The American Academy of Family Physicians’ Family Medicine Advocacy Summit (FMAS) convened in Washington, DC, on May 22 with a record attendance of more than 250 family physicians and medical students. Attendees made a total of 1,686 visits with legislators and legislative staff in the House and Senate. This annual meeting provides information and support so that AAFP members can coordinate their advocacy with federal legislators on issues affecting family medicine.
Eight Ohio Academy of Family Physicians members attended the FMAS. The Ohio delegation included OAFP President Ryan Kauffman, MD; OAFP President-Elect Don Mack, MD; Randy Wexler, MD; Sarah Sams, MD; Megan Rich, MD; Kelsey Murray, MD; Julie Peterson, DO (currently serving as a Graham Center fellow); and medical student Elana Curry.
“As usual, the OAFP was very well represented at the AAFP’s FMAS (formerly known as the Family Medicine Congressional Conference) which was held May 22-23 at the Washington Court Hotel in Washington.
After breakfast and a welcome from AAFP President John Meigs, MD, there was a lively discussion of current health care payment system changes being considered in Congress by Grace-Marie Turner from the conservative Galen Institute and Fredrick Isasi, JD, MPH, from the liberal organization Families USA. Next was a discussion of advanced payment models under MACRA that included the Director of the Division of Advanced Primary Care in the Center of Medicare & Medicaid Innovation. The morning concluded with a discussion of teaching health centers and the consequences if their funding is not renewed this fall.
The lunch speaker was reporter Mary Ellen McIntire giving a media perspective on the nation’s capital. The FamMedPAC reported during lunch the exciting news that for the first time the money collected in the last election cycle exceeded one million dollars and met the challenge to bring our political action committee (PAC) over $1.6 million per election cycle, putting it in the top five medical PACs.
The next presentation was on immunizations and how public policy affects vaccination and disease rates. Afternoon breakout sessions included primary care policy research, Direct Primary Care, telemedicine, and lobbying 201.
Representative Ami Brea, MD, gave thoughts as a physician who is a member of Congress. After state delegation planning was completed, the FamMedPAC reception with Representative David Rouser occurred.
Tuesday, attendees spoke with members of Congress about issues that are important to family physicians and patients. The priority issues discussed included health care coverage, Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education, and the House Primary Care Caucus. We discussed how health care reforms should build on coverage gains and that a primary care-based system is essential to achieve quality, affordable health insurance coverage. To improve access to care, it is important to maintain and expand coverage, protect safety-net programs, stabilize the individual insurance market, protect patient-centered insurance reforms, reduce costs, and increase investment in primary care and preventive care.
We met personally with Representatives Steve Stivers, Jim Jordan, and Joyce Beatty. We met with staff for Senators Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown and Representative Pat Tiberi.
FMAS is an excellent opportunity to develop current and future OAFP leaders as well as to educate our members of Congress about issues that are important to family physicians and our patients. It was an honor to represent Ohio’s family physicians in Washington.”