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Meet the new CHEST® journal Deputy Editors
Christopher L. Carroll, MD, MS, FCCP
Dr. Carroll is a pediatric critical care physician at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Carroll has a long-standing interest in social media and its use in academic medicine and medical education. He was an early adopter of social media in pulmonary and critical care medicine,and researches the use of social media in academic medicine. Dr. Carroll has served on numerous committees within CHEST, including most recently as Trustee of the CHEST Foundation and Chair of the Critical Care NetWork. Before being appointed Deputy Editor for Web and Multimedia for the journal CHEST, Dr. Carroll served as Social Media Section Editor from 2012-2018, and then Web and Multimedia Editor for the journal. He also co-chairs the Social Media Workgroup for CHEST. When not working or tweeting, Dr. Carroll can be found camping with his Boy Scout troop and parenting three amazingly nerdy and talented children who are fortunate to take after their grandparents.
Darcy D. Marciniuk, MD, FCCP
Dr. Marciniuk is a Professor of Respirology, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, and Associate Vice-President Research at the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada. He is recognized internationally as an expert and leader in clinical exercise physiology, COPD, and pulmonary rehabilitation. Dr. Marciniuk is a Past President of CHEST and served as a founding Steering Committee member of Canada’s National Lung Health Framework, member and Chair of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Respirology Examination Board, President of the Canadian Thoracic Society (CTS), and Co-Chair of the 2016 CHEST World Congress and 2005 CHEST Annual Meeting. He was the lead author of three COPD clinical practice guidelines, a panel member of international clinical practice guidelines in COPD, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, and pulmonary rehabilitation, and was a co-author of the published joint Canadian Thoracic Society/CHEST clinical practice guideline on preventing acute exacerbations of COPD.Susan Murin, MD, MSc, MBA, FCCP
Dr. Murin is currently serving as Vice-Dean for Clinical Affairs and Executive Director of the UC Davis Practice Management Group. She previously served as Program Director for the Pulmonary and Critical Care fellowship, Chief of the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, and Vice-Chair for Clinical Affairs at UC Davis. Her past national service has included membership on the ACGME’s Internal Medicine RRC, Chair of the Pulmonary Medicine test-writing committee for the ABIM, and Chair of the Association of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Program Directors. She has a long history of service to the college in a variety of roles and served as an Associate Editor of the CHEST journal or 14 years. Dr. Murin’s research has been focused in two areas: epidemiology of venous thromboembolism and the effects of smoking on the natural history of breast cancer. She remains active in clinical care and teaching at both UC Davis and the Northern California VA. When not working, she enjoys spending time with her three grown children, scuba diving, and tennis.
Christopher L. Carroll, MD, MS, FCCP
Dr. Carroll is a pediatric critical care physician at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Carroll has a long-standing interest in social media and its use in academic medicine and medical education. He was an early adopter of social media in pulmonary and critical care medicine,and researches the use of social media in academic medicine. Dr. Carroll has served on numerous committees within CHEST, including most recently as Trustee of the CHEST Foundation and Chair of the Critical Care NetWork. Before being appointed Deputy Editor for Web and Multimedia for the journal CHEST, Dr. Carroll served as Social Media Section Editor from 2012-2018, and then Web and Multimedia Editor for the journal. He also co-chairs the Social Media Workgroup for CHEST. When not working or tweeting, Dr. Carroll can be found camping with his Boy Scout troop and parenting three amazingly nerdy and talented children who are fortunate to take after their grandparents.
