Eyeworld

EW NEWS & OPINION 21 September 2016 this was my first ASCRS Fly-In. I was very impressed with the degree of organization of the entire process. We had a very efficiently organized schedule, including meetings in the offices of both of my senators. We also met with the congressional representatives from each of our districts. I thoroughly enjoyed the gen- eral sessions during which members of each of the surgical subspecial- ties within all of medicine voiced concerns relevant to their respective practices. Collectively, we were able to make an impact on our congres- sional leaders through the unified voice of the Alliance of Specialty Medicine. Hopefully, our voices will be heard and Congress will honor our request to delay implementa- tion of MACRA, as well as help ease some of the regulatory burdens our practices are constantly responding to. I found the vast majority of our legislators and their staff were recep- tive to our concerns and genuinely interested in making improvements in the process. I will be attending again. Debbie Davis, COE Buffalo, New York When I first heard about the Fly-In, I was a bit apprehensive about attend- ing. While I work day in and day out with Meaningful Use and am moving forward with MACRA, I was unsure of what I could bring to the table in Washington. My experience attending the Fly-In as a first-timer was amazing. It was empowering to speak with our local congressman and many other legislative assistants and express our concerns with the implementation of MACRA. They were all very receptive and willing to help. Don Serafano, MD Long Beach, California My opinion of politics was negative, but I decided to volunteer to fulfill an obligation to the ASCRS Cataract Clinical Committee. Therefore, my expectations were low. My experience was entirely unexpected. I was given insight into the mechanics of policy making. By having a better understanding of the mechanics, I became interested in taking part in policy modification and implementation. The Fly-In was well organized and designed to teach us what we needed to know in order to take part in the congressio- nal visits. The value for me personally and for the Alliance of Specialty Medi- cine was high. I was able to speak to the representatives from my con- gressman's office and the offices of Senators Feinstein and Boxer. For the Alliance, we were able to present our views on medical legislation. I am now totally up to date on MACRA, MIPS, and APMs. Being in the con- gressional offices was a rare oppor- tunity for me, and I am very happy that I had this experience. Thomas Samuelson, MD Minneapolis Although I have attended advocacy sessions on Capitol Hill in the past, Reflections on 2016 ASCRS•ASOA/Alliance of Specialty Medicine Legislative Fly-In H ave you ever wanted to get involved politically in protecting the profes- sion of ophthalmology but were unsure how to go about it? Participating in the annual Legislative Fly-In is an ideal first step. This past July, 25 ASCRS physicians and 15 ASOA administrators traveled to Washington, D.C., to advocate for ophthalmology by participating in the 2016 Alliance of Specialty Medicine Legislative Fly-In. Our largest group ever, these ASCRS and ASOA members represented 22 states and 36 congressional districts—and included five recipients of the first round of Young Eye Surgeons (YES) Legislative Fly-In Scholarships. They assembled on Capitol Hill with other members of the 13 specialty medical societies in the Alliance to learn about current legislative and regulatory issues affecting specialty medicine, after which participants met with their representative and senators to lobby for our issues. This year's focus for ASCRS attendees was on Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) implementation and the 21st Century Cures Act (HR 6). We encouraged Congress to require that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS): (1) delay the initial start date of the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) from January 1, 2017, to no earlier than July 1, 2017, with an optional "look-back" to January 1, 2017, for measures that require a longer time period so physicians and practices have adequate time to prepare for the new program; (2) minimize the reporting burden, particularly during the initial transition period; (3) provide more flexibility for small and solo practices; and (4) encourage parity in the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) review process to promote specialty- focused Advanced Payment Models (APMs). The attendees also urged the House and Senate to work together to enact the 21st Century Cures legislation that would modernize clinical trials, integrate the patient's perspective into the regulatory process, facilitate responsible communication of scientific/medical developments and off-label uses, foster the future of science, invest in advancing research, incentivize the development of new drugs and devices for unmet medical needs, promote EHR interoperability, and support 21st century digital medicine. To give you an idea of what it's like to participate in the Fly-In, I have asked several physicians and administrators, many of them first-time attendees, to share their experiences here to help encourage you to "get in the game" and join us next year. If you are unable to join us in Washington, you can always meet with your representative and senators in their home office or invite them to experience your office or surgery center. Seizing the opportunity to meet with your legislators on more than one occasion helps to forge a trusting relation- ship that can influence and help to advance ophthalmology's agenda. If you are interested in attending next year's Fly-In or would like to set up a meeting at home, please contact Tami O'Brien, manager of PAC and grassroots, at tobrien@ ascrs.org. More details on being a grassroots advocate as well as our key policy issues can be found at www.ascrsgrassroots.org. Brock K. Bakewell, MD, Chairman, ASCRS Government Relations Committee continued on page 22

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