Written by Joshua Penninger, PA-C and Lindsey Ahearn, PA-S
Last week, NCAPA members traveled to Washington, DC to attend AAPA’s Leadership & Advocacy Summit. This year, the conference hosted 178 PAs and PA Students with 36 different states represented and 104 first-time attendees. The conference started with advocacy training, followed by attendees heading to Capitol Hill to meet with Representatives and Senators from our constituencies.
As a group, PAs and PA Students visited 171 congressional offices to advocate for the PA profession. Additionally, members attended conference sessions on state advocacy, health equity, title change, artificial intelligence, reimbursement, and more!
This year, attendees focused on two pieces of legislation: Improving Access to Workers’ Compensation for Injured Federal Workers Act (S. 131/H.R. 618) and the ACO Assignment Improvement Act (S. 3939/H.R. 7665).
Improving Access to Workers’ Compensation for Injured Federal Workers Act (S. 131/H.R. 618)
This legislation aims to modernize the Federal Employees Compensation Act (FECA) to allow PAs and NPs to provide care to injured federal workers. Even though PAs are recognized in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and can serve as PCPs for federal employees, only physicians can treat injured federal workers under current law. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) noted that this legislation would not increase federal spending and would likely speed up the care that injured federal workers receive, likely allowing them to return to work sooner.
ACO Assignment Improvement Act (S. 3939/H.R. 7665)
This legislation increases access to high quality, more affordable, and better coordinated care for Medicare patients, particularly those in rural and underserved communities, by removing barriers for Accountable Care Organization (ACO) assignment. As a reminder, ACOs are groups of healthcare providers that collaborate and agree to be held accountable for meeting certain quality and cost metrics for their group of beneficiaries. Currently, Medicare patients that primarily see a PA/NP cannot be assigned to an ACO without first seeing a physician or self-selecting an ACO affiliation themselves. These patients generally also need to see a physician every 2 years to maintain their enrollment in the ACO. The ACO Assignment Improvement Act (S. 3939/H.R. 7665) removes the unnecessary barrier by authorizing assignment of patients treated exclusively by PAs and NPs to Medicare ACOs with the goal that this will increase quality and cost savings for Medicare patients as well encourage the formation of new ACOs.
Lindsey Ahearn, PA Student from Wingate University, summarizes her experience by saying, “The energy and engagement from both current PAs and students were contagious. PA school is exhausting and humbling, but I left the conference re-energized and excited to join these amazing people in a career as a PA. The conference focus was on advocating for the PA profession, but those advocacy skills will extend to my patients, my colleagues, and myself. I am so thankful I had the opportunity to attend the conference, and I cannot wait to go back next year!”
Additionally, Joshua Penninger, PA in Hospital Medicine, writes, “I’m incredibly thankful for NCAPA’s support on attending LAS. This conference allowed me to grow as a PA advocate and gain a robust skillset that I can bring back to North Carolina. It was an amazing opportunity to meet with my Representative and Senator offices to speak about the great work that PAs do. During the conference, I also networked with PAs from other state chapters and heard their legislative victories and challenges. Overall, this was a phenomenal event, and I recommend it for any PA or PA student in North Carolina!”
“Advocating on Capitol Hill was a life changing experience for me. The first time I spoke in front of my Representative on Thursday, I was honestly terrified (and I am not a shy person). However, I was surrounded by really supportive people, and by the end of the first meeting I already felt so much more confident. I took the lead during my third meeting of the day, and I confidently advocated for both bills and the PA profession! I think we forget the impact we can have – not just politically, but also on one another. I was blessed to be surrounded by strong, confident PAs and PA students that took the time to invest in me!” –Lindsey Ahearn, Wingate PA Student and LAS Attendee
