PA Physicians Advocate in D.C. for SGR Repeal, Medical Education Funding

Ben Schlechter, MD, and Marilyn Heine, MD, were in Washington, D.C. this week to advocate for a permanent Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) fix, funding for graduate medical education, extension of the Medicare primary care rate floor beyond 2014, and other issues before Congress that affect physicians.

“The big topic of discussion obviously has been SGR,” said Dr. Schlecter. “The legislators that we have are on board with trying to create a fix. We’ve had extensive discussion with them. We will continue to pound the pavement and hopefully we will succeed and get this all taken care of.”

They had meetings in the offices of several Pennsylvania members of Congress, including Senators Robert Casey, and Patrick Toomey, and Representatives Jim Gerlach, Charlie Dent, Tim Murphy, Allyson Schwartz, and Michael Fitzpatrick.

Dr. Schlechter and Larry Light, senior vice president of political affairs and physician advocacy, also attended the American Medical Association Federation Political Action Committee meeting and Dr. Heine attended the AMA Council on Legislation meeting.