University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Inova Heart and Vascular Institute, Falls Church, Virginia.
Ann Thorac Surg. 2018 Mar;105(3):691-695. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2017.10.061. Epub 2018 Feb 1.
In the late 1990s, several federal government health policy decisions threatened the viability of thoracic surgery as a specialty. To respond to such decisions, active participation in political processes was given extremely high priority by the Executive Committee of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS). Creation of the STS Political Action Committee (STS-PAC) in 1997 was a part of the platform of participation. The purpose of the STS-PAC is to enhance the Society's voice and stature in health care policymaking. Although the STS-PAC receives voluntary contributions from STS members, on average, only 10% of STS members contribute to the STS-PAC. For the 2015-2016 election cycle, there were 542 contributors to the STS-PAC totaling $273,000. An annual contribution of $100 from every STS member would put the STS-PAC into the top 10 for medical PACs (whereas currently it is ranked 22nd of 28 in the group of physician and dental association PACs). Despite the relatively small dollar amount the STS-PAC directs, its strategic disbursement of these dollars has yielded impressive results. For example, the STS-PAC was able to use its influence to effectively stop the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services from implementing a potentially calamitous rule that would effectively end traditional global surgical payments. Other advocacy successes include providing guidance to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in developing the national coverage determination for transcatheter aortic valve replacement and structuring its complex reimbursement schedule, and ensuring that a provision was included in the bill that would give the STS National Database access to claims data. The STS-PAC is a principal component of the STS' advocacy armamentarium. Despite the many successes of the STS-PAC, with even modest contributions by more STS members, the STS-PAC could become a leading medical PAC, and would give the STS an even stronger presence and voice in Washington, DC. Clearly, contributing to the STS-PAC provides STS members the opportunity to have a voice and an impact on health policy and the care of their patients.
20 世纪 90 年代末，几项联邦政府卫生政策决策威胁到胸外科作为一个专业的生存能力。为了应对这些决策，胸外科医师学会（STS）执行委员会将积极参与政治进程列为重中之重。STS 政治行动委员会（STS-PAC）于 1997 年成立，是参与平台的一部分。STS-PAC 的目的是增强学会在医疗保健决策中的声音和地位。尽管 STS-PAC 收到 STS 成员的自愿捐款，但平均只有 10%的 STS 成员捐款给 STS-PAC。在 2015-2016 年选举周期中，STS-PAC 有 542 名捐款人，总计 273,000 美元。如果每位 STS 成员每年捐款 100 美元，STS-PAC 将进入医疗 PAC 前 10 名（而目前它在医师和牙医协会 PAC 组中排名第 22 位）。尽管 STS-PAC 指导的金额相对较小，但它对这些资金的战略分配产生了令人印象深刻的结果。例如，STS-PAC 能够利用其影响力有效地阻止医疗保险和医疗补助服务中心实施一项潜在灾难性的规则，该规则将有效地结束传统的全球手术支付。其他宣传成功案例包括为医疗保险和医疗补助服务中心制定经导管主动脉瓣置换术的国家覆盖范围决定以及构建其复杂的报销时间表提供指导，并确保在法案中包含一项规定，使 STS 国家数据库能够访问索赔数据。STS-PAC 是 STS 倡导武器库的主要组成部分。尽管 STS-PAC 取得了许多成功，甚至更多的 STS 成员的适度贡献，STS-PAC 可以成为一个领先的医疗 PAC，并使 STS 在华盛顿特区拥有更强大的存在和声音。显然，向 STS-PAC 捐款使 STS 成员有机会对卫生政策和患者护理发表意见并产生影响。
