Supporting Advocacy: OPHTHPAC and Engaging Congress
The Academy’s federal advocacy efforts rely on member support through both their participation in OPHTHPAC® and the Congressional Advocacy Program. Academy members’ support of OPHTHPAC helps develop and maintain invaluable congressional relationships at the federal level while participating in our advocacy efforts strengthens those relationships. Your support gives ophthalmology its voice on Capitol Hill and pushes our advocacy efforts forward, protecting our profession.
OPHTHPAC for Federal Advocacy
OPHTHPAC, the Academy’s political action committee, works to protect you and your fellow ophthalmologists from the impact of budget cuts to Medicare, burdensome regulations, and unfair legislation, while also advocating for increased funding for vision research funding and patient access to high quality eye care services. OPHTHPAC is pro-ophthalmology and supports legislators and congressional candidates regardless of specialty that have a proven track record of working to protect ophthalmology, its members, and their patients.
As Congress developed COVID-19 relief legislation, OPHTHPAC utilized its strong congressional relationships to ensure that ophthalmology practices had access to financial assistance from the new public health and provider relief fund and other relief measures. As the 116th Congress draws to a close, OPHTHPAC continues to protect ophthalmology as we work to avert drastic 6% to 10% Medicare reimbursement cuts scheduled to take effect in January 2021. Specifically, we are pushing Congress to act before the end of the year to stop the Medicare payment cuts E/M policy changes and require CMS to apply the increased E/M adjustment to 10- and 90-day global code values.
With your support, OPHTHPAC can continue to educate our congressional champions on these and other issues that matter to ophthalmologists. With your help, we can ensure that can continue delivering the quality eye care your patients deserve — in every community.
Academy member support of OPHTHPAC is key as it allows ophthalmology to be the predominant eye care voice in the halls of Congress. Get engaged with OPHTHPAC and help advance and protect your profession today by texting “MDEYE” to 41444.
To find out more about OPHTHPAC contact Desta Wallace, manager, OPHTHPAC and congressional affairs, at dwallace@aao.org or 202.737.6662.
Congressional Advocacy Program
OPHTHPAC’s Congressional Advocacy Program strives to match all members of Congress with a politically engaged Academy member. This program is open to all U.S. Academy members interested in establishing or maintaining a relationship with a member of Congress. Our advocates help to educate their elected officials on issues important to our profession. The Academy makes participation in this program easy for our advocates by coordinating event and virtual meeting logistics and supplying them with various resources for successful interactions.
The Academy is always looking to grow this program and continuously seeks new advocates to participate year-round. Interested in becoming a Congressional Advocate? Visit the Congressional Advocacy webpage for more information about the program or sign up today by texting “CONGA” to 51555.
Get more involved in the Academy’s advocacy efforts by contacting Dash Delan, grassroots coordinator, at ddelan@aao.org or 202.737.6662.