Mid-Year Forum 2018 and Congressional Advocacy Day provide a unique chance to effect change on Capitol Hill, while learning more about policy, politics and practice management and the way they affect you and your practice.
Here are five reasons why you shouldn’t miss out on one of the Academy’s most important meetings — April 18 to 21 in Washington, D.C.
1. Serve the Community
Serving your patients sometimes takes more than what you do in the office. During Congressional Advocacy Day you’ll get the chance to meet one-on-one with legislators and their staff to present the concerns and positions of your patients and your community.
You’ll also hear from government policy makers, industry and Academy leadership about how payers seek to lower the cost of drugs and improve access through efforts like reform of Part B drug payments, value-based pricing schemes and regulation of compounded/repackaged drug products.
2. Ensure Your Success
Learn the tools to fight not only for your patients’ health, but also for your own long-term professional welfare — a critical step for young ophthalmologists. Academy leaders at the Mid-Year Forum will discuss how, even in an era of information overload, you can keep your head above water and still acquire new clinical skills, while navigating changes in reimbursement and practice management.
3. Become a Leader
Young ophthalmologists participating in the Advocacy Ambassador Program will learn what it takes to advocate for their profession. Advocacy ambassadors will engage and interact with leaders in organized medicine and gain first-hand exposure to some of the strategic issues affecting the profession. The program also covers the importance of membership and active involvement in state ophthalmology and subspecialty or specialized interest societies.
Special events include the L.E.A.P. Forward session (covering leadership, engagement, advocacy, practice management), a Congressional Advocacy Day briefing and post-visit debriefing. During a dedicated reception, advocacy ambassadors also get to network with Academy YO leaders and meet winners of the EyeWiki competition.
4. Spur Innovation
The Academy believes physicians should have the right to evaluate new technologies to determine what is appropriate for your patients. And the next transformation in ophthalmology is the application of artificial intelligence to diagnose and treat disease in clinical practice.
At this year’s Mid-Year Forum, you’ll get a look at what artificial intelligence means for practicing ophthalmologists, its promise and limitations and what the future holds.
5. Make Your Own Impact
The battle over optometric scope of practice threatens your profession and the very safety of your patients. Last year alone, the Academy partnered with state ophthalmology societies in Florida, California and North Carolina to turn back aggressive optometric attempts to expand surgical privileges beyond trained medical practitioners. At the Mid-Year Forum, you’ll get the opportunity to familiarize yourself with these issues and learn how you can make your own impact in the next battleground.
Come witness why ophthalmology is among the most prepared profession in medicine. Join your colleagues in Washington, D.C., April 18 to 21. Advance registration ends April 3.