his past May 1-3, nearly 500 people descended upon our nation’s capitol to learn about the legislative and regulatory issues that affect the medical specialty of anesthesiology as part of the ASA 2006 Legislative Conference. Their trip, however, was more than a mere fact-finding mission. These men and women sought to educate Congress and the Administration and to motivate them into action.

The three-day conference kicked off with panel discussions covering topics that ranged from scope-of-practice issues to payment problems to the importance of political involvement beyond state component societies. These sessions illuminated the personal experiences of several ASA members and gave conference participants strategies for tackling similar issues.

Left to right, David Broussard, M.D., ASA President Orin F. Guidry, M.D., and ASA Associate Director of Governmental Affairs Manuel Bonilla, M.S., meet with legislative assistant Shawn Geddes and Sen. David Vitter (R-LA). Sen. Vitter is the sponsor of S. 2990, legislation to restore full funding to anesthesiology teaching programs.

For the first time in the history of the Legislative Conference, ASA was accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide 1.25 continuing medical education (CME) credits for members’ participation in a panel discussion about medical decision-making and anesthesia patient care in today’s health care environment. Plans are currently under way to provide more opportunities for CME credit at next year’s conference.

Following the productive panel discussions and helpful feedback, Ronald Szabat, J.D., LL.M., ASA Director of Governmental Affairs and General Counsel, outlined three major legislative focuses of the 2006 Legislative Conference: fixing the anesthesiology “teaching rule,” repealing the unworkable sustainable growth rate and extending rural pass-through to anesthesiologists. Through these sessions, conference participants learned about the overall political environment in Washington and where ASA issues fit into the big picture.

Edgar D. Canada, M.D., right, past president of the California Society of Anesthesiologists, meets with Rep. Fortney H. “Pete” Stark (R-CA) following Rep. Stark’s speech at the Legislative Conference.  Rep. Stark is the author of H.R. 5348, one of two House bills that would help save anesthesiology teaching programs.

This year an anesthesiology-specific bill had been introduced to rectify a major issue facing the specialty — the Medicare 50-percent payment penalty for teaching anesthesiologists. Rep. E. Clay Shaw (R-FL) and Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) authored H.R. 5246, legislation that would help to preserve anesthesiology teaching programs that currently face devastating payment cuts through Medicare.

After presenting the ins and outs of the current political landscape, Mr. Szabat helped conference participants understand the nuances of the messages they should communicate to Congress by breaking each issue into three or four talking points. By staying on message, ASA members would be better able to capture the attention of members of Congress and their staff and secure their support of issues important to anesthesiologists.

New to this year’s Legislative Conference lineup, public advocacy consultant Melinda Farris followed Mr. Szabat’s issues discussion with a presentation titled “Effective Strategies for Lobbying Congress.” With an extensive background in politics and strategic communications, Ms. Farris offered participants an insider’s view of how Congress works. Through an enthusiastic presentation and entertaining role-playing activities, Ms. Farris empowered conference participants with strategies and tools for conducting productive meetings on Capitol Hill.

Rep. Eric I. Cantor (R-VA), sixth from left, Deputy Majority Whip of the U.S. House of Representatives, meets with a delegation of Virginia anesthesiologists after addressing conference participants.

The second day of the conference began with an informative presentation about Medicare payment issues by Alexander H. Hannenberg, M.D., ASA Vice-President for Professional Affairs. Through his years of experience and knowledge of intricate payment mechanisms, Dr. Hannenberg painted a picture of past, present and possible future Medicare payment policies.

After being informed about ASA’s perspective on complex Medicare payment issues such as pay for performance (P4P), conference participants heard from Thomas Valuck, M.D., the Medical Officer and Senior Adviser for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Center for Medicare Management. As the CMS point-person for P4P issues, Dr. Valuck provided insights into the status of various policies currently under consideration. When his discussion prompted a heated question-and-answer session, Dr. Valuck made himself available afterward for continued dialog with ASA members and staff.

Day two of the Legislative Conference also included opportunities to recognize outstanding physicians and legislators who have made significant contributions to the specialty. L. Charles Novak, M.D., of the Washington State Society of Anesthesiologists, received one of two “Excellence in Government awards” for his work in identifying and fixing mathematical errors in the Medicare formula for anesthesiology payments. Later in the day, the Ohio component society presented the second Excellence in Government Award to Sen. Mike DeWine (R-OH), a well-respected member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and a great friend of anesthesiology.

Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC), front row, third from left, meets with members of the North Carolina Society of Anesthesiologists during visits to Capitol Hill.

Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), second from right, greets members of the California Society of Anesthesiologists in her office on Capitol Hill.

Members of the Oklahoma Society of Anesthesiologists meet with Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), front row, third from left, during legislative visits on Capitol Hill.

Many other members of Congress join Sen. DeWine in his outstanding leadership on important health care issues. Conference participants’ understanding of pressing federal legislative issues was greatly enhanced by the engaging presentations of several such members of Congress.

Rep. Fortney H. “Pete” Stark (D-CA), ranking member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, was the first legislator to address the conference. Often recognized as an outspoken leader, Rep. Stark provided valuable insights and opinions about the political climate in Washington and pledged his support of ASA-backed legislation to fix the 50-percent payment penalty for teaching anesthesiologists. Following the conference, Rep. Stark took things one step further by authoring his own version of the legislation.

Other prominent members of Congress featured in the 2006 Legislative Conference included Rep. Eric I. Cantor (R-VA), the Chief Deputy Majority Whip for the House, and Rep. Bobby Jindal (R-LA).

John Agwunobi, M.D., M.P.H., the nation’s premier expert on pandemic preparedness, also was on hand to share the latest in planning for widespread national disasters. He spoke about the role that organized medicine could play in responding to such occurrences.

Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), front row, fifth from left, meets with members of the North Carolina Society of Anesthesiologists.

Members of the Texas Society of Anesthesiologists meet Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), fifth from right, in rear, during a reception honoring Texas members of Congress.  Rep. Sessions is a chief cosponsor of H.R. 5246, legislation to restore full funding to anesthesiology teaching programs.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), center, joins a delegation of Texas anesthesiologists during a reception honoring members of Congress from their state.

To further enhance participants’ understanding of the overall political environment, famed election analyst Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, presented his speculations for the upcoming November elections. His witty commentary provided participants many scenarios to ponder and energized them to become active in various races throughout the country.

A crucial way for every ASA member to become involved in the political process is by contributing to the ASA Political Action Committee (ASAPAC), explained ASAPAC Executive Board Chair James L. Becker, M.D. He presented an informative update on the status of this year’s fundraising activities and political involvement and made a plea for further ASA member participation. He recognized the Alabama society for having the highest percentage of ASAPAC contributors and awarded them the “ASAPAC Alabama Cup” — a giant silver trophy commemorating the society’s accomplishment.

Members of the Louisiana Society of Anesthesiologists meet with Rep. Bobby Jindal (R-LA), third from right, prior to his speech, including ASA President Orin F. Guidry, M.D., far right.

Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), Chief Deputy Majority Whip for the U.S. House of Representatives, addresses the 2006 ASA Legislative Conference.	Rep. Bobby Jindal (R-LA) shares with Legislative Conference participants his experiences in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.	Benjamin D. Unger, M.D., ASA Resident Component President, addresses Legislative Conference participants. More than 50 residents took part in this year's conference.

The second day of the conference was capped by a reception honoring ASAPAC “Circle of Distinction” members and resident donors. Circle of Distinction members have contributed a minimum of $500 to the PAC.

On the final day of the conference, participants — armed with new information and fresh messages — made the trek from the hotel to The Hill to make their voices heard to Congress. Their tireless efforts yielded meetings with many members of Congress from both sides of the aisle and garnered dozens of cosponsors and supporters for the teaching rule legislation.

Members of the Ohio Society of Anesthesiologists present the ASA Excellence in Government Award to Sen. Mike DeWine (R-OH), center, holding award.

Mark J. Lema, M.D., Ph.D., ASA President-Elect, presents L. Charles Novak, M.D., with the third annual ASA Excellence in Government Award.

Members of the Alabama State Society of Anesthesiologists pose with the 2006 “Alabama Cup.” The society was awarded the cup for its high percentage of ASAPAC donors.

Patricia J. Davidson, M.D., Chair of the Committee on Governmental Affairs, calls the 2006 ASA Legislative Conference to order.	Admiral John O. Agwunobi, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.H., Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, speaks to Legislative Conference attendees about physician involvement in pandemic preparedness.	Rebecca J. Patchin, M.D., American Medical Association trustee, addresses a meeting of the 2006 ASA Legislative Conference.

Today, three months after the close of a successful Legislative Conference, ASA members and staff continue engaging Congress and the Administration on issues important to the medical specialty of anesthesiology. Staff in the ASA Washington Office has had many productive follow-up meetings with members of Congress and their staff, building upon the important relationships established and further cultivated during ASA members’ Hill visits in May.

Before joining ASA in February 2006 as Advocacy Communications Manager, Ms. Paff worked as a health legislative assistant to Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY).