AVLS ADVOCACY 2022 AND BEYOND: FAIR PAYMENT IS KEY TO OUR FUTURE By Stephen Daugherty, MD, FACS, FAVLS, RVT, RPhS
The COVID-19 Public Health Emergency in March 2020 caused many AVLS members to suspend operations. By June 2020, most vein care offices started to serve patients once again. This rapid adaptation to a changing reality is part of our culture as venous and lymphatic clinicians and serves as an organizing principle for our Advocacy activities. The American College of Phlebology (ACP), now the AVLS, functioned as an educational organization from its inception. The ACP tackled advocacy issues in a limited way, but in 2017, this changed. A Board level committee was formed to formally address advocacy issues. In 2018, the HealthCare Policy and Advocacy Committee (HPAC), and a subcommittee, the HealthCare Advocacy Advisory Committee (HAC), was formed to expand participation by committee members. A full-time staff position was created in 2018 to serve members and give this issue the attention it deserved. OUR 3 CORE OBJECTIVES OF ADVOCACY: • Patient Access to Quality Care • Fair Reimbursement & Coverage from Payers • Support Research and Guidelines The AVLS sought and received financial support from the Foundation to hire Robert White as
support staff and fund participation in important meetings with payers, governmental, and regulatory agencies. The HPAC is composed of members of the Robert White, AVLS Board of Director of Advocacy Directors who set advocacy policy and are accountable to the full Board of Directors. The HAC works to implement policy through members committed to at least three years on the committee for the sake of continuity. The HAC, including the members of the HPAC, meets by conference call monthly to review input from membership as teams work on specific assigned projects or interests. Beginning with the Annual Congress in November 2019, the HAC holds monthly conference calls with the American Venous Forum (AVF) leadership in a collaborative effort to align our shared advocacy efforts and expand our combined influence in medicine. The HAC includes our representatives who serve multiple-year terms to whom we refer to as “Senators” because of the importance of the service and the value of building long-term relationships with other organizations. 13
