Message to Residents from Stuart L. Weinstein, MD, Chair of the Orthopaedic PAC

The Orthopaedic PAC gives the AAOS and our members a “voice at the table” on the issues that concern us and our patients. Having a vibrant PAC allows us to frame the debate on the various healthcare issues of the day. The Orthopaedic PAC is the vehicle that allows the Association to achieve its unified advocacy agenda. When our agenda dovetails with other medical specialty societies and we often combine our resources to work in coalitions such as the Practice Expense Coalition, The NIAMS Coalition, or Doctors for Medical Liability Reform (DMLR) to be even more effective advocates for our members and our patients.

The Orthopaedic PAC is a pragmatic PAC, we support both Democratic and Republican legislators who support our issues. Some may support us on all issues; others on one or several issues. We have no allegiance to any single party. We are issue driven!

Our PAC has grown dramatically over the last two election cycles: In the 2003-2004 cycle our PAC raised $909,000 with participation from only 13.6% of members participating in contrast to the 2004-2006 cycle where we raised $ 2,757,388 from a record 25.7% participation rate. We are now at the top of medical specialty PACs.

As someone who has been advocating on behalf of our members and our patients monthly for the last five years I can attest to the fact that we now have unprecedented access on “the Hill” to present our perspective on the issues. Several interested orthopaedic residents recently attended the NOLC. They witnessed firsthand how the “vibrant” Orthopaedic PAC gave them unprecedented access to their Congressional Representatives and Senators instead of just aides and staffers. In addition, Senator Orin Hatch spent over one hour with them and the AAOS leaders in discussing the major healthcare issues of the day.

The Orthopaedic PAC is the practicing orthopaedist’s as well as the resident orthopaedist’s voice of advocacy. Being on the front lines of patient care, residents see first hand the challenges that our patients face to get affordable insurance coverage, timely and appropriate medical care, and items as simple as a limb prosthesis. We need to have a strong voice to address the issues that affect our patients access to care and your ability to care for them in future.

Many orthopaedists have involved themselves in being a voice of advocacy for their patients on the national, state, and local level. There is nothing to prevent you as a resident from getting involved as well. Several of your resident colleagues have lobbied this year with the AAOS PAC in Washington, D.C. on measures such as increasing funding for orthopaedic research from NIH, medical liability reform, fixing the flawed Medicare reimbursement schedule, and increased funding for orthopaedic military trauma research. Others have involved themselves with state orthopaedic societies.

I encourage you to get involved in advocacy for your patients in whatever way and at whatever level, national, state, or locally, that interests you. A simple way to start now is to begin a tradition while in training of supporting your PAC with a donation.
Thank you

Please contact the Orthopaedic PAC at (877) 389-AAOS