Darcy D. Marciniuk, MD, FCCP
Dr. Marciniuk is a Professor of Respirology, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, and Associate Vice-President Research at the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada. He is recognized internationally as an expert and leader in clinical exercise physiology, COPD, and pulmonary rehabilitation. Dr. Marciniuk is a Past President of CHEST and served as a founding Steering Committee member of Canada’s National Lung Health Framework, member and Chair of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Respirology Examination Board, President of the Canadian Thoracic Society (CTS), and Co-Chair of the 2016 CHEST World Congress and 2005 CHEST Annual Meeting. He was the lead author of three COPD clinical practice guidelines, a panel member of international clinical practice guidelines in COPD, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, and pulmonary rehabilitation, and was a co-author of the published joint Canadian Thoracic Society/CHEST clinical practice guideline on preventing acute exacerbations of COPD.Susan Murin, MD, MSc, MBA, FCCP
Dr. Murin is currently serving as Vice-Dean for Clinical Affairs and Executive Director of the UC Davis Practice Management Group. She previously served as Program Director for the Pulmonary and Critical Care fellowship, Chief of the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, and Vice-Chair for Clinical Affairs at UC Davis. Her past national service has included membership on the ACGME’s Internal Medicine RRC, Chair of the Pulmonary Medicine test-writing committee for the ABIM, and Chair of the Association of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Program Directors. She has a long history of service to the college in a variety of roles and served as an Associate Editor of the CHEST journal or 14 years. Dr. Murin’s research has been focused in two areas: epidemiology of venous thromboembolism and the effects of smoking on the natural history of breast cancer. She remains active in clinical care and teaching at both UC Davis and the Northern California VA. When not working, she enjoys spending time with her three grown children, scuba diving, and tennis.
Christopher L. Carroll, MD, MS, FCCP
Dr. Carroll is a pediatric critical care physician at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Carroll has a long-standing interest in social media and its use in academic medicine and medical education. He was an early adopter of social media in pulmonary and critical care medicine,and researches the use of social media in academic medicine. Dr. Carroll has served on numerous committees within CHEST, including most recently as Trustee of the CHEST Foundation and Chair of the Critical Care NetWork. Before being appointed Deputy Editor for Web and Multimedia for the journal CHEST, Dr. Carroll served as Social Media Section Editor from 2012-2018, and then Web and Multimedia Editor for the journal. He also co-chairs the Social Media Workgroup for CHEST. When not working or tweeting, Dr. Carroll can be found camping with his Boy Scout troop and parenting three amazingly nerdy and talented children who are fortunate to take after their grandparents.
Darcy D. Marciniuk, MD, FCCP
Dr. Marciniuk is a Professor of Respirology, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, and Associate Vice-President Research at the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada. He is recognized internationally as an expert and leader in clinical exercise physiology, COPD, and pulmonary rehabilitation. Dr. Marciniuk is a Past President of CHEST and served as a founding Steering Committee member of Canada’s National Lung Health Framework, member and Chair of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Respirology Examination Board, President of the Canadian Thoracic Society (CTS), and Co-Chair of the 2016 CHEST World Congress and 2005 CHEST Annual Meeting. He was the lead author of three COPD clinical practice guidelines, a panel member of international clinical practice guidelines in COPD, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, and pulmonary rehabilitation, and was a co-author of the published joint Canadian Thoracic Society/CHEST clinical practice guideline on preventing acute exacerbations of COPD.Susan Murin, MD, MSc, MBA, FCCP
Dr. Murin is currently serving as Vice-Dean for Clinical Affairs and Executive Director of the UC Davis Practice Management Group. She previously served as Program Director for the Pulmonary and Critical Care fellowship, Chief of the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, and Vice-Chair for Clinical Affairs at UC Davis. Her past national service has included membership on the ACGME’s Internal Medicine RRC, Chair of the Pulmonary Medicine test-writing committee for the ABIM, and Chair of the Association of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Program Directors. She has a long history of service to the college in a variety of roles and served as an Associate Editor of the CHEST journal or 14 years. Dr. Murin’s research has been focused in two areas: epidemiology of venous thromboembolism and the effects of smoking on the natural history of breast cancer. She remains active in clinical care and teaching at both UC Davis and the Northern California VA. When not working, she enjoys spending time with her three grown children, scuba diving, and tennis.
VRIC Abstract Submission Site Now Open
The Vascular Research Initiatives Conference emphasizes emerging vascular science and encourages interactive participation of attendees. Scheduled the day before Vascular Discovery Scientific Sessions, VRIC is considered a key event for connecting with vascular researchers. Join us for the 2020 program "VRIC Chicago 2020: From Discovery to Translation." The SVS is now accepting abstracts for the program and will continue through January 7. Submit your abstract now and be a part of this important event for vascular researchers.
The Vascular Research Initiatives Conference emphasizes emerging vascular science and encourages interactive participation of attendees. Scheduled the day before Vascular Discovery Scientific Sessions, VRIC is considered a key event for connecting with vascular researchers. Join us for the 2020 program "VRIC Chicago 2020: From Discovery to Translation." The SVS is now accepting abstracts for the program and will continue through January 7. Submit your abstract now and be a part of this important event for vascular researchers.
