Advocacy Day participants attended a morning briefing that covered procedural tips on how to have a successful meeting and the health issues currently before Congress—and SHM’s positions—before leaving for previously scheduled appointments on Capitol Hill.
Once there, hospitalists took time to educate legislators and their staff members about the fastest growing medical specialty in the United States, and then turned to SHM’s recommendations for improving the quality, safety, and cost-effectiveness of inpatient medical care.
Among the issues discussed with lawmakers: the need for more funding for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ); SHM support for federal initiatives to measure resource use and improve quality, including a CMS demonstration project to assess the contributions of hospital medicine programs to improve patient care and more efficient management of hospital resources; and the importance of gainsharing demonstration projects that focus on inpatient medical services such as those provided by hospital medicine programs.
More than 130 appointments were scheduled with House and Senate offices, many with members of Congress who sit on the key health committees with jurisdiction over Medicare as well as on committees responsible for determining funding levels for the National Institutes of Health, the CDC, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
SHM encourages those of you who participated in Advocacy Day to thank the lawmakers and staff with whom you visited (view the sample thank-you letter and instructions online at www.hospitalmedicine.org under “Advocacy & Policy”).
Advocacy Day opened doors to congressional offices; follow-up from SHM members will keep hospital medicine’s issues before lawmakers as they vote on legislation of importance to our specialty. The more SHM members interact with members of Congress and their staff, the louder our voices and the more effective our messages. Advocacy Day is just the beginning of regular contact by hospitalists with their elected representatives in Washington.
A New Way to Get Everything SHM
SHM has launched the SHM Store, a new Internet-based marketplace that will redefine the way SHM educational products and apparel are distributed. The online store will be a convenient option for hectic lifestyles because it will be open 24 hours a day and can be accessed from anywhere there is an Internet connection.
The SHM Store is user-friendly and allows you to easily and quickly purchase the quality products and apparel that you have come to expect from SHM. Apparel and accessories include men’s and women’s wind jackets, golf shirts, scrub tops, baseball caps, and lapel pins—all with the SHM logo.
You’ll also find the most up-to-date educational materials from SHM. The 2005-2006 results of the SHM survey, “The Authoritative Source on the State of Hospital Medicine,” can be ordered in CD and print format. The Practice Management Course CD with binder is also available. This combination package includes all of the materials distributed at an onsite presentation of the course. And, last but not least, get your very own copy or additional copies of The Core Competencies in Hospital Medicine: A Framework For Curriculum Development.
The ordering process is simple. Access the SHM Store at www.hospitalmedicine.org/shmstore or navigate from www.hospitalmedicine.org and click on SHM Store. The store allows you to browse available products and descriptions. When you see something you want, select the quantity you’d like to purchase and add the items to your shopping cart. Once you have completed your shopping trip, click “Check Out.” A confirmation of your transaction will be sent to your e-mail inbox and your products will be shipped to your attention.