ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN MEDICAL COLLEGES for ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN MEDICAL COLLEGES

Animals ANI

Issue: Support the use of animals in medical research. H.R. 3136, Enforcement Transparency Act of 2015 Issue: Support transparency in the enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act

Contacted: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); Food & Drug Administration (FDA); White House Office; Labor, Dept of (DOL); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Education, Dept of; Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA); Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC); Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ); Natl Institutes of Health (NIH); Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS); Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Commerce, Dept of (DOC); SENATE

Bills named: H.R. 3136 (114th)

Medicare/Medicaid MMM

H.R. 2124/S. 1148, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2015 Issues: Support lifting cap on number of residents Medicare will count when determining teaching hospitals' Medicare Direct Graduate Medical Education (DGME) and Indirect Medical Education (IME) payments H.R. 4774, The Training Tomorrows Doctors Today Act Issues: Support lifting cap on number of residents Medicare will count when determining teaching hospitals' Medicare Direct Graduate Medical Education (DGME) and Indirect Medical Education (IME) payments. Increases transparency and accountability measures. Issue: Oppose reduction of Medicare GME/IME payments Issue: Oppose reduction in Medicare hospital outpatient department reimbursement. Issue: Oppose inclusion of Medicare add-on payments in Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) program. Issue: Oppose Medicare hospital cuts as offsets for physician payment reform Issue: Support delay of Enforcement of new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services inpatient criteria (e.g., "Two-Midnight" rule) in FY 2016 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) final rule. H.R. 4732/S.2671, Advancing Medical Resident Training in Community Hospitals Act Issue: Support Medicare Graduate Medical Education (GME) per resident amount technical corrections and administrative relief. H.R. 5273, Helping Hospitals Improve Patient Care Act of 2016 Issue: Support incorporating sociodemographic status Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program and addressing mid-build, off-campus outpatient departments under development at the time of enactment of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. H.R. 1343/S. 688, Establishing Beneficiary Equity in the Hospital Readmissions Program Act of 2015 Issue: Support inclusion of socioeconomic status as part of hospital readmissions program. H.R. 3288, Strengthening DSH and Medicare through Subsidy Recapture and Payment Reform Act of 2015 Issue: Alter DSH payment methodology and increase DSH spending in non-Medicaid expansion states S. 2787, the States Achieve Medicaid Expansion (SAME) Act Issue: Support legislation providing three full years of federal Medicaid matching funding to states that expand Medicaid H.R. 3292, Medicare IME Pool Act of 2015 Issue: Oppose redesign of Medicare Indirect Medical Education financing and redistribution. H.R. 3291, Medicare Crosswalk Hospital Code Development Act of 2015 Issue: Create a crosswalk between Medicare Part A and Part B payments P.L. 114-10, Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015. Issues: Support repeal of Medicare's sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula; Medicare physician payment reform; extension of the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP); and extension of mandatory funding for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). H.R. 1117, Creating Access to Residency Education Act of 2015 Issue: Create CMS grant program for new residency programs. Issue: Development and implementation of new Medicare Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) formula required under the ACA. Draft Hospital Improvements for Payment (HIP) Act of 2014 Issues: Support repeal of CMS Two-Midnights Rule, extending RAC audit moratorium for short stays, and permanent bundle program. Issue: Oppose further delays in the implementation of the ICD-10 system Issue: Support inclusion of socioeconomic status as part of hospital readmissions program including support for adoption of National Quality Forum (NQF) recommendations. Issue: Support allowing providers in new delivery models (e.g., ACOs, bundled payments, etc.) to access medical records with information on substance use disorders Submitted comments to: --CMS on the Medicare Program; Merit-Based Incentive Payment Systems (MIPS) and Alternative Payment Model (APM) Incentive under the Physician Fee Schedule, and Criteria for Physician-Focused Payment Models proposed rule --CMS on the Medicare Access CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) implementation --CMS on the FY 2017 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) proposed rule Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) on Assessing Interoperability for MACRA --CMS on Medicare Part B Drug Payment Model proposed rule ONC on principles for interoperability among health information systems