The Vascular Research Initiatives Conference emphasizes emerging vascular science and encourages interactive participation of attendees. Scheduled the day before Vascular Discovery Scientific Sessions, VRIC is considered a key event for connecting with vascular researchers. Join us for the 2020 program "VRIC Chicago 2020: From Discovery to Translation." The SVS is now accepting abstracts for the program and will continue through January 7. Submit your abstract now and be a part of this important event for vascular researchers.
Register for Community Practice Committee Webinar
The SVS' Community Practice Committee will hold a webinar, Credentialing and Privileging for New Procedures and Technologies, on Tuesday, November 12th from 7-8pm CT. The webinar will focus on critical elements for obtaining privileging, the definition of a new procedure, a proposed process for credentialing and privileging and implementing the proposed process. Dr. Thomas Forbes is presenting the webinar and there will be time for questions. Dr. Forbes will also be joined by several vascular surgeons to answer your privileging and credentialing questions. Register today.
The SVS' Community Practice Committee will hold a webinar, Credentialing and Privileging for New Procedures and Technologies, on Tuesday, November 12th from 7-8pm CT. The webinar will focus on critical elements for obtaining privileging, the definition of a new procedure, a proposed process for credentialing and privileging and implementing the proposed process. Dr. Thomas Forbes is presenting the webinar and there will be time for questions. Dr. Forbes will also be joined by several vascular surgeons to answer your privileging and credentialing questions. Register today.
The SVS' Community Practice Committee will hold a webinar, Credentialing and Privileging for New Procedures and Technologies, on Tuesday, November 12th from 7-8pm CT. The webinar will focus on critical elements for obtaining privileging, the definition of a new procedure, a proposed process for credentialing and privileging and implementing the proposed process. Dr. Thomas Forbes is presenting the webinar and there will be time for questions. Dr. Forbes will also be joined by several vascular surgeons to answer your privileging and credentialing questions. Register today.
New Program Focuses on Surgeon Wellness Through Peer Support
With physician distress a top concern of vascular surgeons, the SVS and its Wellness Task Force are launching a member support component of its wellness program, designed to help vascular surgeons enhance their personal resilience/wellness, and continue development of a compassionate and accountable peer community. Beginning in November, an article and a self-awareness exercise will be posted on SVSConnect each month and the group will encourage discussion on the topic. In February, a second phase of the program will offer members the opportunity to join peer support conference calls guided by wellness experts.
With physician distress a top concern of vascular surgeons, the SVS and its Wellness Task Force are launching a member support component of its wellness program, designed to help vascular surgeons enhance their personal resilience/wellness, and continue development of a compassionate and accountable peer community. Beginning in November, an article and a self-awareness exercise will be posted on SVSConnect each month and the group will encourage discussion on the topic. In February, a second phase of the program will offer members the opportunity to join peer support conference calls guided by wellness experts.
With physician distress a top concern of vascular surgeons, the SVS and its Wellness Task Force are launching a member support component of its wellness program, designed to help vascular surgeons enhance their personal resilience/wellness, and continue development of a compassionate and accountable peer community. Beginning in November, an article and a self-awareness exercise will be posted on SVSConnect each month and the group will encourage discussion on the topic. In February, a second phase of the program will offer members the opportunity to join peer support conference calls guided by wellness experts.
The 2019 SVS Foundation Annual Report is Ready
The SVS Foundation has just published its 2019 Annual Report. This year, the report focuses on how past award recipients have used their grants to impact and improve patient care. More than $13 million in grants over the past three decades have given recipients the support they need to impact the lives of patients and those who provide care. Read about the stories, see the numbers and consider giving to the SVS Foundation in their 2019 Annual Report.
The SVS Foundation has just published its 2019 Annual Report. This year, the report focuses on how past award recipients have used their grants to impact and improve patient care. More than $13 million in grants over the past three decades have given recipients the support they need to impact the lives of patients and those who provide care. Read about the stories, see the numbers and consider giving to the SVS Foundation in their 2019 Annual Report.
The SVS Foundation has just published its 2019 Annual Report. This year, the report focuses on how past award recipients have used their grants to impact and improve patient care. More than $13 million in grants over the past three decades have given recipients the support they need to impact the lives of patients and those who provide care. Read about the stories, see the numbers and consider giving to the SVS Foundation in their 2019 Annual Report.
Apply for the new Leadership Development Program
The SVS, in collaboration with the Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Society (VESS) and the Society for Clinical Vascular Surgery (SCVS), has launched a new leadership development program. Its aim is to help our community of vascular surgeons reach their full potential as leaders and make the most positive impact possible in our specialty, their place of work, their community and other areas of importance in their life. The program is open to academic and community practice vascular surgeons from the US or Canada who are 5-10 years out from training. Learn more here.
The SVS, in collaboration with the Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Society (VESS) and the Society for Clinical Vascular Surgery (SCVS), has launched a new leadership development program. Its aim is to help our community of vascular surgeons reach their full potential as leaders and make the most positive impact possible in our specialty, their place of work, their community and other areas of importance in their life. The program is open to academic and community practice vascular surgeons from the US or Canada who are 5-10 years out from training. Learn more here.
The SVS, in collaboration with the Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Society (VESS) and the Society for Clinical Vascular Surgery (SCVS), has launched a new leadership development program. Its aim is to help our community of vascular surgeons reach their full potential as leaders and make the most positive impact possible in our specialty, their place of work, their community and other areas of importance in their life. The program is open to academic and community practice vascular surgeons from the US or Canada who are 5-10 years out from training. Learn more here.
SVS-SCVS-VESS Leadership Development Program Coming in 2020
The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS), in collaboration with the Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Society (VESS) and the Society for Clinical Vascular Surgery (SCVS), is launching an exciting new program meant to provide a meaningful leadership development experience for a select group of mid-career vascular surgeons. This highly interactive and unique program will begin in 2020 and be implemented over a six-month period. The aim is to help our community of vascular surgeons reach their full potential as leaders and make the most positive impact possible in our specialty, their place of work, their community and other areas of importance in their life. Learn more here.
The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS), in collaboration with the Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Society (VESS) and the Society for Clinical Vascular Surgery (SCVS), is launching an exciting new program meant to provide a meaningful leadership development experience for a select group of mid-career vascular surgeons. This highly interactive and unique program will begin in 2020 and be implemented over a six-month period. The aim is to help our community of vascular surgeons reach their full potential as leaders and make the most positive impact possible in our specialty, their place of work, their community and other areas of importance in their life. Learn more here.
The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS), in collaboration with the Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Society (VESS) and the Society for Clinical Vascular Surgery (SCVS), is launching an exciting new program meant to provide a meaningful leadership development experience for a select group of mid-career vascular surgeons. This highly interactive and unique program will begin in 2020 and be implemented over a six-month period. The aim is to help our community of vascular surgeons reach their full potential as leaders and make the most positive impact possible in our specialty, their place of work, their community and other areas of importance in their life. Learn more here.
The importance of getting involved for gastroenterology
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The evening before Advocacy Day, we discussed strategies for having a successful meeting on Capitol Hill with AGA staff (including Kathleen Teixeira, AGA vice president of government affairs, and Jonathan Sollish, AGA senior coordinator, public policy). We discussed having our “asks” supported with evidence, and “getting personal” about how these policy issues directly affect us and our patients. We also had the chance to hear from Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) , both of whom invited our questions. Both congressmen are friends of AGA, with McGovern serving as chair of the House Rules Committee, and Blunt serving as chair of the Senate Labor-HHS Subcommittee on Appropriations.
Advocacy Day began with a group breakfast during which we reviewed some of the policy issues of central importance to gastroenterology:
• Removing Barriers to the Colorectal Cancer Screening Act (HR1570/S668), which enjoys strong bipartisan support, would correct the “cost-sharing” problem of screening colonoscopies turning therapeutic (with polypectomy) for our Medicare patients, by waiving the coinsurance for screening colonoscopies – regardless of whether we remove polyps during these colonoscopies.
• Safe Step Act, HR2279, legislation introduced in the House, facilitates a common-sense and timely (72 hours or 24 hours if life-threatening) appeals process when our patients are subjected to step therapy (“fail first”) by insurers.
• Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2019, HR3107, legislation in the House, eases onerous prior authorization burdens by promoting an electronic prior authorization process, ensuring requests are approved by qualified medical professionals who have specialty-specific experience, and mandating that plans report their rates of delays and denials.
• NIH research funding facilitates innovative research and supports young investigators in our field.
Full of enthusiasm, our six-strong North Carolina contingent (pictured, L-R, Ziad Gellad, MD, MPH, AGAF; David Leiman, MD, MSPH; Animesh Jain, MD; Anne Finefrock Peery, MD; Lisa Gangarosa, MD, AGAF, chair of the AGA Government Affairs Committee; and Amit Patel, MD) met with the offices of Rep. David Price (D-N.C.), and both North Carolina Senators, Richard Burr (R) and Thom Tillis (R) on Capitol Hill to convey our “asks.”
At Price’s office in the stately Rayburn House Office Building, we thanked his team for cosponsorship of H.R. 1570 and H.R. 2279. We also discussed the importance of increasing research funding by the AGA’s goal of $2.5 billion for NIH for fiscal year 2020, noting that a majority of our delegation has received NIH funding for our training and/or research activities. We also encouraged Price’s office to cosponsor H.R. 3107, sharing our personal experiences about the administrative toll of the prior authorization process for obtaining appropriate and recommended medications for our patients – in my case, swallowed topical corticosteroids for patients with eosinophilic esophagitis.
We moved on to Sen. Tillis’s office, where we thanked his office for cosponsorship of S. 668 but encouraged his office to cosponsor upcoming companion Senate legislation for H.R. 2279 and H.R. 3107. Our colleague capably conveyed how an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patient he saw recently may require a colectomy due to delays in appropriate treatment stemming from these regulatory processes. We also showed Tillis’s office how NIH funding generates significant economic activity in North Carolina, supporting jobs in our state.
After a quick stop at the U.S. Senate gift shop in the basement to buy souvenirs for our kids, our last meeting was with Sen. Burr’s office. There, we also thanked his office for cosponsorship of S. 668 but encouraged him to sign the “Dear Colleague” letter that Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-OH, has circulated asking CMS to address the colonoscopy cost-sharing “loophole.” We discussed the importance of cosponsoring upcoming companion Senate legislation for H.R. 2279 and H.R. 3107, sharing stories from our clinical practices about how these regulatory burdens have delayed treatment for our patients.
You can get involved, too.
AGA Advocacy Day was a tremendous experience, but it is not the only way AGA members can get involved and take action. The AGA Advocacy website, gastro.org/advocacy, provides more information on multiple avenues for advocacy. These include an online advocacy tool for sending templated letters on these issues to your elected officials.
Perhaps now more than ever, it is crucial that we get involved to support gastroenterology and advocate for our patients.
Dr. Patel is assistant professor, division of gastroenterology, Duke University, Cary, N.C.; member, AGA Clinical Guidelines Committee.
.
The evening before Advocacy Day, we discussed strategies for having a successful meeting on Capitol Hill with AGA staff (including Kathleen Teixeira, AGA vice president of government affairs, and Jonathan Sollish, AGA senior coordinator, public policy). We discussed having our “asks” supported with evidence, and “getting personal” about how these policy issues directly affect us and our patients. We also had the chance to hear from Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) , both of whom invited our questions. Both congressmen are friends of AGA, with McGovern serving as chair of the House Rules Committee, and Blunt serving as chair of the Senate Labor-HHS Subcommittee on Appropriations.
Advocacy Day began with a group breakfast during which we reviewed some of the policy issues of central importance to gastroenterology:
• Removing Barriers to the Colorectal Cancer Screening Act (HR1570/S668), which enjoys strong bipartisan support, would correct the “cost-sharing” problem of screening colonoscopies turning therapeutic (with polypectomy) for our Medicare patients, by waiving the coinsurance for screening colonoscopies – regardless of whether we remove polyps during these colonoscopies.
• Safe Step Act, HR2279, legislation introduced in the House, facilitates a common-sense and timely (72 hours or 24 hours if life-threatening) appeals process when our patients are subjected to step therapy (“fail first”) by insurers.
• Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2019, HR3107, legislation in the House, eases onerous prior authorization burdens by promoting an electronic prior authorization process, ensuring requests are approved by qualified medical professionals who have specialty-specific experience, and mandating that plans report their rates of delays and denials.
• NIH research funding facilitates innovative research and supports young investigators in our field.
Full of enthusiasm, our six-strong North Carolina contingent (pictured, L-R, Ziad Gellad, MD, MPH, AGAF; David Leiman, MD, MSPH; Animesh Jain, MD; Anne Finefrock Peery, MD; Lisa Gangarosa, MD, AGAF, chair of the AGA Government Affairs Committee; and Amit Patel, MD) met with the offices of Rep. David Price (D-N.C.), and both North Carolina Senators, Richard Burr (R) and Thom Tillis (R) on Capitol Hill to convey our “asks.”
At Price’s office in the stately Rayburn House Office Building, we thanked his team for cosponsorship of H.R. 1570 and H.R. 2279. We also discussed the importance of increasing research funding by the AGA’s goal of $2.5 billion for NIH for fiscal year 2020, noting that a majority of our delegation has received NIH funding for our training and/or research activities. We also encouraged Price’s office to cosponsor H.R. 3107, sharing our personal experiences about the administrative toll of the prior authorization process for obtaining appropriate and recommended medications for our patients – in my case, swallowed topical corticosteroids for patients with eosinophilic esophagitis.
We moved on to Sen. Tillis’s office, where we thanked his office for cosponsorship of S. 668 but encouraged his office to cosponsor upcoming companion Senate legislation for H.R. 2279 and H.R. 3107. Our colleague capably conveyed how an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patient he saw recently may require a colectomy due to delays in appropriate treatment stemming from these regulatory processes. We also showed Tillis’s office how NIH funding generates significant economic activity in North Carolina, supporting jobs in our state.
After a quick stop at the U.S. Senate gift shop in the basement to buy souvenirs for our kids, our last meeting was with Sen. Burr’s office. There, we also thanked his office for cosponsorship of S. 668 but encouraged him to sign the “Dear Colleague” letter that Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-OH, has circulated asking CMS to address the colonoscopy cost-sharing “loophole.” We discussed the importance of cosponsoring upcoming companion Senate legislation for H.R. 2279 and H.R. 3107, sharing stories from our clinical practices about how these regulatory burdens have delayed treatment for our patients.
You can get involved, too.
AGA Advocacy Day was a tremendous experience, but it is not the only way AGA members can get involved and take action. The AGA Advocacy website, gastro.org/advocacy, provides more information on multiple avenues for advocacy. These include an online advocacy tool for sending templated letters on these issues to your elected officials.
Perhaps now more than ever, it is crucial that we get involved to support gastroenterology and advocate for our patients.
Dr. Patel is assistant professor, division of gastroenterology, Duke University, Cary, N.C.; member, AGA Clinical Guidelines Committee.
.
The evening before Advocacy Day, we discussed strategies for having a successful meeting on Capitol Hill with AGA staff (including Kathleen Teixeira, AGA vice president of government affairs, and Jonathan Sollish, AGA senior coordinator, public policy). We discussed having our “asks” supported with evidence, and “getting personal” about how these policy issues directly affect us and our patients. We also had the chance to hear from Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) , both of whom invited our questions. Both congressmen are friends of AGA, with McGovern serving as chair of the House Rules Committee, and Blunt serving as chair of the Senate Labor-HHS Subcommittee on Appropriations.
Advocacy Day began with a group breakfast during which we reviewed some of the policy issues of central importance to gastroenterology:
• Removing Barriers to the Colorectal Cancer Screening Act (HR1570/S668), which enjoys strong bipartisan support, would correct the “cost-sharing” problem of screening colonoscopies turning therapeutic (with polypectomy) for our Medicare patients, by waiving the coinsurance for screening colonoscopies – regardless of whether we remove polyps during these colonoscopies.
• Safe Step Act, HR2279, legislation introduced in the House, facilitates a common-sense and timely (72 hours or 24 hours if life-threatening) appeals process when our patients are subjected to step therapy (“fail first”) by insurers.
• Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2019, HR3107, legislation in the House, eases onerous prior authorization burdens by promoting an electronic prior authorization process, ensuring requests are approved by qualified medical professionals who have specialty-specific experience, and mandating that plans report their rates of delays and denials.
