Advocacy

We collaborate with other medical and surgical societies. We communicate with agencies, such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Department of Health and Human Services.

National Advocacy Committees

The College has several active Advocacy Committees. These include:

• The Legislative Committee, responsible for identifying, evaluating, and recommending positions on issues that come before the U.S. Congress affecting our members and communities.
• The General Surgery Coding and Reimbursement Committee, which addresses regulatory and legislative impacts on coding, billing, and reimbursement for general surgery.
• The Health Policy Advisory Council, which facilitates grassroots advocacy throughout the Fellowship of the College.
• The ACSPA-Surgeons PAC (American College of Surgeons Professional Association Political Action Committee), which financially supports campaigns that advance the College’s positions.

Our members advocate through our Division of Advocacy and Health Policy, in Washington, DC. We organize State, Federal, Quality, and Regulatory teams to advance the College’s perspectives through lobbying and outreach.

Topics include Medicare payments to doctors, liability reform, patient safety, graduate medical education funding, definition of surgery, scope of practice, health information technology, and more.

Resident and Associate Society

The Resident and Associate Society of the American College of Surgeons (RAS-ACS) offers an Advocacy and Issues Committee as one of its standing committees. Members are residents and fellows who meet and hold a symposium annually at the Clinical Congress, and join in monthly conference calls.

The group’s symposium focuses on current and controversial topics, and publishes a selected entry in the Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons. Its current Projects include Surgical Volunteerism (Domestic and International), ACS Social Media Use Guidelines, Challenges Encountered by Junior Surgeons in the Military, economic issues facing residents, and more. Contact RAS News for more information, or to join this committee.

Take Action

We encourage all surgeons and residents to get involved in an advocacy activity described here. Protect your patients and your profession.

American College of Surgeons’ Advocacy
American College of Surgeons’ Chapter Advocacy
American College of Surgeons’ Advocacy Leadership
American College of Surgeons’ Advocacy Committees
American College of Surgeons’ Summit