Advocacy News

• Rally for pathology: Tell Congress where you stand on key policy issues
• CMS unveils digital health push
• Dr. Monarez takes CDC helm
• Advocacy on CAP25 agenda next month

The August Recess Rally is here, and it’s the best time to protect your laboratory from payment cuts, improve coverage of pathology services, and strengthen the workforce. 

Opportunity: Your federal lawmakers will only act on these issues if they hear from you. With members of Congress back home this month, you can connect with and educate them on pathology's top legislative issues. 

• Congress will return to Capitol Hill with a packed legislative agenda, so it's crucial to make pathology issues top of mind for them now.
• Engaging during the recess ensures that when lawmakers return next month, they’ll prioritize pathology concerns. 

Advocate: CAP members will receive updates throughout the month on how to take action and advocate effectively during the August recess rally. 

• Sign up for our text alerts, host a laboratory tour, and monitor our action alert center to make your voice heard!

Federal health officials want to drastically improve digital health communications and infrastructure through a new initiative. 

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced July 30 that several big tech companies have pledged their support of a voluntary effort to create a trusted, patient-centered, practical data exchange that will be accessible for all network types.

The impact: CMS, for example, is building an interface that would enable apps to find provider networks, participants, and relevant endpoints. 

According to a press release, "The Administration’s efforts focus on two broad areas: Promoting a CMS Interoperability Framework to easily and seamlessly share information between patients and providers, and increasing the availability of personalized tools so that patients have the information and resources they need to make better health decisions."

Potential results: Pathologists and their employers who participate in the voluntary CMS Interoperability Framework can expect the following:

• Requirements for patient-centered workflows that enable real-time access to medical records
• Medical information accessible to CMS Aligned Networks, including structured data and unstructured clinical documents

Yes, but: The plan has raised patient privacy concerns from advocates.  

• Privacy advocates warn that making patients’ sensitive health data more widely accessible is a possible security risk.

What's next: The CAP will continue to review the implications of this proposal.

Susan Monarez, PhD, is now the director of the CDC, sworn in by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., on July 31.

The impact: The CDC has a permanent leader in Dr. Monarez, who aims to advance the agency’s mission of preventing disease and enhancing health security.

• The Senate confirmed her by a vote of 51–47.

Background: Dr. Monarez was serving as the acting CDC director. She holds a PhD in microbiology from the University of Wisconsin and completed postdoctoral research at Stanford University.

In a shifting policy and regulatory environment, our advocacy strategy needs to be nimble. During the Advocacy Town Hall at CAP25, members will discover how the CAP is shaping the future of pathology through strategic advocacy.

• Learn how the CAP empowers its members to become influential voices in public policy.
• Understand how state and federal policies affect the practice of pathology, and how you can get involved and make your voice heard as an advocate for your profession.

Date and Time: September 14, 3:30 PM ET

Panelists: W. Stephen Black-Schaffer, MD, MA, FCAP; Gregary Bocsi, DO, MS, FCAP; Diana M. Cardona, MD, MBA, FCAP; Kathryn T. Knight, MD, FCAP; Ronald W. McLawhon, MD, PhD, FCAP; A. Joe Saad, MD, CPE, FCAP 
Add the Advocacy Town Hall to your CAP25 agenda today!