• NIH research funding facilitates innovative research and supports young investigators in our field.
Full of enthusiasm, our six-strong North Carolina contingent (pictured, L-R, Ziad Gellad, MD, MPH, AGAF; David Leiman, MD, MSPH; Animesh Jain, MD; Anne Finefrock Peery, MD; Lisa Gangarosa, MD, AGAF, chair of the AGA Government Affairs Committee; and Amit Patel, MD) met with the offices of Rep. David Price (D-N.C.), and both North Carolina Senators, Richard Burr (R) and Thom Tillis (R) on Capitol Hill to convey our “asks.”
At Price’s office in the stately Rayburn House Office Building, we thanked his team for cosponsorship of H.R. 1570 and H.R. 2279. We also discussed the importance of increasing research funding by the AGA’s goal of $2.5 billion for NIH for fiscal year 2020, noting that a majority of our delegation has received NIH funding for our training and/or research activities. We also encouraged Price’s office to cosponsor H.R. 3107, sharing our personal experiences about the administrative toll of the prior authorization process for obtaining appropriate and recommended medications for our patients – in my case, swallowed topical corticosteroids for patients with eosinophilic esophagitis.
We moved on to Sen. Tillis’s office, where we thanked his office for cosponsorship of S. 668 but encouraged his office to cosponsor upcoming companion Senate legislation for H.R. 2279 and H.R. 3107. Our colleague capably conveyed how an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patient he saw recently may require a colectomy due to delays in appropriate treatment stemming from these regulatory processes. We also showed Tillis’s office how NIH funding generates significant economic activity in North Carolina, supporting jobs in our state.
After a quick stop at the U.S. Senate gift shop in the basement to buy souvenirs for our kids, our last meeting was with Sen. Burr’s office. There, we also thanked his office for cosponsorship of S. 668 but encouraged him to sign the “Dear Colleague” letter that Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-OH, has circulated asking CMS to address the colonoscopy cost-sharing “loophole.” We discussed the importance of cosponsoring upcoming companion Senate legislation for H.R. 2279 and H.R. 3107, sharing stories from our clinical practices about how these regulatory burdens have delayed treatment for our patients.
You can get involved, too.
AGA Advocacy Day was a tremendous experience, but it is not the only way AGA members can get involved and take action. The AGA Advocacy website, gastro.org/advocacy, provides more information on multiple avenues for advocacy. These include an online advocacy tool for sending templated letters on these issues to your elected officials.
Perhaps now more than ever, it is crucial that we get involved to support gastroenterology and advocate for our patients.
Dr. Patel is assistant professor, division of gastroenterology, Duke University, Cary, N.C.; member, AGA Clinical Guidelines Committee.
A letter from Dr. Robert S. Sandler, MPH, AGAF, Chair of the AGA Research Foundation
Dear Colleagues,
Join me in supporting talented investigators through a personal gift to the AGA Research Foundation.
As a member of the GI community, you understand the physical, emotional and financial costs of digestive diseases. And you understand the value of research to advance patient care. The gap in federal funding for research continues to grow. Many well-qualified young investigators cannot get government funding. Gifts to the AGA Research Foundation this year directly supported 52 talented investigators. Despite this success, over 200 other innovative and promising research ideas went unfunded.
That’s why I’m asking for your help.
Securing the future of the field is no small task. Every dollar is a step forward in helping to spark the scientific breakthroughs of today so clinicians will have the tools to improve care tomorrow.
Everyone benefits from GI research developed by dedicated investigators.
I invite you to help the AGA Research Foundation continue our efforts to fund and retain talented GI scientists whose research will impact the future care of patients. Donate today at www.gastro.org/donate.
Thank you for your generosity. Best wishes for a happy, healthy holiday season and successful New Year.
Dear Colleagues,
Join me in supporting talented investigators through a personal gift to the AGA Research Foundation.
As a member of the GI community, you understand the physical, emotional and financial costs of digestive diseases. And you understand the value of research to advance patient care. The gap in federal funding for research continues to grow. Many well-qualified young investigators cannot get government funding. Gifts to the AGA Research Foundation this year directly supported 52 talented investigators. Despite this success, over 200 other innovative and promising research ideas went unfunded.
That’s why I’m asking for your help.
