Advocacy in Action

AAOS News

AAOS Voices Support for Safety from Violence for Healthcare Employees Act
The AAOS recently wrote a letter to Representatives Larry Bucshon, MD (R-IN) and Madeleine Dean (D-PA) in support of their newly introduced Safety from Violence for Healthcare Employees (SAVE) Act (H.R. 2584). This bill, which AAOS previously supported and advocated for in the 117th Congress, would establish legal penalties for assaulting or intimidating hospital employees or those contracted by a hospital, modeled after current protections for aircraft and airport workers. In the letter, AAOS noted physicians and other health professionals are essential workers and must feel safe in the workplace. With the increase in physician burnout during the pandemic, threats and workplace violence are serious challenges that will delay quality of care and deter qualified people from entering the profession. AAOS is urging Congress to protect healthcare employees from violence and pass this legislation.  Read the full letter of support…

AAOS Requests Intervention to Address Narrow Networks in Puerto Rico
AAOS recently raised the issue of narrow networks in Puerto Rico, created by commercial health insurance companies, and requested interventions from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The territory is facing barriers to care and historic inequalities due to  economic decline as well as an increase in the migration of physicians to the mainland. These factors have undermined Puerto Rico’s healthcare infrastructure, leaving a significant amount of its population underserved. In its letter to the agency, AAOS highlighted how narrow networks for commercial health insurance plans like Medicare Advantage are causing a significant lack of access to musculoskeletal care and impacting the more than 90% of beneficiaries in the territory. AAOS requested that CMS intervene in this matter to broaden the narrow networks, as well as provide necessary resources for practitioners to deliver efficient healthcare services.   Read the full letter on narrow networks…

Healthcare Policy News

Good Samaritan Legislation Re-introduced in Congress
The Good Samaritan Health Professionals Act of 2023 (H.R. 2819) was re-introduced in the House of Representatives this month to close the gap in available medical coverage during federally declared disasters and public health emergencies. The legislation, which is supported by AAOS and was introduced by Representatives Larry Bucshon, MD (R-IN) and Raul Ruiz, MD (D-CA), would protect medical volunteers from lawsuits when their services are needed most. Congress moved quickly to include health care volunteer liability protections in 2020, but the legislation was limited to the treatment of COVID-19 and did not extend past the pandemic to other public health crises. The Good Samaritan Health Professionals Act of 2023 respects existing medical liability laws in individual states, while creating a more comprehensive and clear approach to medical volunteerism that is in line with AAOS efforts to improve the current medical liability system. Learn more about the bill…

Mississippi Medical Center is First Program to Achieve 100% OrthoPAC Participation

The University of Mississippi Medical Center Residency Program recently achieved 100% participation in the AAOS Orthopaedic PAC (OrthoPAC). It is the first program to do so in 2023 and will be recognized at the Resident Leadership Reception at the 2024 Annual Meeting. All programs are encouraged to reach this “Gold Status” as part of the annual Orthopaedic PAC Residency Challenge which is crucial to strengthening the stature and influence of AAOS and the OrthoPAC in the nation’s capital. OrthoPAC plays a vital role in AAOS residency advocacy efforts such as championing the REDI Act, which allows borrowers to qualify for interest-free deferment on their student loans during residency, mitigating the scheduled Medicare payment cuts and reforming the burdensome prior authorization process. Residents can learn more about the PAC..

• Lawmakers vote overwhelmingly to eliminate Certificate of Need (WYFF, 5/4)
• CDC Director Rochelle Walensky to step down (STAT News, 5/4)