America
AAPI’s legislative day and governing body meeting. March 26-28
A large number of US Senators/Congresswomen Expected To Address AAPI Delegates
At The Coveted Cannon Caucus Room On Capitol Hill
Washington,
DC: Healthcare continues to
be at the center of the national debate, especially after the
implementation of the Affordable Care Act, which affects almost everyone
in the country. One out of every seven doctors serving in the US is of Indian
heritage, providing medical care to over 40 million in the country. Just as
their services to the community in the healthcare arena is very vital, so is
the need for due representation, to listen to their voices,
expressing their concerns and their needs.
“This is the time of the year when we as Members of AAPI are
called upon to participate in the democratic process in our organization, and
get a glimpse into the future,†says Dr. Ravi Jahagirdar, President of American
Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), the largest ethnic
organization of physicians, representing over 100,000 physicians of Indian
origin, who wants to make their voices heard on Capitol Hill and around the
nation, particularly on issues relating to healthcare.
According to Dr. Jahagirdar, “The combined AAPI
Legislative Day and Spring Governing Body will be held in the nation’s
capital, Washington, DC from Thursday March 26th through Saturday
March 28th, 2015. The venue is the coveted Cannon Caucus Room and the
attendance by Senators and Congressmen/Congresswomen is expected to be high.
Dr. Sudhir Sekhsaria with his Legislative Committee has arranged a wonderful
program along with the local Chapter GWAPI.â€
“AAPI is once again in the forefront in bringing many
burning health care issues facing the community at large and bringing this to
the Capitol and to the US Congress,†says Dr. Sudhir Sekhsaria, Chair
of AAPI Legislative Affairs Committee. “AAPI is proud to announce its
Legislative Day for the year. Dr. Sekhsaria urges AAPI colleagues and
everyone interested in or connected with providing health care to attend this
event.â€
“The Legislative Day will have panel discussions
on topics of importance to AAPI members and how they can be part of the
process in the implementation of the health care reform in this country,†adds
Dr. Ajeet Singhvi, Chair, BOT. “While medical school enrollment has
climbed 2% annually over the past five years through new schools and expansion
of existing schools, the number of residency slots funded by Medicare has been
capped at about 100,000 since 1997. Increasing GME position will help to
address access issues in United
States,†Dr. Jahagirdar adds.
As part of comprehensive immigration reform, AAPI urges the
Congress to include international medical graduates also along with
international students graduating with degrees in science, technology,
engineering and mathematics (STEM) being fast-tracked for Green Cards. This
proposal enables highly-skilled workers to remain in the United States after receiving their higher
education in America.
Among the areas where AAPI had sought US lawmakers to support their agenda
included increasing 15,000 more Residency Positions.
“In our continued goals to reach out to US Congress, our
Annual Legislative Conference will focus on burning issues like Medicare SGR,
Immigration Reform, Implementation Affordable Care and of course on growing US
India relations,†Sampat Shivangi, MD, Co-Chair of AAPI Legislative
Affairs Committee, says, and adds, “I invite the AAPI community to be part of
this exciting event and share their enthusiasm and experience on various issues
which promises to be very exciting event.â€
With participation from dozens of key Congressmen and
Senators, the event will be a unique opportunity for AAPI to be part of the
decision making process on matters related to healthcare. “AAPI has
been seeking to collectively shape the best health care for the people of
US, with the physician at the helm, caring for the medically underserved as we
have done for several decades when physicians of Indian origin came to the US
in larger numbers,†says Dr. Seema Jain, President-Elect of AAPI.
Among the many timely and relevant issues, the event addresses, Dr.
Ajay Lodha, Vice President of AAPI, says, “AAPI supports Congress providing a
permanent fix to the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula.†Dr.
Gautam Samadder, Secretary of AAPI, says, “For more than a decade, Congress has
delayed passing a permanent fix. Without such a fix, physicians’ reimbursements
will be cut by nearly 27 percent next year, detrimentally affecting
physicians’ ability to provide critical health care to patients.â€
AAPI urges the US Congress to fix the Medicare SGR formula
without cuts to physicians’ reimbursements giving certainty to the Medicare
system. “AAPI supports the bipartisan “Medicare Physician Payment Innovation
Act of 2013,†(H.R. 574) which would bring certainty to the reimbursement
system,†Dr. Naresh Parikh, Treasurer of AAPI, adds. AAPI physicians will also
communicate to the legislators the burden that CMS has imposed with the
Meaningful Use and PQR reporting and the constant and dire threats of
reimbursement cuts and penalties,
The historic Legislative Policy Meeting will begin at the
prestigious Cannon Caucus Room on Capitol Hill on Thursday, from 1 pm to 4 pm
and will conclude with a Reception and Dinner 5:30pm to 8:30 pm. A reception
and dinner at the Indian Embassy and meeting with Ambassador will make the day
a truly memorable one for all the participants. The Governors of Virginia and Maryland
have been invited to attend the reception. Also, expected to attend and
address the Legislative Day is Dr. Vivek
Murthy, America’s
Surgeon General.
AAPI Governing Body Meeting will be held on Saturday, from 8
am to 4 pm at the Marriott Gateway Crystal City, VA. The event will conclude at
midnight with a Banquet hosted by the Local GWAPI (Greater Washington
Association of Physicians of Indian Origin) at Marriott Gateway Crystal City,
VA.
Dr. Jahagirdar hopes that “AAPI will discover her own potential to be a player in shaping the health of each patient with a focus on health maintenance than disease intervention. To be a player in crafting the delivery of health care in the most efficient manner. To strive for equality in health globally.†For more information on AAPI’s the Legislative Day and to register for a block of Hotel Rooms at special prizes, please visit: http://www.aapiusa.org.