A New Era of Service by the AVLS to our Members, our Profession, our Patients

STEPHEN F. DAUGHERTY, MD, FACS, FAVLS, RVT, RPHS CHAIRMAN, AVLS HEALTHCARE POLICY COMMITTEE

ROBERT WHITE DIRECTOR OF HEALTHCARE POLICY & ADVOCACY, AVLS

• A unified voice representing the specialty of venous and lymphatic medicine

• Engaging with stakeholders- Medicare, FDA, American Medical Association

• Comments on proposed policies

• Participation in the AMA CPT process

• Participation in the AMA Resource-Based Relative Value Update Committee

• Representation at the AMA House of Delegates where decisions do affect us

• Representation on the IAC-Vein Center Division Board of Directors

• Direct engagement with Federal government and Capitol Hill with written comments and personal visits to Capitol Hill and CMS

• Fair reimbursement and patient access for vein care

• Putting the physician at the center of the care process

• The right treatment for each patient

• Development of Position Statements published on our website regarding the new vein technologies and support of new technologies and payment with multiple payors

• Harnessing data to prove the care we provide is appropriate and improves outcomes for patients supports our advocacy for FAIR payment

• Partnering with Medicare and other payors to improve medical coverage policies

• In-person meetings with CMS Medicare leadership and representing the AVLS on Medicare Carrier Advisory Committees and at open carrier policy meetings (First Coast Services Organization, Novitas, Palmetto)

• Leveraging our AVLS Guidelines Committee to ensure care standards support our Advocacy communications with other venous stakeholders

• The future will be determined by what we do NOW to address the many challenges ahead.

• Our current national payment and care delivery system will change - we need to understand how.

• Fee for Service is going away - our future must be about quality of care and value.

• Data informs all that we do - it helps us improve what we do, and it will support payment for value.

• The AVLS PRO 2.0 Registry is central to the next decade. We must harness our data.

• Venous & Lymphatic Medicine is our contribution to mankind, and we are all stronger with AVLS as our voice. We must continue to increase our efforts on behalf of our patients and our profession.

The American Vein & Lymphatic Society (AVLS) Board Healthcare Policy Committee, with deep support from the volunteer members of the Advocacy Committee, continues to work for the professional interests of our members and their patients. Much of this work would not be possible without the financial support of the Foundation for Venous & Lymphatic Disease (FVLD).

The AVLS is working to present a unified voice for those who care for venous and lymphatic disease to policy makers, regulators, and payors. We are the largest voice for patients as we fight for access to care and for fair payment policies. Without fair policies, we cannot attract the skilled and talented professionals necessary to care for our patients in the future.

The Board Standing committee and the Healthcare Policy Committee set the direction and make the policy decisions. The majority of the work of accomplishing these goals is done by the Advocacy Committee. The members of the Advocacy Committee have been selected from the AVLS membership because each has special skills or knowledge and the ability to devote the substantial volunteer hours necessary to accomplish our goals.

Our primary goal is to educate stakeholders such as payors and policy makers about venous and lymphatic disorders, the unmet needs for care, and how they might help us to better care for our patients. Additionally, the committee comments on proposed and existing medical policies and strives to develop a constructive dialog with payors to improve medical policies and to provide patients with access to appropriate care. Collectively, our volunteers spend thousands of hours a year working for the interests of our patients and our members.

The work we are doing is critical to our specialty.

Payment models are evolving, and we must keep up with them so our members can meet the many external challenges.

Data is key to influencing the policy makers and payors. We cannot expect decisions to be favorable to our patients or to us if we do not guide decisions. We must be able to show that we deliver high quality care that changes lives, and we must be able to show the value of the services we provide. Participation in the AVLS PRO 2.0 Venous Registry is key to developing the data. Our payors are asking for data, which we can best provide through the Registry.

Funding for our policy and advocacy activity comes largely from FVLD grants. These grants pay staff salaries and support necessary travel expenses for staff and our volunteer members who give up valuable time from their practices to represent the AVLS. We can do more if we have the funding to monitor and manage our responses to proposed policies.

1. Contributing generously to the Foundation for Venous & Lymphatic Disease

2. Participating in the AVLS PRO 2.0 Venous Registry

3. Forwarding information and concerns about policy and advocacy issues to Robert White at rwhite@acpmail.org

4. Participating in research that answers clinical questions

Thank you for your gracious support through your time, dues, Foundation contributions, and your membership in our dynamic Society.