PA-ACP IS ADVOCATING FOR YOU

The Pennsylvania Chapter of the ACP takes its responsibility of advocating for members’ needs seriously, and work with the Shapiro Administration and 2023-2024 state legislative session has been no exception.  Your dues dollars are important.  Through ongoing advocacy and legislative leadership, PA-ACP is making a real difference for you and your patients.

In 2024, PA-ACP has taken the lead for medical practitioners on several major related to health access and quality, system processes, insurance and patient safety.  The result has been significant successes.

Success on Key State Public Health and Policy Issues

PA-ACP led efforts with the state legislature to move several key bills to become law this year, including major victories in passage of a mandate for payment for telemedicine services and a ban on noncompete clauses in health care provider contracts.  Our efforts helped secure passage of legislation to enable the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, and legislation to regulate pharmacy benefit managers and drug pricing.

The chapter also blocked passage of a bill to allow independent CRNP practice and is working to get a pilot project in federal HPSA’s.  It’s efforts prevented legislation that would have given independent prescriptive authority to psychologists, and another bill expanding scope of practice for pharmacists in ordering tests. PA-ACP also prevented several bills that would have inserted government into the physician-patient relationship or establish “Medical Freedom” laws.

Work continues on legislation to expand the primary care physician workforce, support the medical home concept, improve rural health services, and control health system mergers and acquisitions.

The Supreme Court rescinding  med mal venue rules set in 2003 was a blow to medicine that is already being felt in higher insurance premiums.  PA-ACP is working with legislative leaders, providing information for independent studies, and supporting legislation to reform tort laws, set requirements for Certificates of Merit, and allow venue rules to be established by the General Assembly.

Physician Wellness and Support for Physician Practices

PA-ACP understands the realities of physician burnout and has been working for changes to the practice environment to help address this.  The Chapter secured Congressional cosponsors and passage of the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, which is aimed at reducing and preventing suicide, burnout, and mental and behavioral health conditions in practitioners.

In Harrisburg, the Chapter advocated for legislation to ease administrative hassles, including passage of legislation to enact the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, elimination of non-compete agreements, and a new law requiring multiple options for insurer payments to practitioners. We continue to push for other insurance and health system reforms, including mandates for prompt credentialing and network sufficiency and legislation to eliminate the requirement that physicians acknowledge any complaints filed against their medical license if the Department of State’s enforcement and investigations staff find then frivolous or meritless.

Members Taking Your Message to Harrisburg and Washington

PA-ACP led a delegation of members to Washington, DC in May 2024 to meet directly with elected officials. Twenty members met with our state’s Congressional delegation and staff, discussing key national priorities, including the Safe Step Act, a bipartisan bill that would require group health plans to provide an exception process for any medication step therapy protocol to help ensure that patients can safely and efficiently access treatment.

Other key bills on the PA-ACP agenda were the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act, which would gradually raise the number of Medicare-supported GME positions by 2,000 per year for seven years and the Physician Fee Schedule Update and Improvements Act, that would raise the threshold for implementing budget neutral payment cuts from $20 million to $53 million and provide an increased update to the threshold every five years afterwards based on the MEI.  This fall, efforts are focused on a national extension of telehealth benefits in federal programs.  Several state members of Congress are cosponsors of these bills.

Daily Presence in the State Capitol

Every day is an advocacy day in Harrisburg, and the PA-ACP retains ERG Partners to provide hands-on monitoring, coordination and lobbying services with the General Assembly, Shapiro Administration officials and staff.  Your chapter is unique in taking this step to ensure your needs are heard and met by state government.  ERG’s four registered lobbyists are working daily in the Capitol and with other stakeholder groups on issues of importance to your practice and patients.