AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ORTHOPAEDIC SURGEONS for AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ORTHOPAEDIC SURGEONS

Insurance INS

Healthy Mothers and Healthy Babies Access to Care Act: enact a "stacked cap" on all liability payments awarded to medical liability suits against ob/gynocologists. Medical Care Access Protection Act of 2009 Prompt Paymnet Improvement Act of 2009

Contacted: Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS); Food & Drug Administration (FDA); Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC); SENATE; HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Medicare/Medicaid MMM

H.R. 1829 - Medicare Patient Access to Physical Therapists Act of 2009: prevent direct access to physical therapists in order to avoid unnecessary and overuse of therapy services. H.R. 1031 - Health Information Technology Act of 2009: ensure investments in health to produce interoperable and compatible systems/programs. American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Practice Expense Payment Under Medicare: ensure awareness for the rising cost of practice expenses and the levels paid through Medicare. Payment of Teaching Physicians Under Medicare: ensure that physicians who teach future healers are adequately reimbursed. Payment of Graduate Medical Education Under Medicare: promote ample/adequate federal assistance to individuals enrolled in medical school who can afford the cost. Stark II - Physician Ban on Self-Referral and Other Fraud & Abuse: ensure that Stark laws do not prevent timely access to quality medical services.

Contacted: SENATE; Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC); Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

Bills named: H.R. 1031 (111th), H.R. 1829 (111th)

Health Issues HCR

H.R. 1678 - Mitigating the Impact of Uncompensated Service and Time Act of 2009 Health Americans Act H.R. 1021 - Access to America's Orthopedic Services Act of 2009: Musculoskeleltal Disease and Condition Legislation.

Contacted: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC); Food & Drug Administration (FDA); SENATE; Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS)

Bills named: H.R. 1678 (111th), H.R. 1021 (111th)

Labor Issues/Antitrust/Workplace LBR

H.R. 1493 - Quality Health Care Coalition Act of 2009: Ensure patient access to quality health care by exempting health care professionals from the Federal antitrust laws in their negotiations with health plans and health insurance issuers.

Contacted: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC); SENATE; Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); Food & Drug Administration (FDA); Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Bills named: H.R. 1493 (111th)

Science/Technology SCI

Food and Drug Revitalization Act: to provide for reasonable limits for conflicts of interest on FDA advisory committees and to stimulate pediatric device development. Also, to include unique device identification systems for medical devices. H.R. 1356/S.540 - Medical Device Safety Act of 2009: to amend the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act with respect to liability under state and local requirements for medical devices. H.R. 759 - The Food and Drug Administration Globalization Act of 2009: to provide for the safety of medical devices manufactured in foreign countries. H.R. 1548 - Pathway for Biosimilars Act: provides a pathway for the FDA approval of complex biological products from a reference product. H.R. 1427 - Promoting Innovation and Access Life-Saving Medicare Act: establishes a pathway for the FDA to approve more affordable copies of biotech and establish user fees for these products.

Contacted: SENATE; Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC); Food & Drug Administration (FDA); Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS); Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Bills named: H.R. 759 (111th), S. 540 (111th), H.R. 1356 (111th), H.R. 1427 (111th), H.R. 1548 (111th)