Contacted: Food & Drug Administration (FDA); White House Office; Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS); Education, Dept of; Labor, Dept of (DOL); Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA); Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ); Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC); Commerce, Dept of (DOC); SENATE; Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); Natl Institutes of Health (NIH)

Bills named: H.R. 4732 (114th), H.R. 4774 (114th), H.R. 3288 (114th), H.R. 1117 (114th), H.R. 3292 (114th), H.R. 5273 (114th), H.R. 1343 (114th), S. 688 (114th), H.R. 2124 (114th), S. 2671 (114th), H.R. 3291 (114th), S. 2787 (114th), S. 1148 (114th)

Science/Technology SCI

Issue: Support the use of a competitive peer review process for federal research grants and programs Issue: Oppose Increase in set-aside for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer Research (SITR) at NIH and NSF. S. 3084, American Innovation and Competitiveness Act Issue: Support reauthorization of NSF, including NSFs merit-bases peer review process and reducing regulatory burden on scientists

Contacted: Commerce, Dept of (DOC); SENATE; Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC); Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS); Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ); Labor, Dept of (DOL); Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Natl Institutes of Health (NIH); Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA); Education, Dept of; Food & Drug Administration (FDA); White House Office; Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA); Office of Management & Budget (OMB)

Bills named: S. 3084 (114th)

Law Enforcement/Crime/Criminal Justice LAW

Issue: Oppose False Claims Act use as a general enforcement mechanism for federal regulatory compliance.

Contacted: Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Commerce, Dept of (DOC); Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); Food & Drug Administration (FDA); Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC); Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); Education, Dept of; SENATE; White House Office; Natl Institutes of Health (NIH); Labor, Dept of (DOL); Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ); Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS)

Copyright/Patent/Trademark CPT

H.R. 9, Innovation Act S. 1137, Protecting American Talent and Entrepreneurship (PATENT) Act S. 2733, Venue Equity and Non-Uniformity Elimination Act of 2016 Issue: Support patent-litigation reform to curtail abusive patent practices. Oppose presumptive fee-shifting and involuntary joinder in light of recent judicial and administrative developments.

Contacted: Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ); Education, Dept of; Food & Drug Administration (FDA); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA); Commerce, Dept of (DOC); Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS); Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA); Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC); White House Office; Labor, Dept of (DOL); Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); Natl Institutes of Health (NIH); Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); SENATE

Bills named: S. 1137 (114th), S. 2733 (114th), H.R. 9 (114th)

Immigration IMM

S. 1189, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Act Issue: Support permanently reauthorization and expansion of the Conrad 30 J-1 visa waiver program for physicians.

Contacted: Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS); Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ); Food & Drug Administration (FDA); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); White House Office; Commerce, Dept of (DOC); Education, Dept of; SENATE; Natl Institutes of Health (NIH); Labor, Dept of (DOL); Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC); Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA); Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA); Agriculture, Dept of (USDA)

Bills named: S. 1189 (114th)

Health Issues HCR

Issue: Educate congressional staff on academic medicines missions, including education, research, patient care, GME, workforce, and physician shortages in rural and urban communities. Issue: Support inclusion of socioeconomic status in Hospital Compare star ratings; delay public release of ratings until data is released and reviewed by hospital community. H.R. 1006/S. 2107, Building a Health Care Workforce for the Future Act Issue: Support bill to increase scholarship opportunities for medical students and encourage primary care workforce development Issue: Reauthorization of Title VII health professions programs Issue: Diversity of the health care workforce Issue: Training in substance abuse, pain management, womens health, and mental health in medical education Issue: Strategies to prevent, identify, and treat opioid dependence Issue: Concurrent and overlapping surgery practices S. 1455, TREAT Act Issue: Support legislation to expand cap on buprenorphine H.R. 4499, Promoting Responsible Opioid Prescribing Act of 2016 Issue: Support delinking the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems surveys pain management questions from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services calculations of hospital incentive payments under the Value-Based Purchasing Program. Issue: Implementation of 340B Drug Pricing Program Issue: Educate Congress on the impact of the self-referral (Stark law) on health care payment and delivery system reform, and how to promote development of alternative payment models S. 2837/H.R. 2578, FY 2017 Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations Issue: Support amendments to expand background checks on gun purchases and make it more difficult for known/suspected terrorists to purchase firearms. H.R. 3299, Strengthening Public Health Emergency Response Act of 2015 Issue: Support provisions to strengthen the Hospitals Preparedness Program Issue: Educate Congress on the role of Academic Medical Centers in emergency preparedness

