Advocacy Committee Creating Unified Voice for the ASC Industry

In an effort to continue to represent the ASC industry on Capitol Hill and to create a bridge between two existing organizations, the ASC Advocacy Committee was launched last August and has been busy educating Washington policymakers about the value of ambulatory surgery centers. The committee is sponsored by the ASC Association and by the ASC Coalition, an affiliation of ASC associations and ASC management companies.

The Advocacy Committee includes ASCA, some of the largest state ASC associations, and more than a dozen major ASC companies. The funding is provided by the members; separately, ASCA, many state ASC associations, and many companies have their own PACs for direct political giving, according to Andrew Hayek, president and CEO of Surgical Care Affiliates and chair of this new committee.

Despite a health reform-related injection of chaos on Capitol Hill, Hayek says that the committee’s objectives have remained steadfast: “First, to create a clear, compelling message of how ASCs benefit the healthcare system; second, to hire the resources to help communicate this message (e.g,. PR firm, lobbyists, external studies); third, to create an active grassroots network among ASCs to communicate with legislators and policymakers; and, fourth, to create an open, collaborative organization, in which any parties interested in supporting ASCs are welcome to join us and participate.”

One of the most important roles of the committee is to educate lawmakers and to tell the ASC story. Hayek says the committee is in the design process of a PR campaign that will launch early next year. “We have added greater lobbying resources to help us communicate with legislators, policy makers and regulators in Washington, D.C.,” Hayek adds. “We have activated a much greater degree of coordinated grassroots efforts, and we are in the design phase of a grassroots database that will help us take this coordination to a much higher level. Lastly, we are coordinating our messaging across ASCA, state ASC associations, and companies to a greater degree. All of these components work together to help us tell our story in Washington, D.C.”