Securing the future of the field is no small task. Every dollar is a step forward in helping to spark the scientific breakthroughs of today so clinicians will have the tools to improve care tomorrow.
Everyone benefits from GI research developed by dedicated investigators.
I invite you to help the AGA Research Foundation continue our efforts to fund and retain talented GI scientists whose research will impact the future care of patients. Donate today at www.gastro.org/donate.
Thank you for your generosity. Best wishes for a happy, healthy holiday season and successful New Year.
Dear Colleagues,
Join me in supporting talented investigators through a personal gift to the AGA Research Foundation.
As a member of the GI community, you understand the physical, emotional and financial costs of digestive diseases. And you understand the value of research to advance patient care. The gap in federal funding for research continues to grow. Many well-qualified young investigators cannot get government funding. Gifts to the AGA Research Foundation this year directly supported 52 talented investigators. Despite this success, over 200 other innovative and promising research ideas went unfunded.
That’s why I’m asking for your help.
Securing the future of the field is no small task. Every dollar is a step forward in helping to spark the scientific breakthroughs of today so clinicians will have the tools to improve care tomorrow.
Everyone benefits from GI research developed by dedicated investigators.
I invite you to help the AGA Research Foundation continue our efforts to fund and retain talented GI scientists whose research will impact the future care of patients. Donate today at www.gastro.org/donate.
Thank you for your generosity. Best wishes for a happy, healthy holiday season and successful New Year.
Top AGA Community patient cases
Physicians with difficult patient scenarios regularly bring their questions to the AGA Community to seek advice from colleagues about therapy and disease management options, best practices, and diagnoses. In case you missed it, here are the most popular clinical discussions shared in the forum recently:
1. Severe ulcerative colitis # IBD – A 41-year-old female patient with ulcerative colitis had a flare that didn’t improve with adalimumab and prednisone, and was admitted to the hospital with bloody stools and abdominal pain. The GI community discussed considerations for next steps and other tests to consider.
2. Unexplained diarrhea – Following the eQ&A with an AGA guideline coauthor on chronic diarrhea, this popular case follows a celiac disease patient on a gluten-free diet who continues to have significant diarrhea and fatigue.
3. Difficult ERCP – How would you handle an ERCP where the papilla is small and in a tricky location? View photos from your colleague’s scope and share your advice with the GI community.
Access these clinical cases and more discussions at https://community.gastro.org/discussions.
Physicians with difficult patient scenarios regularly bring their questions to the AGA Community to seek advice from colleagues about therapy and disease management options, best practices, and diagnoses. In case you missed it, here are the most popular clinical discussions shared in the forum recently:
1. Severe ulcerative colitis # IBD – A 41-year-old female patient with ulcerative colitis had a flare that didn’t improve with adalimumab and prednisone, and was admitted to the hospital with bloody stools and abdominal pain. The GI community discussed considerations for next steps and other tests to consider.
2. Unexplained diarrhea – Following the eQ&A with an AGA guideline coauthor on chronic diarrhea, this popular case follows a celiac disease patient on a gluten-free diet who continues to have significant diarrhea and fatigue.
3. Difficult ERCP – How would you handle an ERCP where the papilla is small and in a tricky location? View photos from your colleague’s scope and share your advice with the GI community.
Access these clinical cases and more discussions at https://community.gastro.org/discussions.
Physicians with difficult patient scenarios regularly bring their questions to the AGA Community to seek advice from colleagues about therapy and disease management options, best practices, and diagnoses. In case you missed it, here are the most popular clinical discussions shared in the forum recently:
1. Severe ulcerative colitis # IBD – A 41-year-old female patient with ulcerative colitis had a flare that didn’t improve with adalimumab and prednisone, and was admitted to the hospital with bloody stools and abdominal pain. The GI community discussed considerations for next steps and other tests to consider.
2. Unexplained diarrhea – Following the eQ&A with an AGA guideline coauthor on chronic diarrhea, this popular case follows a celiac disease patient on a gluten-free diet who continues to have significant diarrhea and fatigue.
3. Difficult ERCP – How would you handle an ERCP where the papilla is small and in a tricky location? View photos from your colleague’s scope and share your advice with the GI community.
Access these clinical cases and more discussions at https://community.gastro.org/discussions.