On June 17, AAPM&R completed our second virtual Day on Capitol Hill. After the nation’s healthcare was uprooted by the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) over the last 16+ months, AAPM&R had no shortage of advocacy priorities, which included:
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Day on Capitol Hill was limited to members of the Health Policy and Legislation (HP&L) Committee. The in-person visits typically included ten members of HP&L who met with approximately 25 offices. This year, we had 20 members reaching more than 50 offices.
The virtual platform allowed AAPM&R to expand our reach on the Hill and demonstrate the value of rehabilitation to twice as many Congressional representatives. Having meaningful conversations with this many offices on our top advocacy priorities, including our focus on the Long COVID crisis, is a major win in demonstrating the value of PM&R.
Participating HP&L members:
- Richard G. Chang, MD, MPH, FAAPMR
- Carl D. Gelfius, MD, FAAPMR
- Keith J. Foster, MD, MBA, CPE, FAAPMR
- Nneka L. Ifejika, MD, MPR, FAAPMR (Chair)
- Prakash S. Jayabalan, MD, PhD, FAAPMR
- Nandita S. Keole, MD, FAAPMR
- James J. Miller, MD, FAAPMR
- Sindhu Pandit, MD, FAAPMR
Participating members outside of HP&L:
- Michelle S. Gittler, MD, FAAPMR (Past President)
- Amy J. Houtrow, MD, PhD, MPH, FAAPMR (Secretary)
- Andre Panagos, MD, FAAPMR (Chair; Specialty Brand Expansion Committee)
- Stuart M. Weinstein, MD, FAAPMR (President)
- Thiru M. Annaswamy, MD, MA, FAAPMR (Quality, Practice, Policy and Research Committee)
- Prateek Grover, MBBS, FAAPMR (Quality, Practice, Policy and Research Committee)
- Susan Lee Hubbell, MD, FAAPMR (Quality, Practice, Policy and Research Committee)
- Valerie Ann Jones, MD, FAAPMR (Quality, Practice, Policy and Research Committee)
- Stuart J. Glassman MD, MBA, FAAPMR (Corporate Relations Committee)
- Sarah K. Hwang, MD, FAAPMR
- Anjali N. Shah, MD, FAAPMR
- Gregory M. Worsowicz, MD, MBA (Past President)
