December Week of Action

SVS december week of action logo

With only a few weeks remaining in the year, the SVS is pushing a robust advocacy-related agenda to close out the Congressional session. We are proud to launch another Advocacy “Week of Action,” during the week of December 5-9. This week-long series of (virtual) advocacy engagement activities will provide SVS members with an opportunity to collaboratively amplify our messages on Capitol Hill. Members will have a week to complete their “Advocacy Checklist,” found below.

For any questions, contact SVSAdvocacy@vascularsociety.org.

December Year-End Advocacy Checklist

  • Send pre-written message to your lawmakers (via the Voter Voice platform) urging action to prevent pending Medicare payment reductions.
  • Raise the profile of vascular surgery by promoting our issues on social media.
  • Encourage your personal network to join the effort by:
    • Posting on SVS Connect;
    • Sending an internal email to your practice/partners; or
    • Circulating a message to your department or surgical colleagues from other specialties.
  • Strengthen our overall advocacy efforts by signing up for the REACH 535 key contact program.

Join us in our grassroots efforts!

Vascular surgeons again face significant Medicare payment cuts on January 1, 2023, unless Congress takes action to address this critical issue before the end of the year. We are urging congressional support for the inclusion of new funds in year-end legislation for the explicit purpose of increasing the non-facility/office-based practice expense relative value units (NF PE RVUs) negatively impacted by CMS’ clinical labor update policy.

This effort, coupled with parallel initiatives to provide relief from the underlying fee schedule conversion factor adjustment, as provided in legislation introduced by Reps. Ami Bera, MD and Larry Bucshon, MD (H.R. 8800), will help provide critical stability for vascular surgeons and ensure a positive foundation for ongoing deliberations regarding systemic reforms to Medicare physician reimbursement. We urge congressional action during the lame duck session to stop these Medicare cuts before they take effect on January 1, 2023.

Action Request: Tell Congress to prevent Medicare payment cuts and protect patient access to vascular care! Please send a prewritten message to your lawmakers today by clicking the button below

Send message

Post on social media!

Social media can be a powerful tool for increasing visibility and raising awareness of certain issues. We can help raise the profile of vascular surgery by promoting our issues and driving social media traffic. Join us during the Week of Action by posting online to build support!

Amplify our message by going to the SVS social media accounts below and sharing our message to your personal social media (by clicking share or retweet). 

Then, share your experience with advocacy by crafting your own posts. Post the Week of Action logo to your personal social media accounts across all platforms, or if you have access, through your practice’s account to amplify our message even further.

Feel free to share what it means to be a member of the SVS, and why you are participating in the Week of Action.

Examples:

“This week I am choosing to participate in the #SVSWeekOfAction to help drive change in the Medicare payment system. HR 8800, the Supporting Medicare Providers Act of 2022, introduced by @Representative Ami Bera and @Representative Larry Bucshon, will provide necessary relief from pending payment cuts. This important bill must be included in year-end legislation.”

“Cumulative payment cuts are forcing physicians to take fewer Medicare patients, reducing timely access to care. That’s why I am participating in the #SVSWeekOfAction”

Here are a couple of tips to help increase the visibility of our efforts across all social media platforms:

  • Tag your Congressional Representatives
  • Use the hashtag #SVSWeekofAction
  • Engage with your peers' posts (like, share, comment, etc.)

If you’d like to share more resources regarding our key issues, share the Surgical Care Coalition (a group of medical societies that SVS is a part of) fact sheets to help spread awareness around the issues physicians are facing this year, available here.

Support SVS Advocacy by Helping Us REACH 535!

To better leverage the importance of engagement between lawmakers and their constituents, the SVS has launched a new grassroots advocacy program—REACH 535. This critical new program will serve a two-fold purpose, by both:

  • Connecting SVS members with their lawmakers to establish tangible channels for vascular surgeons to personally advocate on issues that significantly impact their practices and their patients; and
  • Establishing a concrete mechanism for the SVS to amplify its advocacy efforts by ensuring we can quickly REACH the 535 decision-makers on Capitol Hill.

To become a REACH 535 key contact, complete the below sign up form to identify your federal lawmakers and assist the SVS Advocacy team in organizing various outreach opportunities. Our goal is to recruit a key contact for each U.S. Senator and House Member to strengthen outreach to federal legislators when Congress debates major healthcare issues.

Sign Up