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Surgical care does not take place in a vacuum. Social, eco- nomic, legislative, and regulatory issues all affect our ability to provide optimal care to each patient, to promote the best interests of all our patients, and to thrive as a
profession. Working through these issues requires us to act as
advocates for the science and profession of surgery. An advocate is defined as “a person who works for a cause or a group.” 1
As surgeons, we work for our patients. Surgeons exist for the
purpose of caring for patients; patients don’t exist to give
surgeons opportunities to wield scalpels. By definition, that
makes all of us advocates for our patients.
On an organizational level, the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Division of Advocacy and Health Policy provides
surgeons with numerous advocacy-related resources, including
the annual ACS Leadership & Advocacy Summit, the Health
Policy Research Institute, and online educational tools. 2 The
passage of H.R. 2, the Medicare Access and CHIP (Children’s
by Adeyemi A. Ogunleye, MD, SM;
Lindsay A. Bliss, MD, MPH;
SreyRam Kuy, MD, MHS;
and Stefan W. Leichtle, MD
Political advocacy in surgery:
HIGHLIGHTS
• Summarizes the successful efforts
of two surgeon advocates
• Provides guidelines for surgeons
considering a role in advocacy
• Describes the challenges
and benefits of health
policy advocacy work
The case for
individual
engagement
