The world in which we currently practice is not the same one we knew five to 10 years ago. Insurers second-guess our decisions and create numerous hurdles for us to overcome before our patients can be treated. Government agencies are seeking ways to reduce healthcare expenditures and improve what they perceive as a lack of quality and consistency in healthcare delivery. These groups, as well as Congress and employers (who purchase benefits for their employees), have begun a concerted effort to grade rheumatologists on the basis of what they perceive to be quality and efficiency and then pay us according to those criteria.
Legislative Priorities in 2007
In 2007, the ACR Government Affairs Committee will focus on correcting the Medicare reimbursement formula, countering increased cuts to diagnostic imaging, and the enactment of the Arthritis Prevention, Control, and Cure Act. Increasing advocacy among ACR members will also be a top priority.
ACR Legislative Reception
The ACR Government Affairs Committee and ARHP Advocacy Subcommittee met in Washington, DC, on September 26 to discuss current legislative priorities and to participate in their annual legislative reception on Capitol Hill. Committee members and staff exchanged ideas on ways to increase advocacy and political involvement from ACR/ ARHP members. Increasing advocacy is a primary focus for the Government Affairs Committee (GAC) and Advocacy Subcommittee because it is essential that Congress be aware of the magnitude of our concerns.
ACR Activism Resources
Practice advocacy: not just for private practitioners
Consumers Add Perspective to Arthritis Research
It has been my distinct pleasure to work with consumer collaborators—people living with arthritis—on research projects, advisory boards, and review panels, in consensus meetings to establish research agendas, and as co-educators in health professional programs. Those I work with have chosen the term “consumer collaborator” to reflect their contribution to and eventual use of our partnerships, although others might call them patients or clients.
The Rheumatologist
One of many information resources from ACR
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