Advocating on behalf of their patients and programs, ACCC members from 14 states participated in Virtual Hill Day, speaking with Congress and their staff on key legislation asks regarding access to care, telehealth, prior authorizations, and more.
ACCC hosted its second ever Virtual Hill Day for its members on Wednesday, June 15. Participants ranged across a variety of multidisciplinary cancer care leadership roles, including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, financial advocates, patient navigators, and program administrators and directors. Advocating on behalf of their patients and programs, members from 14 states participated in a total of 43 meetings with members of Congress and their staff.
“Hill Day is an opportunity for us as cancer care providers to make our voices heard and help our lawmakers understand how decisions made in Washington impact the way that we deliver care back home,” remarked Olalekan Ajayi, PharmD, MBA, chief operating officer at Highlands Oncology Group; ACCC Governmental Affairs Committee Chair; and ACCC President-Elect. Providing the opportunity to engage in direct conversations with policymakers via live video calls, Virtual Hill Day enabled members to discuss and advocate for key legislative priorities that would positively change the future of cancer care delivery. These conversations served to establish enduring relationships between policymakers and their constituents that extend beyond Hill Day.
Anne Marie Rainey, MSN, RN, CHC, director of Quality and Value-Based Care at Clearview Cancer Institute and ACCC Education Committee Chair, spoke to the longevity of the relationships she has formed with federal officials: “I have been able to participate in Hill Day several times, and it has helped Clearview Cancer Institute create meaningful working relationships with our legislative offices. This year, we had several positive conversations, and we look forward to continued engagement as we work to better support our patients and practice.”
Often, constituents feel disconnected from their policymakers, leading to frustration and aversion to participating in the legislative process. However, Hill Day breaks down these barriers, reassuring members that their expertise—gained both occupationally and personally—is valued and that sharing their experiences creates positive change for patients.
In the weeks prior to Hill Day, ACCC staff and members met through informational webinars, legislative trainings, and informal coffee chats. Along with issue briefs and sample scripts that were provided in advance, these virtual engagements offered participants the opportunity to learn about ACCC’s key asks, review best practices for congressional meetings, and assuage any nerves or apprehension regarding their participation. “I was a bit nervous at first,” said Kimberly Rabago, MSW, LSW, oncology social worker at Grand View Health. “But knowing that I was advocating on behalf of our patients helped me focus on the issues we were discussing. I am looking forward to participating again!”
While hosting an in-person Hill Day was not logistically possible this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, ACCC members were pleased with the ease and efficiency of participating in its virtual format. Laeton Pang, MD, MPH, FACR, FACRO, radiation oncologist and operations medical director at the Cancer Center of Hawaii, was a past participant of Hill Day that was held in conjunction with ACCC’s annual meeting. He felt unsure how the virtual experience would be in comparison. “As with many things in the pandemic era, times have changed,” said Dr. Pang. “It was great to see staffers I’d met with previously and new staffers I’d not met before. I really appreciated the succinct one pagers and preparatory meetings provided by ACCC to help with the discussions.” Dr. Pang went on to implore his fellow cancer care leaders to further engage in ACCC advocacy, saying, “I only wished that more people shared the same passion for this advocacy forum, as it is an opportunity for dialogue to help ensure access and quality of care for patients with cancer.”
ACCC’s two primary asks for Hill Day highlighted legislation that would improve patient access to telehealth beyond the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) and reduce delays in care due to prior authorization requirements in the Medicare Advantage program. Members asking their Senators and Representatives to support the Telehealth Modernization Act emphasized the benefits of increased access to telehealth over the past two years and implored their legislators to not allow these flexibilities to lapse at the PHE’s end.
Members also told lawmakers about the administrative challenges associated with excessive prior authorization requirements for patients enrolled in Medicare Advantage. These advocates urged their members of Congress to cosponsor the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, which would standardize and streamline the prior authorization process and establish an electronic program that would provide real-time prior authorization decisions.
In addition to these primary asks, ACCC members also asked their legislators to support the DIVERSE Trials Act that would reduce financial barriers known to keep certain racial and ethnic groups from being appropriately represented in clinical trials, Safe Step Act that would require group health plans to implement clear processes for patients and their providers to request an exception to a medication step therapy protocol, and Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act of 2021 that would create a pathway for novel multi-cancer early detection tests to be covered by Medicare.
Regarding ACCC’s legislative priorities for Hill Day, Dr. Ajayi concluded, “Allowing patients access to essential care without delays caused by burdensome prior authorization and step therapy requirements, increasing the availability of telehealth on a permanent basis, increasing diversity in clinical trial participation, and allowing Medicare to cover multi-cancer early detection screening tests are all policy measures that would significantly improve access to cancer treatment for all patients who need it.”
Visit the ACCC Hill Day website to learn more about the association’s legislative priorities. Then view photos from the event via the #ACCCHillDay on Twitter or LinkedIn.
Stay engaged! Email Matt Devino, ACCC director of Cancer Care Delivery and Health Policy, about any issues you'd like to address with federal lawmakers.
