Location: Room 26A-B
Speaker: Brian Henderson, Robert Levin, MD, Wendy Ramey, BS
14T119: Optimizing Access to In-Office Treatments
Tuesday, Nov. 14
9–10 a.m. PST
Location: Room 26A-B
Speakers: Angus Worthing, MD, Joy Schechtman, DO, FACR
14T169: What Your Practice Managers Wish You Knew Presented by NORM
Tuesday, Nov. 14
4–5 p.m. PST
Location: Room 26A-B
Speakers: Nancy Ellis, MBA, Michelle Owen, Alicia Sullivan
Find more information in the full online program.