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Home > Medical Professionals > Health Policy and Government Relations > Political Action Committee

SVS Political Action Committee (PAC) 

 

Alert: This Is A Time Of Crisis For
Reimbursement Of Vascular Surgery Services

Donate to theSVS PAC today!

View a Video of Congressman Charles W. Boustany, MD (R-LA), Carlo Dall'Olmo, MD and Robert Zwolak, MD.

 

 

January 2008

Dear SVS Member:

In its short life thus far, the SVS Political Action Committee (PAC) has been a major catalyst in the following accomplishments:

1. Getting physiologic noninvasive vascular studies removed from the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) imaging cuts by obtaining letters from 18 members of Congress who made this request to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS);

2. Enacting the Medicare AAA screening benefit;

3. Blocking Medicare pay cuts for physician services;

4. Blocking additional cuts to imaging.

Our PAC needs a major influx of funding to support its important mission.  You will be receiving a telephone solicitation on behalf of the SVS this month, asking you to contribute to the SVS PAC.  This is the first time in more than a year that SVS has asked you to donate.
 
Why should you contribute?

SVS has a continuing reimbursement battle in 2008.  The 110th Congress will make decisions on two important reimbursement issues that have a major impact on vascular surgeons:

1. Congress averted a 10% Medicare pay cut for physician services included in the CMS Final Rule for Medicare for 2008 by enacting a .5% increase for the first six months of 2008.  Congress will need to address this issue again before July 1 to stop a 10.6% cut for the rest of 2008.  

2. Severe across-the-board cuts to office-based imaging services included in the DRA went into effect on January 1, 2007.  With the exception of five physiologic codes, the technical component of vascular lab services is capped at the lesser of the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System or the Medicare Fee Schedule.  Vascular duplex studies are suffering up to 46% reductions in technical reimbursement.  Representative Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) introduced legislation (H.R. 1293) with 173 co-sponsors that would exempt ultrasound from DRA cuts and Senators signed a Dear Colleague letter to do the same.

With these important reimbursement issues being considered by Congress, PAC CONTRIBUTIONS ARE CRITICAL TO LEGISLATIVE SUCCESS.  Again, we urge every member of SVS to make a contribution to the PAC to ensure that the voice of vascular surgery will be heard on Capitol Hill.

What else can you do? 

Volunteer to become a Key Contact to your member of Congress and/or two Senators by staying in contact with them and meeting with them in their district offices.  In 2007, SVS members sent almost 800 letters to Congress on these two reimbursement issues.  We need even more letters to get the attention of Congress in 2008.

Again, we ask you to provide a generous contribution to the SVS PAC when you receive the telephone solicitation or you may fill out the donation form that is attached to the enclosed PAC brochure and send a contribution to the SVS PAC by personal check or personal credit card TODAY.  In addition, please contact Director of Government Relations  if you are willing to become a Key Contact.

Sincerely,

K. Wayne Johnston, MD   SVS President

Members of the SVS PAC Committee
Robert Zwolak, MD, Chair
George Andros, MD
Clifford Buckley, MD
Carlo Dall’Olmo, MD
Richard Lynn, MD

Download the PAC Donation Form