From The College April 2006

The complete newsletter is available in PDF format, below.

Featured Article

Advocacy Day Nets Additional Sponsors

ACR Secures More Sponsors Through Hill Day Activities

The Arthritis Prevention, Control and Cure Act is six signatures closer to a vote, thanks in part to our Hill Day.

On March 5-6, the ACR sponsored its annual “Advocates for Arthritis Capitol Hill Day Visits” events. The Government Affairs Committee, chaired by Joseph Flood, MD, led physicians, health professionals and patients to Washington, DC, to advocate on behalf of the ACR and ARHP. Participants from more than 25 states visited over 200 Congressional offices, educating them on issues that are of major concern to people who live with and are affected by arthritis and other rheumatic diseases.

2005 Issues Remain Critical
The three issues discussed during the Hill visits included encouraging Congress to pass the Arthritis Prevention, Control and Cure Act (S. 424/H.R. 583), fair physician reimbursement, and increased funding for programs that influence arthritis research funding.

Legislation
The long-awaited arthritis legislation has its best chance of passage this year. Through the ACR’s advocacy efforts, the number of co-sponsors is rising steadily. At the time of this writing, in the House, the bill has 167 co-sponsors. A good threshold for placing the legislation on the consent calendar for a vote on the floor is 218. In the Senate, the bill has 38 co-sponsors, and a good target is 45 or 50. These numbers include one additional senator and five additional representatives who signed on after our hill day visits.

Research Funding
Funding for arthritis research is a perennial issue for our community, and now more than ever. In these times of budget crises, the rheumatology community must continue to impress upon Congress the importance of arthritis and other related rheumatic diseases to maintain necessary research funding. The President’s proposed FY 2007 budget includes cuts to the Center’s for Disease Control and
The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Where the National Institute of Health receives the same funding level as the FY 2006 budget, the ACR’s issue brief asks for protection of the current CDC and NIAMS budget, and inflation-tied increases to the NIH research budgets that impact arthritis research funding.

Fair Pay
With its final issue brief, the ACR continues to seek a fix for the flawed Sustainable Growth Rate system, which is part of the formula the government uses to calculate Medicare reimbursement levels for physicians, either with its removal or a fix. Among its problems, when overall spending on services in the SGR exceeds the per capita gross domestic product, cuts to physician reimbursement are triggered. The SGR also includes the costs of drugs covered under Medicare Part B, a cost over which physicians have no control.

The rheumatology community must keep the pressure up on this issue. Our success last year in working with other medical organizations to reverse the proposed 4% cut in Medicare reimbursement is a good example of how high the stakes are, and how much impact your voice can have.

On Sunday afternoon, participants attended a training session led by our Washington representatives, Patton Boggs, LLC. In this session, advocates learned how to lobby Congress, what to expect when visiting a Congressional office, and more about ACR issues. The night wrapped up with a dinner featuring Danielle Turnipseed, health legislative aide to Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ), who discussed the current climate for health related legislation in Washington and gave advocates an idea of a staffer’s view of legislative visits. She also shared her personal experiences with rheumatic diseases. Monday was dedicated to visits - over 200 of them. By all accounts, the weekend was a success.

The ACR and ARHP were pleased to have a strong delegation from the membership. Nearly all of the Government Affairs Committee and the Committee on Rheumatologic Care Regional Advisory Council took part, as well as representatives from the ARHP’s Advocacy Subcommittee. ARHP President-Elect Karen Kerr, MSN, NP, CPNP, APRN-BC, and Secretary-Treasurer Kim Kimpton, PT, as well as two ACR Board members, Gary Bryant, MD, and David Borenstein, MD, also took part in some of the weekend’s events. ACR President Peggy Crow, MD, also sat in with the committee and the advocates’ training session and dinner.

Take Action! To view the issue briefs taken to Capitol Hill visit www.rheumatology.org/advocacy. To ask your Senator or Representative to support the Arthritis Prevention, Control and Cure Act (S. 424/ H.R. 583), visit the Legislative Action Center at www.rheumatology.org/advocacy/federal/takeaction.asp.