ADVOCACY SPOTLIGHT


Lobby for Your ASC Participate in ASCA grassroots events BY DANIELLE KASTER


For more than 40 years, ASCs have been providing patients with safe, afford- able and innovative care. As a leader in the evolu-


tion of surgical care, ASCs not only benefit patients, but also save money for Medicare and third-party payers. Despite the growing accomplishments of ASCs, they still battle for more eq- uitable reimbursements and fairness in Medicare policy. To continue providing quality care


at an affordable price, the ASC com- munity needs to promote awareness and educate local and federal policy- makers about the care ASCs provide. While ASCA works every day to build relationships with key lawmakers, the most influential lobbyists on Capi- tol Hill are constituents. According to a 2015 study by the Congressio- nal Management Foundation (CMF), face-to-face meetings between a con- stituent and a member of Congress remain the most effective and persua- sive forms of communication. Every voice is important and


every voice makes an impact. ASCA invites its members to take advan- tage of the following opportunities for building relationships with their representatives.


National Advocacy Day This May, 300 ASC community mem- bers gathered on Capitol Hill to ask their representatives to support ASC initiatives. It was the largest number of attendees in the history of ASCA’s National Advocacy Day. As a part of National Advocacy Day, participants learned about current ASC legislation and then visited with more than 250 congressional offices. “I really enjoyed the day on Capitol


Hill,” said Leah Ethridge, manage- ment consultant at Laurel Surgery


Leah Ethridge, management consultant at Laurel Surgery and Endoscopy Center in Laurel, Mississippi, visits with Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) as a part of National Advocacy Day last May.


The [National] Advocacy Day opened my eyes to the importance of the ASCA process and the importance of involvement of all outpatient surgery centers, including administrators and physician owners. I would like to participate again in the future.”


—Randall Robbins, MD, Advanced Family Surgery


and Endoscopy Center in Laurel, Mississippi. “ASCA walked every- one through the entire process from education about the bills we were lobbying about and content of meet- ings to a printed schedule and a map, which allowed us to focus on the task at hand.”


22 ASC FOCUS AUGUST 2017|www.ascfocus.org


For many ASCA members, it was their first time meeting with their leg- islators on Capitol Hill. “The [National] Advocacy Day was


productive, informative and, hopefully, successful,” says Randall Robbins, MD, of Advanced Family Surgery in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. “It opened my eyes to


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