Contacted: White House Office; Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS); Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); Labor, Dept of (DOL); Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); SENATE; Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); Education, Dept of; Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC); Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA); Natl Institutes of Health (NIH); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Commerce, Dept of (DOC); Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA); Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ); Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

Bills named: H.R. 2578 (114th), S. 2107 (114th), H.R. 3299 (114th), S. 2837 (114th), H.R. 1006 (114th), H.R. 4499 (114th), S. 1455 (114th)

Veterans VET

P.L. 114-41, Surface Transportation and Veterans Health Care Choice Improvement Act of 2015 Issue: Support improved contracting with academic affiliates and increased VA GME funding. S. 1676/H.R. 4011, Delivering Opportunities for Care and Services (DOCs) for Veterans Act H.R. 3755, To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the disregard of certain resident slots that include Department of Veterans Affairs training in determining payments for direct graduate medical education costs, and for other purposes. Issue: Support increased VA GME and Medicare GME funding for certain VA affiliates H.R. 3879, Enhanced Veterans Health Care Act Issue: Support VA authority for VA-academic joint ventures S. 2633, Improving Veterans Access to Care in the Community Act Issue: Support VA Plan to Consolidate Community Care Programs, including the proposed Core Network and sole source contracting with academic affiliates. Issue: Educate Congress on the importance of the VAs academic affiliates to improve veteran care through clinical, research, and education partnerships.

Contacted: Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ); Food & Drug Administration (FDA); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); Commerce, Dept of (DOC); Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA); Labor, Dept of (DOL); Education, Dept of; SENATE; Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA); White House Office; Natl Institutes of Health (NIH); Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS); Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)

Bills named: H.R. 3879 (114th), H.R. 3755 (114th), S. 1676 (114th), H.R. 4011 (114th), S. 2633 (114th)

Budget/Appropriations BUD

Presidents Budget, FY 2017 S.3040/draft House Labor, HHS, Education and Related Agencies Act, 2017, Title II Issues: Support funding for National Institutes of Health (NIH), Title VII and Title VIII health professions and nursing education programs, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), National Health Service Corps (NHSC), Childrens Hospitals Graduate Medical Education (CHGME), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Prevention and Public Health Fund (PPHF), Hospital Preparedness Program, and biodefense and public health preparedness programs. Maintain NIH salary cap at Executive Level II. Encourage the highest possible allocation for the Labor-HHS Subcommittee. Oppose rescissions from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation and Patient Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund. President's Budget, FY 2017 Issues: Oppose proposed reductions in Medicare Direct Graduate Medical Education (DGME) and Indirect Medical Education (IME) payments; oppose use of Medicare GME funding for creation of new GME grant program. Oppose Independent Payment Advisory Panel (IPAB) and site-neutral payment policy. President's Budget, FY 2017 H.R. 2577/H.R. 4974/S. 2806 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017 Issues: Support funding for Veterans Affairs medical research, research infrastructure, and community care. S. 289/H.R. 2104, American Cures Act Issue: Increases budget authority for National Institutes of Health (NIH), Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Defense Health Program, and the VA Medical and Prosthetics Research Program S. 318/H.R. 531, Accelerating Biomedical Research Act Issue: Increases discretionary spending cap to increase funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). H.R. 777, Permanent Investment in Health Research Act Issue: Creates mandatory appropriation for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), adjusted annually for inflation. S. 2624, National Biomedical Research Act. Issue: Support establishment of a Biomedical Innovation Fund to support the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Issue: Oppose Medicare payment reductions as offsets for non-Medicare spending. P.L. 114-74, H.R. 1314, Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 Issue: Oppose Medicare site-neutral payment policy. Oppose extension of Medicare sequester Issue: Support mandatory funding for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) authorized under P.L. 114-10, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) Issue: Support supplemental funding to prevent and combat Zika virus; Oppose use of other health funding to offset Zika investments

