Applauding The APMA And Those Who Worked To Pass The VA Provider Equity Act

We often use the word “historic” as hyperbole but in regard to the Veterans Affairs (VA) Maintaining Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks Act (MISSION) Act, the word certainly applies. When the president signed the bill into law on June 6, 2018, it truly was a historic day for podiatry. Section 502, the American Podiatric Medical Association’s (APMA’s) VA Provider Equity Act, of the VA MISSION Act, placed podiatric physicians in the same category as our allopathic, osteopathic and dental and oral surgeon colleagues.

The passage of the bill has profound effects on our nation’s veterans by increasing their access to lower extremity healthcare. Podiatrists now possess the same opportunities for advancement and are in the same pay table as MDs and DOs due to a change to the physician pay authority categorization. This change should positively affect the Department of Veterans Affairs’ recruitment and retention efforts for staff podiatric physicians, thereby in turn improving access to care for veterans.

As a Trustee for the APMA serving as Chair of the Legislative Committee, I would like to take this opportunity to thank those involved with this landmark legislation. The APMA continues to fulfill its number one strategic goal of legislative advocacy. That the VA MISSION Act’s included the VA Provider Equity Act without question demonstrates APMA’s ongoing quest to serve its members by realizing the organizational mission statement, “APMA advances and advocates for the specialty of podiatric medicine and surgery for the benefit of its members and the health of the public.”¹

Representative Brad Wenstrup, DPM (R-OH), was integral in moving the VA Provider Equity Act through the political process and garnering the support of members of Congress, which ultimately led to inclusion of the VA Provider Equity Act as section 502 of the VA MISSION Act. Rep. Wenstrup’s commitment to the health care of his fellow veterans and to the podiatric profession deserves applause.

The APMA’s entire staff is dedicated to the podiatric profession but their collective drive to pass the VA MISSION Act deserves special acknowledgement. Benjamin J. Wallner, the APMA’s Director of Legislative Advocacy and the APMA Political Action Committee (APMAPAC), strategically navigated the legislative process masterfully. I work directly with Ben as Legislative Committee Chair and every DPM in the country should laud his commitment to federal legislative parity for podiatry.

The leadership and direction of James Christina, DPM, APMA Executive Director and CEO, provided the foundation for this success by ensuring the APMA holds true to its mission statement. My fellow APMA Board of Trustees members are a dedicated, selfless group devoted to protecting and positioning the profession for the future. The trustees voluntarily spend a significant amount of time away from their families and practices on behalf of the profession.

I would personally like to thank Daniel Davis, DPM, a Past President of the APMA, who appointed me to the position of Chair of the Legislative Committee. I will always appreciate his trust and confidence in me. Ira Krauss, DPM, APMA’s Immediate Past President, was relentless in developing open lines of communication with the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS), leading to the AOFAS’ letter of support for the VA Provider Parity Act. Current APMA President Dennis Frisch, DPM, continued the push for passage of this legislation with focus and direction to ensure victory.

The APMA Legislative Committee members played key roles in connecting APMA’s Legislative Department with the state components through open channels of communication to provide guidance in grassroots lobbying efforts. The APMAPAC Chair Barney Greenberg, DPM, and the PAC board work diligently to ensure APMA has the necessary resources to meet its legislative advocacy objectives.

Finally, I would like to thank all the APMA members. Your continued support of the profession by membership, your response to legislative calls to action and your passion for the profession are essential to ensuring podiatric physicians will achieve full federal parity.

The journey is not complete. The passage of the VA MISSION Act was the first step to satisfying APMA’s legislative advocacy goal as part of a larger strategic plan to accomplish universal federal parity for the profession. The goal as stated on APMA’s website is “Advocate on behalf of DPMs in furtherance of parity with MDs and DOs in public and private health-care delivery systems to allow DPMs to practice to the fullest extent of their education and training, and to improve timely patient access to foot and ankle care provided by DPMs.”¹  

Mahatma Gandhi said it so eloquently: “A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.” The profession’s future is being safeguarded through APMA’s legislative activism, thereby positively altering the course of podiatry’s history. Truly historic.

References

1. American Podiatric Medical Association. Available at https://www.apma.org/index.cfm .

Editor’s note: This DPM Blog was originally published in the July/August edition of APMA News and has been adapted with permission from the APMA.