Eyeworld

SPRING 2024 | EYEWORLD | 23 by Aaishwariya Gulani, MD About the physician Aaishwariya Gulani, MD PGY 1 Hamilton Eye Institute University of Tennessee Memphis, Tennessee GOVERNMENT RETIONS UPDATE The next morning we met with the other specialty delegations and heard from some in- credible speakers, most of whom had healthcare backgrounds and now were legislators. We were able to bring our questions directly to them. Following were the meetings on Capitol Hill. We had broken into our state groups, so I was with physicians from across the state of Tennessee who were in other specialties. It was amazing to see their different perspectives throughout the day. After multiple meetings, we ended the day as a group to recap how everyone's meetings went. One of the greatest parts of this experience was being able to come together as a group of surgeons to advocate for the best outcome for each of our respective fields and patient popu- lations. The discussions over shared experiences and frustrations with the current state of health- care showed me that advocating makes us a ASCRS Government Relations provides important advocacy efforts and resources for ophthalmol- ogists and their patients, fulfilling one of the main pillars of the Society's mission. EyeWorld will feature this 'Government Relations Update' column in each of its quarterly editions, keeping readers up to date on the important issues facing ophthalmologists regarding reimbursement, regu- latory issues, and all the efforts of the government relations team. T he healthcare field is an integration of medicine, insurance companies, lawmakers, and pharmaceuticals with patients at the center of it all. As the only part of the field that personally interacts with patients, physicians have a unique role as patient advocates. Advocacy opens the door to making a difference on the macro level of healthcare by being involved in organized medicine and shaping policy for our patients and ourselves. Fly-In experience My experience at the Alliance of Specialty Medicine Capitol Hill Advocacy Conference, held annually in Washington, D.C., to advocate on current bills in the Senate and the House provided me the opportunity to not only speak with lawmakers representing my state but also to engage with other specialties about their respective issues and how we can work together to improve healthcare. Being able to meet these decision-makers 2 weeks into residency was an incredible opportunity. I was able to not only bring in my experiences with undergraduate medical education and the match process with regards to the current bill on expanding resi- dency slots, but also discuss issues that I will start to face as I progress in my career, including Medicare reimbursements, prior authorizations, and step therapy. The experience started with an ASCRS dinner the night before to go over the plan for the legislative day and discuss our position on the pertinent policies. It was great to see people who have been coming to the Fly-In for years and hear how the political landscape has changed. As a first-time attendee, I found their insight invaluable. Advocacy in medicine continued on page 24 Dr. Gulani at the U.S. Capitol during the Fly-In Source: Aaishwariya Gulani, MD

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