Eyeworld

JULY 2021 | EYEWORLD | 29 the legislative and regulatory areas, the Alliance holds an annual legislative fly-in, which is an opportunity for members to lobby members of Congress on the Hill. A medical procedure patent issue Ms. McCann recalled the efforts to prevent an ophthalmologist from suing another for a sup- posed violation of a medical procedure patent that he received on a cataract incision and enforcing it against ophthalmologists. This required efforts from ASCRS to get legislation introduced and signed into law, as well as invalidating the patent. Ms. McCann considered this to be a "white hat issue, not focused on reimbursement, but patients," and after getting support from the American Medical Association and the American College of Surgeons, a coalition was formed with the surgical specialties. "These fees would be imposed on physicians, which would ulti- mately have a negative impact on the patient," she said. As a result, bipartisan legislation was intro- duced by Sen. Bill Frist, MD (R-TN), and Rep. Greg Ganske, MD (R-IA), as well as Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), who was then a member of the House of Representatives. After a major members who served on health-related commit- tees and delivered by ASCRS member physician constituents with a focus on ASCRS' priority issues. Grassroots communications to ASCRS members encouraged the development of rela- tionships with congressional representatives. Collaborative efforts A push to move patients into managed care plans prompted concerns throughout the medi- cal community about patient access to specialty care. "We formed the Patient Access Coalition because managed care was becoming the big- gest threat to patient access to specialty care," Ms. McCann said. This coalition included more than 100 provider and patient groups. "We were fighting for legislation that would mandate an out-of-network option for every managed care plan, and as a result of our efforts, bipartisan legislation was introduced in the House and Senate," she said. Ms. McCann eventually be- came co-chair of this coalition. As a result of these efforts and George W. Bush's interest in the issue, representatives of the coalition were invited to meet with President Bush and his administration. "Typically, the Hill and administration, as well as large groups like the American Medical Association, looked toward major umbrella organizations to gain information and input, but through our proactive efforts, we gained a pres- ence on the Hill and with the rest of the medical community. As a result, and even though we are a subspecialty, ASCRS gained a seat at the table, which continues to this day," Ms. McCann said. "We started forming coalitions on an as-needed basis when issues arose," she said, ex- plaining that these coalitions helped consolidate efforts. Working in coalitions is vital, she added, because it's rare any one organization can do it on its own. Being able to work collaboratively with like-minded organizations is extremely important and impactful. ASCRS was also instrumental in forming the Alliance of Specialty Medicine, a coalition of 14 medical specialty organizations, to stay connected with like-minded specialties with the focus on continued access to specialty care, Ms. McCann said. In addition to its involvement in continued on page 30

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