Who is lobbying for surgeons?

[Von Hohenheim]

What kind of lobby groups do we have at state and federal levels? Are all issues (reimbursement, tort reform etc) being tackled? What issues are there for surgeons that aren't being sufficinetly lobbied for?

I'm trying to understand our current situation with regard to our representation? Can anyone fill me in on what we currently have and if possible what we might need to have?


What are we prepared to pay to have an adequate lobby?

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[drpectin]

What kind of lobby groups do we have at state and federal levels? Are all issues (reimbursement, tort reform etc) being tackled? What issues are there for surgeons that aren't being sufficinetly lobbied for?

I'm trying to understand our current situation with regard to our representation? Can anyone fill me in on what we currently have and if possible what we might need to have?


What are we prepared to pay to have an adequate lobby?

Have you never heard of the American College of Surgeons?

They lobby for us all the time. If you're really interested in this stuff you should definitely join. They send me bimonthly emails on all the government stuff they're trying to do.

http://www.facs.org/

 

[Von Hohenheim]

Have you never heard of the American College of Surgeons?

They lobby for us all the time. If you're really interested in this stuff you should definitely join. They send me bimonthly emails on all the government stuff they're trying to do.

http://www.facs.org/

Thanks. Yes, I know about the ACS and yes, I'm a member. I'm just trying to get an idea of just who exactly we have on our side.

ACS
AMA
The republican party to a very limited extent.

Who else?

 

[drpectin]

The AMA and the republican party are definitely NOT ON OUR SIDE!!!

I am not an AMA member and as far as I'm concerned I never will be.

The AMA and several republican members of Congress are currently putting a package together that would enforce pay for performance (read tons more paperwork).

Essentially if you did all the tests and treatment that the AMA thought was good (Not the ACS or other subspecialty groups), they'd pay you 10% more or something. Otherwise you'd get less than before.

You know I get that basically no one cares about us and that administration of medical services by the government is totally against us. Its just really, I spend all my time studying so that I provide the best care possible - so worrying about the current state of public health and medicine is just beyond the scope of bothering me. I see the tsunami but neither the public nor politicians do. I think eventually this crisis will be apparent to the public (just ask the good citizens of west virginia where to find an OB or neurosurgeon).

 

[Ladd's Band]

Have you never heard of the American College of Surgeons?

They lobby for us all the time. If you're really interested in this stuff you should definitely join. They send me bimonthly emails on all the government stuff they're trying to do.

http://www.facs.org/

Are you joking me! If they were at all lobbying on our side we would not be in this mess. The main goal for the American College of Surgeons, has always been education. They have been stuck in the education mode for so long that they have no power to lobby for us in the real world of surgical practice.

 

[Von Hohenheim]

The AMA and the republican party are definitely NOT ON OUR SIDE!!!

I am not an AMA member and as far as I'm concerned I never will be.

The AMA and several republican members of Congress are currently putting a package together that would enforce pay for performance (read tons more paperwork).

Essentially if you did all the tests and treatment that the AMA thought was good (Not the ACS or other subspecialty groups), they'd pay you 10% more or something. Otherwise you'd get less than before.

I don't know enough about this. Are you saying that the AMA isn't interested in taking on insurance companies and the tort issues? Or are they really just an advocacy for internists rather than surgeons? Any chance you could give me some background?

You know I get that basically no one cares about us and that administration of medical services by the government is totally against us. .

Political parties are fickle. They "care about" whoever contributes money to them. It seems to me that we're losing more money by not contributing. The game that insurance companies and trial lawers play in Washington aren't exactly rocket science. It's time that we step into the ring and play some hardball.

 

[Von Hohenheim]

Are you joking me! If they were at all lobbying on our side we would not be in this mess. The main goal for the American College of Surgeons, has always been education. They have been stuck in the education mode for so long that they have no power to lobby for us in the real world of surgical practice.

Well, their website has a section about reform efforts. Are you saying that the ACS isn't doing much to lobby support in DC?


Anyone have any stats on how much medicine and surgery are spending to get our message to the legislature? How much are insurance companies and trial layers spending?

