Grand rounds help physicians and other healthcare professionals keep up-to-date in evolving topics.
On October 22nd, fellow hospitalist, Dr. Lois Richard, will be presenting “Patient Advocacy on The Hill” as the invited guest speaker for Evening Grand Rounds.
Dr. Richard has visited members of Congress in Washington D.C. numerous times as part of “Hospitalists on The Hill” sponsored by The Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM). She will draw on these experiences of visiting lawmakers to encourage other healthcare providers to get involved in advocating for their patients. Dr. Richard strongly encourages colleagues to visit congressional leaders while in Washington and to write letters in support of issues to improve delivery of healthcare. Her presentation will include tips for visiting Capitol Hill and delivering an effective presentation to lawmakers.
Two pressing issues affecting hospitalists and patient care will be highlighted: observation care reform and high-skilled visa reforms. Dr. Richard will discuss two bills currently in Congress: 1) The Improving access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2019 (H.R. 1682, S. 753) and 2) Fairness for High Skilled Immigrants Act of 2019 (H.R. 1044, S. 386).
Resources and website links for contacting congressional lawmakers will be provided. Details of SHM advocacy resources can be found under Policy and Advocacy on the SHM website.