Advocacy Summit 2011 Recap

The 6th Annual AHDI/CDIA Advocacy Summit in Washington, DC, May 3-4, 2011, was an extremely successful endeavor propelling our organizations and the importance of protecting the patient's story forward amongst our nation's policy-makers and key officials. Members of both CDIA and AHDI came together and delivered our message on Capitol Hill, yielding nothing but positive results.

The Summit opened with a welcome reception and a timely presentation on the Health Story Project, which corresponded appropriately with the messaging and materials our attendees had been equipped with to conduct their Hill visits. On Wednesday morning 53 attendees representing 24 different states set out for Capitol Hill where they participated in 85 legislative appointments and 7 constituent coffees. Several additional packets and letters to legislators were delivered along with an industry petition letter outlining AHDI/CDIA's advocacy message that had garnered 1403 signatures over the past six months. Those in attendance had the opportunity to attend a variety of constituent breakfasts for key states, constituent coffees and meetings with legislators positioned on critical committees related to healthcare and workforce development. Following the activities on Capitol Hill, the event was concluded with a debriefing session featuring a presentation from Cherise Tasker, MD, Chief Medical Officer with Transcend, on A Physician's Point of View: Challenges of EHR Adoption & the Value of Clinical Narrative.

The primary "ask" delivered by our attendees to the legislators and their aides on Capitol Hill was that the dictated narrative be made a requirement for Stage 2 Meaningful Use, highlighting our recent submission to the open comment period as supporting documentation. Emphasis was placed on the importance of this narrative for continuity of care, patient safety, preserving the patient's story and the role the industry plays in facilitating physician efficiency and practical usability of EHR adoption. The overall acceptance and understanding of our message was palpable, and we received substantive feedback from our legislative contacts about how to refine our message and where to continue to position those messages for high impact moving forward.

On behalf of the CDIA board of directors and staff, I would like to personally thank you for your commitment of time and effort in delivering our critical message to Capitol Hill. The passion that you show toward your profession is inspiring, and we thank you for stepping up and playing an active role in determining the future of our industry at this critical juncture. Please be on the lookout for future communications from CDIA regarding how you can continue these advocacy efforts throughout the year in your local areas.

Sincerely,
Steve Gaus
CDIA Board of Directors/Advocacy Workgroup Chairman