Seriously, it is time for rheumatologists to stand up and be heard. We are reaching a critical juncture in the politics of healthcare. If we don’t make the case for ourselves and for our patients, then no one else really will. Yes, there are several large medical organizations of which some of us are members, whose lobbyists patrol the halls of Congress. However, they are paid to represent the diverse views of many medical specialties, not just ours, which means that our specific needs and requests may not always be advocated. No doubt this reality led to the creation of the RheumPAC a few years ago (www.rheumatology.org/advo cacy/rheumpac). According to the Center for Responsive Politics, in 2011, RheumPAC lobbying catapulted it into the Top Ten list of physician-led political action committees.
As Gary Bryant, MD, associate professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota and RheumPAC chair has stated, “It is critical that Congress recognize the value of rheumatology in care coordination and in treating and diagnosing patients with complex conditions.” We observed this first hand when we had breakfast with Representative David McKinley (R-WV).
He recalled meeting with one of his constituents with a serious rheumatic disease and hearing about all the challenges that she faced. It had a profound effect on his thinking, he said, and he now has a greater appreciation for the challenges of living with and treating rheumatic diseases. Being a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which hears many bills that are of great interest to physicians, his support could be crucial.
This is why it is so important for all of us to take a moment and reconsider our own personal commitment to the politics of rheumatology. You can donate to the RheumPAC, sign up for the 2012 Advocates for Arthritis Capitol Hill fly-in at www.rheumatology.org/advocacy, or you can wear a fork in your lapel. It looks great on all colors of blouses and blazers. I am a rheumatologist and I vote.
Dr. Helfgott is physician editor of The Rheumatologist and associate professor of medicine in the division of rheumatology, immunology, and allergy at Harvard Medical School in Boston.