It seems reasonable that unless we're in the same league in terms of PR and Lobbying, we can't expect to get the same support from government?

 

[drpectin]

Ladd first of all read their website - they try to advocate for us. This obsession you have is really unhealthy. Relax regroup and attack. Blowing your top all the time must be getting you down.

As for AMA here's some relevant info and analysis
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/14416.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/21/p...rss&adxnnlx=1150120824-9mZmO1TufK0rHZ/JFoS5kg
http://www.facs.org/ahp/novdec05crosscountry.html#2

Ladd as someone who's being hearing the statements, flag waving, and barn burning since I was in high school (my fathers a physician) the one thing that I am sure about is that the juggernaut that is federal health care rolls on. The more the gov controls and endlessly spends our money wastefully seems to never end. Two party system stinks (I mean who do you choose between a douche and a turd sandwich anyway?)
My point is that huffing and puffing is not going to blow this brick institution down.

 

[Ladd's Band]

Ladd first of all read their website - they try to advocate for us. This obsession you have is really unhealthy. Relax regroup and attack. Blowing your top all the time must be getting you down.

As for AMA here's some relevant info and analysis
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/14416.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/21/p...rss&adxnnlx=1150120824-9mZmO1TufK0rHZ/JFoS5kg
http://www.facs.org/ahp/novdec05crosscountry.html#2

Ladd as someone who's being hearing the statements, flag waving, and barn burning since I was in high school (my fathers a physician) the one thing that I am sure about is that the juggernaut that is federal health care rolls on. The more the gov controls and endlessly spends our money wastefully seems to never end. Two party system stinks (I mean who do you choose between a douche and a turd sandwich anyway?)
My point is that huffing and puffing is not going to blow this brick institution down.

No one is “huffing and puffing”; I have spoken to some members of the American Collage of Surgeons about these issues. Their reaction is if you want to make a living ---leave surgery. You have to remember these are old surgeons, who have made their money when surgery paid and have been sheltered by their academic institutions. They do not care for the future surgeons. But you do have to give them one credit, which is surgical education…. And it stops there.

 

[Von Hohenheim]

I have spoken to some members of the American Collage of Surgeons about these issues.

Are you talking about just some random surgeons who happen to have a regular membership of the ACS or are you talking about people actively involved in the ACS? If it's the former then that's no very relevant.

Their reaction is if you want to make a living ---leave surgery.

Not very helpful.

 

[HTD]

Hello,

Thats a good question you asked. It is exactly the kind of question that motivated me to put up the helpthedoctor.com website. I have several sections there that lead you to advocacy sites for and not so much for physicians. Take a look around and you will find some links to poeple that are fighting for us.

The american society of general surgeons (ASGS) is one such gruop. There are groups that represent the insurance and defense attorneys as well. The sheer size of a group like the ACS requires many layers of diplomacy. There is no proverbial man standing on a podium shouting for our team. There are, however, many well organized efforts to protect our profession. Check the link in my signature to see more.

 

[MacGyver]

Their reaction is if you want to make a living ---leave surgery. .

Cmon man you gotta be joking. Nobody buys that, including all the applicatns who flooded ERAS with gen surg applications the past couple of years. Gen surg competition is probably close to an all time high right now.

The older surgeons bitching about money have no clue how good they have it. I bet you bottom dollar all those complainers average over 250k per year. Thats better than FP, IM, peds which collectively make up over 1/2 of all doctors.

Gen surgeons have it pretty good relative to other docs.

 

[Orange Julius]

Cmon man you gotta be joking. Nobody buys that, including all the applicatns who flooded ERAS with gen surg applications the past couple of years. Gen surg competition is probably close to an all time high right now.

The older surgeons bitching about money have no clue how good they have it. I bet you bottom dollar all those complainers average over 250k per year. Thats better than FP, IM, peds which collectively make up over 1/2 of all doctors.

Gen surgeons have it pretty good relative to other docs.

Yeah, in the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king. Is that what you're saying?

Move beyond that. ALL doctors are getting screwed. This is a time of crisis for the profession as a whole.