Contacted: White House Office; Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Food & Drug Administration (FDA); SENATE; Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA); Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC); Labor, Dept of (DOL); Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ); Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS); Commerce, Dept of (DOC); Natl Institutes of Health (NIH); Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA); Education, Dept of

Bills named: S. 2624 (114th), H.R. 1314 (114th), H.R. 2104 (114th), H.R. 531 (114th), S. 289 (114th), S. 2806 (114th), H.R. 2577 (114th), S. 3040 (114th), H.R. 777 (114th), H.R. 4974 (114th), S. 318 (114th)

Education EDU

Presidents Budget, FY 2017 Issues: Oppose cuts to graduate/professional student loan benefits, including Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). Oppose taxation of federal loan repayment programs. Draft Debt in Health Education Loan Programs (DebtHELP) legislative proposal Issues: Expand National Health Service Corps State Loan Repayment program, and align Department of Education and HRSA student loan programs. Draft Higher Education Act Reauthorization S. 108, Financial Aid Simplification and Transparency Act of 2014 (FAST Act) S. 85, Repay Act of 2015 Issues: Oppose cuts to graduate/professional student loan benefits, including Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). Support transparency for U.S. and international medical schools. H.R. 4223, POST GRAD Act Issue: Support restoring the interest subsidy on graduate and professional student loans Issue: Support global health learning opportunities

Contacted: Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); Education, Dept of; Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA); Food & Drug Administration (FDA); Labor, Dept of (DOL); Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA); Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS); Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); Natl Institutes of Health (NIH); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; White House Office; Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); Commerce, Dept of (DOC); SENATE; Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)

Bills named: H.R. 4223 (114th), S. 85 (114th), S. 108 (114th)

Labor Issues/Antitrust/Workplace LBR

S.2707/H.R. 4773, Protecting Workplace Advancement and Opportunity Act Issue: Support NIH stipend as threshold for Fair Labor Standards Act employee overtime and exemption of postdoctoral scientists as learned professionals.

Contacted: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Food & Drug Administration (FDA); White House Office; Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); SENATE; Commerce, Dept of (DOC); Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA); Natl Institutes of Health (NIH); Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); Labor, Dept of (DOL); Education, Dept of; Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA); Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS)

Bills named: S. 2707 (114th), H.R. 4773 (114th)

Medical/Disease Research/Clinical Labs MED

H.R. 6, 21st Century Cures Act Senate HELP Committee Innovation Initiative Issue: Support increased funding for medical research, reduce administrative and regulatory burden on scientists and research institutions, and support young investigators. Issue: Support federal funding for research using fetal tissue and promote security of individuals involved with fetal tissue research. H.R. 3466/S. 2014, Next Generation Research Act Issue: Support National Institutes of Health programs for new and young scientists, reauthorization of NIH loan repayment program. H.R. 2102, Research for All Act of 2015 Issue: Support inclusion of male and female cells and animals in basic research, and NIH updating its guidelines on inclusion of women in clinical research. S. 2742, Promoting Biomedical Research and Public Health for Patients Act. Issue: Support reducing regulatory burden on research institutions and scientists. Issue: Support NIHs protection of researchers from sexual harassment Issue: FDA regulation of Laboratory Developed Tests (LDTs) Issue: Support NIH medical research of pain and addiction S. 2953, FY 2017 National Defense Authorization Act Issue: Oppose restrictions on medical research supported by the Department of Defense Submitted comments to: --NIH National Institute of General Medical Sciences on Approaches for Supporting Team Science in the Biomedical Research Community

Contacted: Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA); Natl Institutes of Health (NIH); Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ); Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); SENATE; Commerce, Dept of (DOC); White House Office; Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA); Food & Drug Administration (FDA); Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Labor, Dept of (DOL); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Education, Dept of; Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC); Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS)

Bills named: H.R. 6 (114th), S. 2742 (114th), S. 2953 (114th), S. 2014 (114th), H.R. 3466 (114th), H.R. 2102 (114th)