David Bumpass, MD

I served as an AAOS Washington Health Policy Fellow in 2012-13. The experience was a phenomenal opportunity to serve my profession and patients, as well as to increase my knowledge of health policy and advocacy.

My interest in health policy began during college while working in hospital administration. What was initially a hobby of following developments in policy became a year spent doing health economics graduate studies at the University of Toronto as a Fulbright scholar prior to entering medical school. I had the chance to learn about the historical development of the Canadian health care system, as well as the current successes and economic challenges facing a system very different from that in the United States.

Throughout medical school I maintained an active involvement in health policy and advocacy through the American Medical Association. Since starting residency at Washington University, I have focused my efforts on working within the AAOS to further the efforts of our specialty, but the lessons I learned in the AMA have been invaluable in terms of understanding how organized medicine works and how we can best wield influence within state and federal governments.

During my WHPF year, I worked with my co-fellow Julie Samora on a project to understand in detail the current governmental and private quality measurement initiatives affecting orthopaedic surgery. The ultimate goal of this project was to identify how the AAOS can be most effective in helping to guide the development of quality measurement in a way that encourages greater value in our patients’ care while fairly assessing surgeons’ efforts.

I will be completing a fellowship in spine deformity surgery during 2013-14 at Washington University, and plan to remain active in the WHPF alumni group for years to come.