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Office of Governmental and Legal Affairs
 
 


ASA's Office of Governmental and Legal Affairs is located in Washington, D.C. It monitors and engages in advocacy with respect to federal and state legislative and regulatory activities affecting the practice of medicine by the Society's members. Further, it is responsible for providing Practice Management assistance and advice for the membership, principally with respect to the Medicare program but also with respect to all "business" aspects of the delivery of anesthesia care. The American Society of Anesthesiologists Political Action Committee (ASAPAC), a separate segregated fund of the Society, is also administered in the Washington Office, as are the Society's internal legal affairs and maintenance of relations with outside legal counsel.

With the exception of federal regulatory materials related to Medicare reimbursement, materials related to federal and state legislation and regulations can be found on this site and are listed on the Index. Regulatory materials related to Medicare reimbursement can be found and are indexed on the Practice Management site.

   

 

Washington Alerts
08-25-10 Bipartisan Senate letter urges review of Medicare payments for anesthesiology
08-24-10 ASA Submits Comments to CMS FY2011 Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule
08-23-10 ASA Files a Motion to Intervene in the “Red Flags Rule”
08-19-10

FDA Upholds ASA Stance on Safe Use of Propofol

08-11-10

ASA Policy Research Rotation in Political Affairs

08-03-10

ASA Policy Research Rotation in Political Affairs Closed Application Notice

07-30-10 President Obama Recognizes the 45th Anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid
07-09-10 CMS Releases New Outpatient Measures for the Hospital Compare Website
07-08-10 PQRI Provider Call on July 19 at 3 p.m. EDT
07-07-10 Updated Anesthesia Conversion Factors by Locale
07-07-10 Dr. Don Berwick Sworn in as CMS Administrator
06-30-10 CMS TO REVIEW PECOS ENROLLMENT PROCESS
06-28-10

CMS Releases Proposed Rule for 2011 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule

06-25-10 President Signs 'Doc-Fix' Bill into Law  – 21 Percent Cut Halted
06-24-10 Passage of 'Doc-fix' Reported to Be Imminent
06-18-10 CMS Directs Carriers to Process Claims with the 21 Percent Cut
06-18-10 Update: Senate Passes Free-Standing 'Doc Fix' Bill
06-18-10

Update: Cuts in effect – Senate Reported to be Considering Free-Standing Six-Month “Fix” Bill

06-16-10 ASA Renews Request for Action from OIG on “Company Model”
06-14-10 UPDATE: CMS directs carriers to hold claims through June 17 while Congress debates SGR options
06-11-10 Update: Congress Fails to Act - CMS to Begin to Process Claims with 21-percent Cut
06-02-10 Bipartisan Congressional letter urges review of Medicare payments for anesthesiology
06-01-10

Congress Fails to Act - SGR Cuts Effective June 1st

05-28-10 SGR cuts to take effect on June 1
05-26-10 ASA Withholds Support for New Medicare Physician Payment 'Fix'
05-24-10 Congress Currently Working to Avert 21% Cut: Next Steps Forward in SGR Debate Remain Unclear
05-13-10 ASA Supports New Health Care Provider Transparency Legislation
05-12-10 Call Today: Urge Your Lawmaker to Co-sign the Anesthesiology Medicare Payment Letter
05-11-10 ASA joins surgical societies in urging meaningful change to longstanding Medicare SGR problem
04-28-10

Anesthesiology Policy Research Rotation in Political Affairs Notice

04-20-10

President Obama Nominates Physician to Lead CMS

04-16-10
President Obama signs the “Continuing Extension Act of 2010” reinstating 2009 Medicare physician payment rates
04-15-10

CMS Announces Medicare Cuts in Effect Until Such Time as Congress Acts

04-15-10
Stop the Medicare Meltdown: Sign the petition today
04-05-10

Remarks of Alexander A. Hannenberg, M.D., ASA President, on Final Enactment of Health Reform Package and ASA Response

03-26-10

Congress fails to prevent April 1 cut in Medicare physician payments; CMS instructs contractors to hold claims

