Eyeworld

24 September 2018 EW NEWS & OPINION are passionate about advocating for their patients and the field. Many of the ophthalmologists who attend the Legislative Fly-In have years of experience in advocacy and are willing to impart their wisdom to younger ophthalmologists or new advocates. Inspiring others to par- ticipate in advocacy is important in building the voice for patients and the profession. The privileges that come with serving patients through ophthal- mology are met with the responsibil- ities to uphold our profession and to advocate for our patients. The most valuable thing I took away from the Legislative Fly-In was that if you vol- unteer to advocate for your patients, there are entities that can help you articulate the issues to those making the decisions impacting healthcare. Organizations like ASCRS help ed- ucate professionals to speak intelli- gently with their representatives and impact change for the betterment of patients. I plan to be involved with ASCRS throughout my career to stay up to date on issues and continue representing our profession before the elected officials that will make the tough decisions facing the prac- tice of medicine. My legislator's aides seemed receptive to the discussion regarding maintaining Medicare fee-for-ser- vice and MIPS. I specifically spoke about the effects certain changes would have not only on my future practice in rural Oklahoma but also on the constituents from my area. The legislative aides seemed most concerned about the effects that changes in policy would have on members of my future community. This helped them understand the importance of the issues for which we were advocating. EW Editors' note: Dates for the 2019 Legislative Fly-In have not yet been announced. Members interested in attending next year or getting more involved in other grassroots advocacy efforts should contact Tami O'Brien, ASCRS manager of PAC and grassroots, at tobrien@ascrs.org or 703-591-2220. Contact information DeSouza: philipdesouza@gmail.com Lee: brianlee@umn.edu Liu: johnthelaw@gmail.com Lyons: lancejlyons@gmail.com Parekh: parag2020@gmail.com Rogers: Kyle-Rogers@dmei.org that patients had to come back for a second visit to receive treatment for their disease. The most important thing I learned is that decisions are being made that dictate how we practice medicine and care for our patients. The people making these decisions do not have a full understanding of how their decisions affect our patients. The relationships that are formed from these experiences are incredibly valuable in providing service to the field of ophthalmolo- gy. The Legislative Fly-In has encour- aged me to continue to participate in advocacy efforts. Lance Lyons, MD Resident, University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston, Texas Residents are in a sort of protected space during their training, in that we don't have to deal with the red tape, insurance battles, and billing intricacies that hit as soon as we go into private practice. Going to Washington, D.C. early helps resi- dents identify the important issues before entering the real physician workforce and provides an opportu- nity to network with similar-minded colleagues and ask them how they confront these challenges. If your members of Congress last through election cycles, you have an oppor- tunity to start a real, productive, ex- tended relationship that is mutually beneficial. One day, they'll say, "I knew you as a resident!" One touching moment during the Legislative Fly-In involved dis- cussing the Good Samaritan Health Professionals Act with Congressman Randy Weber (R-TX) and his aide. The bill would extend federal liabil- ity protections to health profession- als serving as volunteers who cross state lines to assist with the response to a national emergency or major disaster. Our district was hit especial- ly hard by Hurricane Harvey, so this issue was one that touched all of us deeply. If all politics are local, this is as local as it gets. The aide's parents went to my fellow delegate's rival high school. Rep. Weber recounted how he met his wife not far from where that co-delegate grew up. Harvey had affected each of us; Rep. Weber drove more than 6 hours in his raised pickup truck to deliver wa- ter to communities hit the hardest. It was a moment I'll never forget be- cause even though we already agreed on the issues, politics vanished from the room, and we were real people talking about real solutions to real problems. Kyle Rogers, MD Dean McGee Eye Institute Oklahoma City Ophthalmology is a small field, and it is important for ophthalmolo- gists to meet with our legislators so they understand the issues that are unique to our specialty. I plan to practice in rural Oklahoma, and it is important to advocate for my pa- tients as well as the profession. De- cisions that are made in our nation's capital will influence my practice, and it is necessary to have a voice. Becoming involved early in your career allows you to build relationships with others who are passionate about advocacy and learn from their experience. Young/new ophthalmologists can encourage other young ophthalmologists to become involved. This is important because many of the policies made in Washington, D.C. will affect us for the rest of our careers. The Legislative Fly-In is valu- able because it allows interaction with other ophthalmologists who Young continued from page 23 Dr. Rogers, Dr. DeSouza, Dr. Liu, Dr. Lyons, and Dr. Lee with Sen. Paul Source: ASCRS

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