What to do if you can’t attend AACVPR’s Day on the Hill 2017

AACVPR’s annual Day on the Hill (DOTH) will take place on March 13-14, 2017 in Washington D.C. DOTH is an important opportunity to meet legislators and lobby for the interests of our industry as constituents, voters and healthcare professionals.

AACVPR members are asking Congress to support legislation by amending the Social Security Act and allowing physician assistants, nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists to supervise cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programs on a day-to-day basis. To learn more, visit here for a brief overview of US House Bill H.R. 1155.

You can also participate in the AACVPR DOTH Preparatory Conference Call on Tuesday, March 7 at 4 p.m. EST to learn more and ask questions. To receive conference call details and an invitation to join the call, please contact Lori Ligocki, AACVPR’s Senior Membership Associate, at lligocki@aacvpr.org.

HOW TO SUPPORT DAY ON THE HILL FROM HOME

What if you can’t make it Washington D.C. this year? Thankfully, by contacting your state legislators you can still make your voice heard for the cardiopulmonary rehab industry—and doing so is less intimidating than you may think. Here are three simple ways to participate in AACVPR’s Day on the Hill 2017 from home.

Contact Your U.S. Congressional Members via Their Contact Page

  1. Find your congressional members’ contact pages through their websites.
  2. Send them a message about the bill using these talking points from AACVPR.

Contact Your U.S. Congressional Members via Email

  1. Find your congressional members’ contact pages through their websites.
  2. Call and ask for the email address of the person responsible for health care issues.
  3. Send the health staffer a brief message about the bill, along with these attachments:
    1. An overview of the issue
    2. Copy of the bill
    3. Letter to CMS from the Senate Finance Committee (SFC)
    4. Berwick’s (CMS) response to SFC

Contact Your U.S. Congressional Members via Telephone

  1. Find your congressional members’ contact pages through their websites.
  2. Call and ask for the person responsible for health care issues.
  3. Follow these talking points from AACVPR to explain why you’re calling.
  4. Continue calling weekly until you receive an answer (unless you’re told to proceed otherwise).

Communication Tip:

Be persistent. If you don’t hear back after a week, follow up via email or telephone. If you get blocked using one method, try the other two. Also, get others involved by posting [download id=”6162″]. You have the power to take action on behalf of the entire cardiopulmonary industry.