FEATURE


nel to lobby in Washington, DC, and assist state associations in develop- ing their own advocacy programs. Jeff Blankinship, chief executive


officer of Surgical Notes in Dallas, Texas, and Rob Carrera, president of Pinnacle III in Lakewood, Col- orado, are two invaluable leaders of ASCA’s Advocacy Fund. While Blankinship and Carrera represent largely different sectors of the ASC community, both recognize the value of the Advocacy Fund for the ASC community and for their company’s bottom line. “The Advocacy Fund is crucial


Make Your Voice Heard in the Capitol


ASCA’s Advocacy Fund helps make sure ASCs get fair legislation BY DANIELLE KASTER


A


SCA created its Advocacy Fund as a way to solicit support from


the ASC community and help com- municate its legislative and regula- tory agenda to federal and state poli- cymakers. In particular, the fund was created to garner support from the many companies that sell products and services to ASCs and, therefore, benefit from a thriving ASC model. Unlike ASCAPAC, which can only accept contributions from eligible ASCA members and directly sup- ports the election of candidates who support the ASC model, the Advo- cacy Fund can accept contributions from anyone who wants to assist ASCA in supporting our legislative and regulatory priorities. For exam- ple, Advocacy Fund dollars are used to subsidize the travel costs of ASCA members from around the country who come to Washington, DC, to


The Advocacy Fund is crucial for ASC-related advocacy programs and ASCA’s ability to positively affect federal and state legislation and regulation.”


— Jeff Blankinship Surgical Notes


meet with their lawmakers and gar- ner support for ASCA-supported legislation. The Advocacy Fund also assists in advocacy training and membership development for under- funded state ASC associations that need to protect the ASC model in their state capitals. In 2018, a well-funded Advocacy Fund will allow ASCA to bolster its advocacy programs, sponsor more travel scholarships for ASC person-


14 ASC FOCUS MARCH 2018 | www.ascfocus.org


for ASC-related advocacy programs and ASCA’s ability to positively affect federal and state legislation and regulation,” Blankinship says. “A strong and thriving ASC industry only presents greater opportunity for business growth through increased market share for ASCs.” Carrera adds, “[The Advocacy Fund] supports the industry when confronted with policy changes that would damage the industry . . . the best time to prepare for a disaster is before it occurs . . . [The Advocacy Fund] helps ASCA educate legislators about the industry and promotes changes to legislation that impact ASCs.” Without the Advocacy Fund, it


would be harder for ASCA to make its members’ voices heard on Capi- tol Hill. By meeting the members of Congress and officials in state and local governments, ASCA members can educate policymakers about how ASCs provide quality care to millions of patients and save Medicare bil- lions of dollars. Through such advo- cacy efforts, ASCA recently brought certain changes to legislation: ■ ■


protection for ASC physicians from potential penalties tied to the Medicare meaningful use program;


■■


creation of a public, searchable website that compares the benefi- ciary cost of Medicare procedures


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