Advocacy & Practice Updates — Advocacy & Practice
ASRS Members Press Congress on Step Therapy, Medicare Pay During Alliance Advocacy Day
A record number of ASRS members participated in the Alliance of Specialty Medicine’s Virtual Advocacy Day. Nearly 20 retina specialists have joined their colleagues across specialty medicine to advocate directly to Congress for our shared policy priorities.
Some of the topics discussed included recommendations that Congress prevent future cuts to Medicare physician payment and implement an inflationary update to the fee schedule, as well as urging lawmakers to take action to curb abusive insurer practices such as step therapy and prior authorization.
“Advocacy Day is a key event to bring retina specialists and other specialists together to learn about policy developments on Capitol Hill and hear directly from legislators,” says ASRS Federal Affairs Committee Chairman Michael Lai, MD, PhD, FASRS. “And, most importantly, it allows lawmakers to hear directly from physicians about how their policies are impacting our practices and patients.”
The Alliance typically hosts in-person Advocacy Days in Washington, D.C., but has moved to a virtual format temporarily due to the pandemic. Stay tuned for details on how to participate in person in 2023!
If you are interested in getting more involved in ASRS grassroots advocacy, visit our website to take a short survey to sign up.
(Published 6.8.22)