Eyeworld

26 | EYEWORLD | SPRING 2024 ASCRS NEWS bills as well. This is usually a great first step to get a glimpse of current topics being considered in Congress and pressing issues in your very own hospitals. Next, you can get involved in the state medical societies, as well as the state eye society. These also send constituents to the na- tional American Medical Association (AMA), the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and also to their state capitals. ASCRS also has its own lobbying efforts and a political action committee (eyePAC). There are many state-specific issues that you can advocate for or against and see a more tangible outcome because these topics are often more relevant to you and your practice/ residency specifically. On a national level, there is the AMA, which is an organization with many constitu- ents ranging across all fields and all areas of training. This is great to understand and fight national healthcare issues while interacting with various stakeholders. Lastly, you can get involved in your specialty. For ophthalmology, we have the American Academy of Ophthal- mology, which represents all subspecialties, but also subspecialty societies including ASCRS. All of these societies work together to advocate for our profession and our patients. How to advocate Now, what do you actually do to advocate? Ad- vocacy covers a wide range of actions: 1. You can write a resolution for the AMA House of Delegates. Resolutions are policy chang- es that are considered in the AMA House of Delegates and then brought to Congress. The AAO has a similar process in the AAO Council. 2. Attend an AMA meeting and discuss poli- cy firsthand with many stakeholders in the room. This is a great way to see pressing issues and varying opinions to learn how to navigate the political landscape of healthcare. 3. You can attend a day on Capitol Hill, like the Alliance of Specialty Medicine Legislative Fly- In, where specific groups have arranged meet- ings with their federal legislators to discuss current bills in Congress and provide insight on why to pass it or not. 4. You can attend the Government Relations Symposium at the ASCRS Annual Meeting in Boston. Also, those who donate to eyePAC at a certain level are invited to attend the eyePAC reception, held in conjunction with the Annu- al Meeting. 5. You can stay up to date on key issues through the ASCRS Advocacy website; write to your representatives about pressing issues by responding to ASCRS Action Alerts; and subscribe to the ASCRS Washington Watch for the latest updates on healthcare issues in Congress and the federal agencies. 6. You can reach out to your state legislators as well, especially on scope-of-practice issues, which are governed by state laws. These are just a few of the many ways to be an advocate. Every little action counts and brings us, as a group, closer to our goals. Upcoming ophthalmology- related topics 1. Medicare reimbursement 2. Step Therapy 3. Prior Authorization 4. Scope of practice in 2024/VA Federal Suprem- acy Project Upcoming opportunities • ASCRS Annual Meeting: April 5–8, 2024 • Alliance of Specialty Medicine Legislative Fly-In: July 2024 • AAO Mid-Year Forum: April 2024 • AAO Annual Meeting: November 2024 • State Days on the Hill: Vary state to state • AMA Interim Meeting: June 2024 • AMA Medical Advocacy Conference (MAC): March 2024 continued from page 24 Contact Gulani: aaishag14@gmail.com "Every little action counts and brings us, as a group, closer to our goals." —Aaishwariya Gulani, MD

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