Published: May 29, 2019

Making connections through coalitions

One of the most effective ways the Academy advocates on behalf of the specialty is through ongoing participation in a number of coalitions. The collective advocacy from organizations on shared issues further strengthens the Academy’s ability to advance federal and state legislative policy and regulatory priorities.

One of the most effective ways the Academy advocates on behalf of the specialty is through ongoing participation in a number of coalitions. The collective advocacy from organizations on shared issues further strengthens the Academy’s ability to advance federal and state legislative policy and regulatory priorities.

Read on to learn more about some of the coalitions the Academy partners with to advocate for the specialty.

Friends of the Congressional Hearing Health Caucus (CHHC)

The CHHC is a bipartisan caucus of members from the U.S. House of Representatives committed to supporting the needs of people with hearing loss and other auditory disorders. The “Friends of the CCHC” sponsors educational briefings on Capitol Hill and an annual tour of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders at the National Institutes of Health.

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Alliance (DHHA)

The DHHA is a coalition that seeks changes to federal public policy to help improve the quality of life for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have hearing loss.

Health Coalition on Liability and Access (HCLA)

The HCLA is a national advocacy coalition working to advance medical liability reform at the state and federal level. The AAO-HNS strongly supports comprehensive medical liability reforms to stabilize and reduce professional liability premiums, ensure patients have continued access to care, and eliminate frivolous lawsuits.

PARTNERS

The PARTNERS coalition is an alliance of organizations that works to advance legislation and regulation to help reduce the use of tobacco products (including e-cigarettes) and exposure to secondhand smoke in order to promote healthy environments and lifestyles for the public. The AAO-HNS tracks legislation that impacts smoking ban laws, limits access to tobacco products and other nicotine-delivery devices (particularly by youth), as well as proposals to mandate insurance coverage for tobacco cessation.

Physician Clinical Registry Coalition (PCRC)

The PCRC is composed of 25 physician-centric organizations that work collaboratively to achieve a legal and public policy environment that recognizes and supports the positive role that clinical data registries (such as Reg-entSM) play in collecting, analyzing, and sharing clinical information, identifying trends and best practices, and improving clinical outcomes and quality patient care.

Surgical Coalition

The Surgical Coalition brings together several surgical specialty organizations to discuss collective issues unique to surgeons in the areas of federal and state legislation, regulatory policy, and reimbursement.

Truth in Advertising (TIA)

The AAO-HNS works with the physician community to support state and federal efforts to implement TIA legislation that would require all healthcare providers to inform patients of their credentials and/or level of training in patient communications and marketing materials. TIA is an important component of providing patients with the best possible care.

For more information about the Academy’s collaborative partnerships or advocacy related issues, contact the AAO-HNS Advocacy Team at govtaffairs@entnet.org.

More from June 2019 – Vol. 38, No. 5
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#OTOMTG19 honorary guest lecturers
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P. Daniel Ward, MD.
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On April 27, 2019, I had the great privilege of presiding over the annual Specialty Unity Summit convened by the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery and comprised of all the major organizations in our field. Physician and administrative leaders from an otolaryngology alphabet soup were in attendance.