03-25-10
Reconciliation bill passes Senate, sent back to House for final passage
03-25-10

ASA releases primer on implementation of new health care reform law

03-21-10

Remarks of ASA President Alexander Hannenberg, M.D. on the Final House Health Reform Votes

03-19-10
ASA Joins Surgical Coalition in Opposition to Senate Bill
03-19-10
March 18 Tele-Town Hall audio recording and script
03-18-10

Documents for the "Health Care and Education Affordability Act of 2010" released

03-17-10
ASA Urges “No” Vote on Flawed Reform Process and Flawed Reform Bills
03-15-10
Update: Health Reform Process in House Announced
03-15-10
Urgent Health Care Tele-Town Hall – THIS Thursday, March 18, 7:30 p.m. EDT
03-11-10
Health Care Reform Update from ASA President Alexander Hannenberg, M.D.
03-10-10
U.S. Senate passes H.R. 4213, potentially extending Medicare physician payment freeze
03-03-10

Remarks of President Barack Obama on Health Insurance Reform

03-03-10

Update: Congress and President Act to Pass “Patch” for Pending 21 percent Medicare Physician Payment Cut

03-02-10

Bipartisan Summit Concludes without Agreement: ASA to Remain Vigilant for Possible “Reconciliation” Strategy

02-26-10
Update: Scheduled 21 percent Medicare Physician Payment Cut to be Implemented
02-24-10
Important Update: 30-day “patch” possible to prevent March 1st 21 percent Medicare physician payment cut
02-22-10

Action Alert: Medicare payments to be cut by 21 percent next week – Ask your Senators to repeal the SGR

02-22-10

President Obama’s proposal for health care reform unveiled before Feb. 25 health summit

02-22-10
ASA joins with other members of the surgical community urging the President and Congressional leaders to address the community’s positions on key issues pending in the reform debate
02-17-10

President Obama to hold bipartisan health care meeting on Feb. 25

02-17-10
2010 ASA Legislative Conference: registration now open
02-02-10

President Obama releases FY 2011 budget

01-29-10
President Obama renews commitment to health care reform in State of the Union address
01-29-10

Senate bill to increase debt limit could set the stage for five-year SGR freeze: Provisions fall short of medicine’s goal of true reform

01-29-10

President Obama renews commitment to health care reform in State of the Union address

01-20-10

Health Care Reform Update

01-14-10
ASA President Alex Hannenberg, M.D., expresses ASA’s concerns and recommendations in letter to House and Senate health reform negotiators
01-11-10
Senate Democrats release supporting documents to H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
01-11-10

ASA joins 74 other provider and beneficiary groups in letter opposing IPAB

01-05-10
Congressional summary of health reform bills

 

Personnel of the Washington Office include:

Ronald Szabat, J.D., LL.M

Executive Vice President & General Counsel

   
Angela Weigelt Special Assistant to the Executive Vice President
   
Manuel Bonilla, M.S.

Director of Congressional and Political Affairs

   
Jason R. Byrd, J.D. Director of Practice Management, Quality and Regulatory Affairs
   
Mary L. Kuffner, J.D.

Associate General Counsel

   

Harvey “Chip” Amoe III, J.D., M.P.A.

Assistant Director, Federal Affairs
   
Lisa Percy Albany, J.D. State Legislative and Regulatory Issues Manager
   
Sharon Merrick, CCS-P Coding and Reimbursement Manager
   
Maya D. Grassi, J.D Staff Counsel
   
Moriah R. Merkel Grassroots Program Administrator
   
Loveleen Singh, M.P.H. Health Policy Analyst
   

Michelle Mathy

PAC Political Coordinator

 

ASA Washington Office
1501 M Street, N.W.
Suite 300
Washington, DC 20005
Telephone: (202) 289-2222
Fax: (202)371-0384
E-mail: mail@asawash.org



 

Federal Legislative and Regulatory Activities

State Legislative and Regulatory Activities

Grassroots

Legal Information and Resources

Office-Based Anesthesia

ASAPAC - ASA Political Action Committee (Members only)