The American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) office of government relations (OGR) has upgraded its grassroots efforts with Capwiz, a software package from the Congressional Quarterly. This new system will enable AAOS members to send targeted messages to their Congressional representatives with just a few clicks.

The Capwiz website (http://capwiz.com/aaos/home) will be updated regularly to keep AAOS members informed about the latest happenings on Capitol Hill. In addition, when key votes are occurring on legislative issues, the OGR will use Capwiz to send “Action Alerts” encouraging AAOS members to contact their representatives and urge them to vote yes or no on a piece of legislation. 

Capwiz also supports the AAOS “key contact” program. The key contact program is a critical part of the orthopaedic community’s efforts to educate government officials and their staff about legislative and regulatory health policy issues. A key contact is able to personalize an issue and illustrate how it affects the community. AAOS members who have a personal relationship with a member of Congress and are interested in becoming a key contact can do so through the Capwiz website.

Questions about Capwiz should be directed to Catherine Boudreaux, government relations specialist; email Boudreaux@aaos.org or call 202-548-4140.