OOA Leaders, OU-COM Students Participate in DO Day on the Hill

Osteopathic Family Advocates for Healthcare Reform in Congress

by Mary Reed

When Starla Lyles, OMS I, put on her white coat and made rounds April 24, 2008, she wasn't in a hospital or clinic, but on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Lyles joined more than 55 Ohio DOs and students from Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine (OU-COM) at DO Day on the Hill. This national lobbying event, coordinated by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), brings together DOs and medical students to advocate for health care policy reform.

It was the organization's second largest lobby day with 852 osteopathic physicians, osteopathic medical students, and supporters participating.

"We had an opportunity to actually talk to our representatives and senators , they listened; they had an open ear," said Lyles, political affairs chair for the OU-COM chapter of the Student Osteopathic Medical Association.

In DC, the students met with Sen. Sherrod Brown and with an aide to Rep. Charlie Wilson, both Ohio democrats. Among other topics, DO Day participants pressed representatives to sign a letter supporting the Save Medicare Act of 2008, which would halt the 10.6 percent cut in physician reimbursements slated to go into effect July 1, followed by another five percent cut in January 2009.

According to Peter A. Bell, DO, the issue is not how much doctors are paid, but for what. "Medicare rewards doing things without compensating preventive care efforts or rewarding greater quality of care," said Bell, a past president of the Ohio Osteopathic Association.

Bell explained that Medicare, America's largest health care purchaser, pays hospitals and doctors a fixed sum to perform a specific procedure or treat a condition. Failing to provide preventive care or adequate early treatment can increase the need for such Medicare-reimbursed services later on. As a result, low quality of care is actually rewarded.

"In our country, we have a patchwork of health care solutions. What we need is a well-woven blanket," Bell said. "As physicians, we need to understand the weaknesses of the system and offer realistic, sustainable suggestions."

OOA President William F. Emlich, Jr., DO, led the Ohio delegation of seven physicians and 47 students who hailed from OU-COM, DMU, KCUMB, WVSOM, CCOM, and KCOM.

Lyles coordinated her and her classmates' DC trip this year, with transportation and accommodations funded by the OOA.

"The OOA believes it is very important for D.O.s to serve as health policy advocates for their patients and their communities," said Jon Wills, OOA executive director. "We want students to actively participate in the legislative process, so they will continue to speak out on important issues when they become physicians."

In addition to Emlich, Bell, and Wills, other Ohio DOs in attendance were Brian Kessler, DO; Boyd Bowden, DO; Paul A. Martin, DO; Robert Juhasz, DO, an AOA trustee; and John Weilbacker, DO.

"The event helps students understand how Congress impacts the practice of medicine," said Leann Fox, AOA director of federal advocacy. "Students are growing more aware that grassroots advocacy is key to ensuring that the rules and regulations governing medicine are made with their input and with the understanding that the physician-patient relationship must be protected."