From Chair and Vice Chair of the Board of Governors
Remember to contact your ACG Governor on important state and local issues impacting you and your practice.
The ACG Board of Governors is one of the most unique aspects of the American College of Gastroenterology. Governors are ACG Fellows that are elected from the membership of a particular state or region. There are currently 77 Governors across seven different regions in the U.S. and abroad. The Board of Governors acts as a two-way conduit between College leadership and the membership at-large. This helps the College make certain it is meeting the evolving needs of the membership.
ACG Board of Governors Chair Neil Stollman, MD, FACG
ACG Board of Governors Vice Chair Patrick Young, MD, FACG
Virginia ACG Members: We Need You! Advocate for HB 2126
From ACG Virginia Governor Anne Tuskey, MD, FACG:
Virginia House Bill 2126 creates medically necessary exemptions to step therapy protocols and institutes a process for patients already on effective treatments.
Write to your local Representative in Support of HB 2126
ACG Members in Massachusetts: We Need Your Help!
From ACG Massachusetts Governor Anthony Lembo, MD, FACG:
The "Acts relative to Step Therapy and Patient Safety (SD 2096/HD 1506)" have been introduced into the Massachusetts state legislature, sponsored by State Rep. Jennifer Benson and State Sen. Julian Cyr. This bill creates exemptions to the current "Step Therapy" protocols.
Please urge your state representatives and senators to support these bills!
ACG Members in MA: Click Here to Urge your Representatives to Support These Bills!
Advocate for the Safe Step Act (H.R. 2279)
In Washington D.C., Representatives Raul Ruiz (D-CA) and Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) have re-introduced the "Safe Step Act" (H.R. 2279), which provides exemptions to the Step Therapy protocols, allowing patients to gain access to the medication they need at a faster pace.
Please urge your representatives to cosponsor the bill!
ACG Rhode Island Members: We Need Your Advocacy Voice!
From ACG Rhode Island Governor Alyn Adrain, MD, FACG:RI State Senator Maryellen Goodwin (D-RI-1) has introduced Senate Bill 679, "An Act Relating to Insurance--Accident and Sickness Insurance Policies," (S. 679). This bill prohibits insurers from requiring patient cost-sharing for screening colonoscopies, when a screening colonoscopy turns therapeutic, or when a patient is referred for a diagnostic colonoscopy subsequent to another colorectal cancer screening test. We need Rhode Island ACG members to contact the House Speaker Nicholas A. Mattiello and urge him to support this important bill.
Dr. Adrain and Dr. Shah also joined a delegation of over 100 ACG members in Washington, D.C. for the 2019 Board of Governors Legislative Fly-In, where participants advocated for the "Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening" bill (S. 668; H.R. 1570).
Attention ACG Members in Illinois: We Need Your Advocacy Voice For Illinois House Bill 3232
From ACG Illinois Governor, Russell D. Cohen, MD, FACG:
Urge your state representatives to support the Prescription Drug Repository Program Act
The Prescription Drug Repository Program Act (House Bill 3232) requires Illinois to establish a prescription drug repository program, where eligible residents may have access to donated prescription drugs or supplies that meet certain requirements and safeguards.
Contact your state representatives regarding H.R. 3232
How Can YOU Get Involved?
What are some important bills impacting GI in Congress? In your state? How can you easily voice your support?
ACG's Legislative Action Center is your one-stop resource to review and advocate for various federal and state bills impacting your profession, practice, and patients.
ACG Magazine Offers New Practice Management Tips: Check it out now!
The latest edition of the ACG Magazine is out! Among the articles are two insightful articles on improving your GI practice:
- “Building Success: How to Set Up an Ambulatory Infusion Center in Your Practice,” by ACG Practice Management Committee member David F. Limauro, MD, FACG. Click here to read the article.
- “Law Mind: Do I Invest? Legal Considerations in Endoscopy Center Investment,” by Ann M. Bittinger, Esq. Click here to read the article.
Click here to read the ACG Magazine.
What is the Practice Management toolbox?
Gastroenterologists in private practice find themselves working in a time of unprecedented transformation. Pressures are high as they make important management decisions that profoundly affect their business future, their private lives, and their ability to provide care to patients. The ACG Practice Management Committee has a mission to bring practicing colleagues together to explore solutions to overcome management challenges, to improve operations, enhance productivity, and support physician leadership. It was in this spirit that the Practice Management Toolbox was created.
The Toolbox is a series of short articles, written by practicing gastroenterologists, that provide members with easily accessible information to improve their practices. Each article covers an issue important to private practice gastroenterologists and physician-lead clinical practices. They include a brief introduction, a topic overview, specific suggestions, helpful examples and a list of resources or references. Each month a new edition of the Toolbox will be released and will then remain available here along with all previous editions. The Practice Management Committee is confident this series will a provide valuable resource for members striving to optimize their practices.
