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become critical in guaranteeing
all Medicare beneficiaries
have access to quality care,
regardless of where they live.
Lawmakers were also
asked to cosponsor H.R. 487,
a resolution introduced by
Reps. Lynn Jenkins (R-KS)
and Richard Neal (D-MA) that
recognizes the importance
of voluntary accreditation
by the ACS Commission on
Cancer (CoC) in ensuring that
patients have access to high-quality cancer care. Voluntary
accreditation demonstrates a
cancer program’s commitment
to providing high-quality,
comprehensive care to patients
and their families, allowing
programs to continually
evaluate performance and make
improvements where possible.
Surgeons also asked their
representatives and senators
to cosponsor H.R. 1220/S.
624, the Removing Barriers to
Colorectal Cancer Screening
Act introduced by Rep. Charles
Dent (R-PA) in the House, and
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in
the Senate. Colorectal cancer is
the nation’s second leading cause
of death from cancer. Under
current law, Medicare waives
copayments and deductibles for
colonoscopies. However, when a
polyp is discovered and removed,
the procedure is reclassified as
therapeutic and patients are
required to make copayments.
The legislation would waive
coinsurance under Medicare
Part B for colorectal cancer
screening tests, regardless of
whether a polyp is removed. By
removing this financial barrier,
Congress would help increase
screening rates and reduce the
incidence of colorectal cancer.
How to make a difference today
Members of the ACS can
continue to help advance the
College’s pro-patient, pro-surgeon
advocacy agenda. Here’s how:
•Contact your members of
Congress and respond to ACS calls
to action through SurgeonsVoice at
surgeonsvoice.org (log-in required).
• Become familiar with key
state legislative issues affecting
surgeons and surgical patients at
facs.org/advocacy/state/trends.
• Mark your calendar to participate
in the 2017 Leadership & Advocacy
Summit in Washington, DC, May
6− 9, as well as in your local ACS
chapter’s state advocacy day.
• Build relationships with your
lawmakers by attending their in-district meetings and/or town
halls or by inviting them to visit
your surgical practice; details for
setting up an in-district meeting
are at facs.org/advocacy/participate/
surgeonsvoice/grassroots/guide.
•Learn about the ACSPA-
SurgeonsPAC at surgeonspac.org. ♦
David B. Hoyt, MD, FACS, (right) ACS Executive Director,
in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of
the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
Ms. Morse
