Congress Passes COVID-19 Relief Package & White House Proclamation on CRC Awareness Month

From ACG Legislative and Public Policy Council Chair, James C. Hobley, MD, MSc, FACG

Congress Passes COVID-19 Relief Package: The American Recue Plan Act of 2021 was passed by the Senate on March 6, 2021. This bill was passed through the reconciliation process. On March 10, 2021, the House of Representatives passed the Senate version of the bill. President Biden signed the bill into law on Thursday, March 11th.

Good news on Medicare Sequestration Cuts: Absent Congressional action, Medicare providers face a 2% "sequestration" reimbursement cut effective April. However, the U.S. House of Representatives' leadership announced that the House will be voting to extend the current sequestration moratorium through December 2021. ACG and a coalition of like-minded organizations have been advocating Congress to address these unfair and unwarranted Medicare provider cuts. Thank you ACG members for your advocacy efforts!

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month: Last week, the Biden Administration officially declared March as "Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month." ACG joined many like-minded organizations earlier this year in urging the Administration to do this and looks forward to partnering with specialty societies and patient advocates throughout this month on Capitol Hill and in state legislatures across the U.S. 

You can help raise awareness too! ACG's key message for March 2021 is "You Can Prevent Colorectal Cancer. Don't Let COVID-19 Stop You!"

Follow ACG on Twitter @AmCollegeGastroDownload ACG's CRC graphics and banners for your own social media use #ColorectalCancerAwarenessMonth #ColorectalCancerPrevention.

ACG Colorectal Cancer Community Education Toolkit. New materials feature messaging about CRC Screening during COVID-19 as well as general information about colorectal cancer screening based upon new recommendations from ACG's 2021 Clinical Guidelines on Colorectal Cancer Screening. You can download and print in color for your practices or to provide to patients.

ACG Governors Advocating on Your Behalf: Contact Your Governor Today

From ACG Board of Governors Vice Chair, Dayna Early, MD, FACG and Chair Patrick Young, MD, FACG 

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.

What is the ACG Practice Management Toolbox?

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.