I was very impressed by the remarks of our new President, Roger W. Litwiller, M.D., at the 2003 ASA Annual Meeting last October in San Francisco, California. Dr. Litwiller stressed that we anesthesiologists need to focus on three things. The first two, compassion and academic medicine, he will have to tell you about. The third, political involvement, I am here to tell you about. I am the new chair of the Society’s Committee on Governmental Affairs.

Ten years ago, having just withstood the personally grueling experience of adopting a child, I read a disturbing article in the newspaper. A local family had adopted twin girls two years ago who turned out to be 1/32 Poma Indian. They were about to be taken away because the tribe’s rights under the law superceded adoption law. I hope I do not offend anyone who feels strongly about Indian tribal autonomy, but I felt a wrong was being done. I sent some money to the family’s legal fund. I learned that my Congresswoman, Deborah Pryce, had an adopted daughter and had become involved in the fight to bring some child-centeredness to the Indian adoption laws. To the surprise of many people, the Congresswoman was successful.

Several years later, I met Rep. Pryce when her 8-year-old daughter, Caroline, was receiving treatment for a serious medical condition at my hospital. My department was involved in her care, but despite all that we and the other specialists could do, she did not survive. I went to Caroline’s funeral, and then I started supporting Rep. Pryce in her re-election efforts as well her foundation, “Hope Street Kids,” to fight childhood cancer. I subsequently went to a fundraiser at our local zoo. Kids were dancing and petting animals. I noticed two identical black-haired 6-year-old girls and realized they were the twins from the newspaper. I introduced myself to them and their mother. We agreed that Deb Pryce was an amazing lady.

Over the years, I have supported Deb’s campaigns financially — I have gone to fundraisers, requested ASA Political Action Committee money on her behalf and delivered it, called her office when her assistance was needed on anesthesiology-related issues, written a letter to the editor on her behalf in response to a request from her office and visited her in her Washington Office during the ASA Legislative Conference. We also have had lunch together in Columbus, Ohio. In short I have established a continuing and close relationship with my representative, and I have found it both fun and personally rewarding.

As Dr. Litwiller said, “Everyone needs to show up to play.” You, too, can get involved. You can spend as little or as much time and money as you would like. Read the article by Bertram W. Coffer, M.D., in the December 1999 NEWSLETTER titled, “Professional Political Insurance: Don’t Leave Home Without It,” from the ASA NEWSLETTER archives on the Web. It is a great “how to” article. One of my favorite quotes from his article is: “Those that deem politics beneath their dignity are doomed to be governed by those of lesser talents.” If every anesthesiologist responded to one fundraiser invitation this fall (call up your representative to get the number of his or her campaign office and get invited if you have not been already), I have no doubt that whatever our agenda, we would be unstoppable.

As former committee chair John M. Zerwas, M.D., goes on to become ASA Assistant Treasurer, he leaves big shoes to fill. Some of the ongoing projects of the committee are highlighted below.

1. Developing a legislative internship program.
We are fortunate to have Susan L. Goelzer, M.D., on our committee. She has been one of the six Robert Wood Johnson Foundation fellows in Congress in the past year and has been working in the office of Senate Majority Leader William H. Frist, M.D. She has helped to educate us about the workings of government and hopefully has helped to educate Dr. Frist on issues of importance to anesthesiologists. Her strong belief is that we can best care for our patients when we also care about health policy.

Since we probably will not be so fortunate to have a Robert Wood Johnson Fellow every year, at the suggestion of committee member Scott B. Groudine, M.D., ASA will develop its own fellowship, hopefully to be offered in 2005. Those of us who heard Senator Hillary Clinton at the last ASA Legislative Conference were amazed when she knowingly threw around terms such as “pin indexing.” Dr. Groudine found out, perhaps even more surprisingly, that this information came from a neurosurgeon fellow in her office whose year was being supported by the American Academy of Neurological Surgeons.

2. Participating in the issue of reimbursement of rural physicians.

3. Monitoring the government mandate for e-prescribing.

4. Helping physician groups get reimbursed for the work of locum tenens physicians.

5. Continuing to push for state and federal tort reform.

6. Continuing to minimize the impact of state opt-outs of the Medicare physician supervision regulations.

7. Organizing the annual Legislative Conference.

8. Putting the governmental affairs toolkit into the hands of anesthesiology residents and young physicians.

9. Working closely with ASAPAC to identify and support “anesthesiology friendly” candidates for political office (especially anesthesiologists!).

It will be a busy and exciting year. Please think about adopting the cause of governmental affairs.

Patricia J. Davidson, M.D., is Staff Anesthesiologist, Ohio Surgery Center, Columbus Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio. She is Alternate Director for Ohio.