1. Physicians met with several members of Congress and visited more than 12 congressional offices. They met with key policymakers including Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-CA), Sen. Tom Coburn, (R-OK), Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Rep. Fred Upton (MI-06)
2. Participating AGA physicians included:
• J. Sumner Bell, MD
• Joel V. Brill, MD
• Carla Ginsburg, MD
• Peter Margolis, MD
• Rajeev Jain, MD
• Ronald Fogel, MD
3. The AGA physicians advocated for several issues during their time on Capitol Hill including:
• Need for a permanent SGR fix
• More transparency in the process of setting physician payment values
• Greater attention on physician workforce issues.
4. Patient access to colorectal cancer screening was another key issue discussed during the visit. The AGA physicians explained the barrier that Medicare patient cost-sharing can present when working towards adequate screening. The issue has been a hot topic in the GI field. This week, more than 30 colorectal cancer advocates and survivors met on Capitol Hill to argue against the cost-sharing policy.
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