Advocating for All Surgeons in a Time of Change

Every spring, the ACS holds its Leadership & Advocacy Summit, a 3-day event in Washington, DC, that culminates with in-person visits to Capitol Hill. During Hill Day, surgeons meet with elected officials representing their states and districts to help them understand issues affecting surgical practice and patients—an important task given that just 21 of the 535 current members of Congress have medical backgrounds. Together, we advocate for policies that can enhance our surgical practices and patient outcomes.

We know that our voices as surgeons are powerful, particularly when we unite. As the US undergoes sweeping change, as occurs with every new administration, we face a crucial time to exercise that power. Surgeon engagement with advocacy is more important than ever. We must continue to prioritize evidence, research, truth, patient-centered care, and stay true to our motto: “To Heal All with Skill and Trust.”

The ACS has chosen three main advocacy priorities as special areas of focus this year based, in part, on results of a survey of all US-based members in which they were asked to identify their highest practice priorities.

Reducing Administrative Burdens and Protecting the Surgeon-Patient Relationship

The US healthcare system is unique, especially when it comes to the paperwork obligations placed on us as physicians. A 2020 study found that the median time per day that US clinicians spend actively using electronic health records (EHR) is 90.1 minutes. That is the same amount of time that clinicians in the 99th percentile of active daily EHR use will spend in other countries (90.7 minutes). While that study was not specific to surgery, we know our administrative burdens are excessive.

Resulting frustrations can be particularly intense when these requirements interfere with the best interests of our patients, as when prior authorization and other paperwork-related delays compromise prompt, effective surgical care.

For several years, ACS advocates have engaged with regulators and legislators about practical solutions to excessive paperwork. For example, we supported the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act, which sought to improve the transparency and efficiency of the prior authorization process for Medicare Advantage. Although it has not yet become law, that bill passed the House of Representatives in 2022 by a unanimous vote. This important legislation is due to be reintroduced in Congress this month.

We continue to aggressively pursue improvements in federal legislation and regulations on this issue. We also communicate with insurance companies directly to help reduce administrative burdens.

Ensuring Surgeons Are Compensated Appropriately

Helping surgeons receive reasonable reimbursement rates has been a key focus of ACS advocacy for many decades. We have been successful several times in persuading Congress to avoid or roll back cuts to Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates and make other beneficial changes. (Read more in my column from the April 2024 Bulletin.)

We are at work on another such effort now. On January 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented a 2.8% cut to Medicare physician payments. The bipartisan Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act (H.R. 879) is currently pending. This legislation would reverse the cut and provide a 2.0% inflationary adjustment for the rest of 2025. We are working diligently to help ensure this bill passes, while simultaneously driving efforts that would fix the broken Medicare system.

Reimbursement rates are essential to the financial health of surgeons, no matter their practice configuration. Through our advocacy, the ACS is fighting for passage of a rate that corrects for inflation and past cuts. We must ensure that all of us can care for our patients in our chosen practice settings, without financial constraints limiting our options.

Incentivizing True High-Quality Surgical Care

Another longstanding priority is the pursuit of optimal patient outcomes. The ACS launched its first Quality Program in 1918, and more than a century of continuous expertise has given us enormous insight into implementing and measuring high-quality surgical care.

We recognize that true quality and cost-reducing efforts have broad appeal yet may be challenging to create and sustain. A key goal is for laws, regulations, and private payer practices related to quality to be based on sound quality principles.

Over the past few years, our focus on quality has included successfully advocating for federal legislation supporting military-civilian partnerships and pursuing federal law improving pediatric emergency care. In addition, in August 2024, CMS adopted the Age Friendly Hospital Measure, a regulation advanced by ACS advocacy and based largely on the ACS Geriatric Surgery Verification Program. The measure, which took effect on January 1, aims to provide high-quality care for patients over 65 years. (Learn more here.)

Through these successes, we continue to advance toward our goal: to ensure quality programs use effective methods, employ appropriate incentives, and provide optimal outcomes for patients. This is a clear example of the values encapsulated in our long-standing motto.

How You Can Help

During this time of change, I urge all ACS members to engage with us and make sure your voices are heard. Please communicate with us about your specific priorities and areas of interest. One way to do that is through SurgeonsVoice, our online advocacy center that allows US surgeons to reach their Congress members via email on key issues. Sending correspondence is possible at any time and takes just a few clicks with our pre-written templates.

We know that the collective efforts of surgeons can influence elected officials to act—and I urge you to participate. You might wish to start by supporting our current push for passage of the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act. Your personal relationship with Congresspersons and Senators at home can also be incredibly meaningful to our efforts, so please let us know if you have those connections.

Learn More

For regular updates on our advocacy efforts, please sign up for our monthly Advocacy Brief e-newsletter. Please also learn more about the ACS Professional Association political action committee, SurgeonsPAC. Finally, keep up to date by logging in to your profile at profile.facs.org and updating your personalized Surgeon’s Dashboard to reflect your advocacy interests.

Thank you to those who joined us at the 2025 Leadership & Advocacy Summit, April 5-8. If you missed the summit this year, a recap will be available in the May Bulletin.

Dr. Patricia Turner is the Executive Director & CEO of the American College of Surgeons. Contact her at executivedirector@facs.org.