From September 28-30, 2023, I had the honor and privilege of attending the 2023 AAPA Leadership and Advocacy Summit (LAS) in Washington, D.C. I joined over 200 advocates from 41 states and was one of 75 students and 129 first-time attendees! PAs and PA students visited 191 Congressional offices to promote PA representation and discuss two pieces of vital PA-relevant legislation.
H.R.618/S.131, Improving Access to Workers' Compensation for Injured Federal Workers Act would modernize the Federal Employees Compensation Act (FECA) and allow PAs to provide care to injured federal workers using workers' compensation. The current law does not permit PAs to treat individuals using federal workers' compensation, even if those federal workers were already under the care of a PA before their injury. For federal workers living in rural or medically underserved areas, this could cause financial stress and delay much-needed care. I took the lead in explaining this bill and imploring Rep. Foushee’s Legislative Director to support this important legislation.
H.R.704/S.260, Promoting Access to Diabetic Shoes Act, would authorize PAs to prescribe therapeutic footwear for Medicare patients with diabetes. Currently, PAs can manage diabetes, prescribe diabetic pharmacologic treatment, and first-assist in lower limb amputations that result from complicated, poorly controlled diabetes; however, the current law does not allow PAs to ensure Medicare patients have access to the preventative diabetic foot care they deserve. Adriana DaCosta, a fellow DPAP classmate, highlighted statistics about affected constituents and associated costs while emphasizing the need for legislative reform.
Not only did I enjoy speaking with lawmakers and making my voice heard, but I also loved to learn that PAs are so well-respected by the general public. According to the AAPA Harris Poll, 9 in 10 U.S. adults think PAs increase access to care, support updating PA practice laws to fully utilize their healthcare workforce, and say PAs are trusted healthcare providers. Overall, legislative staff were receptive to our requests and agreed that PAs should be able to work to the full scope of their practice.
Advocating on Capitol Hill and networking with PAs and PA students from across the country is an experience I will not soon forget. I greatly appreciate this opportunity and believe the only way to achieve progress for PAs and their patients is by using my voice to inspire and enact meaningful change. Now more than ever, I feel motivated and empowered to continue to advocate on behalf of the PA profession and the patients that I will serve in the future. I will do my best to positively represent PAs – both on and off Capitol Hill.
Tina Hillman is a second-year student with the Duke Physician Assistant Program. Email christina.hillman@duke.edu with questions.
Editor’s note: Duke Physician Assistant Program students blog monthly. Blogs represent the opinion of the author, not the Duke Physician Assistant Program, the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, or Duke University.
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