AACVPR ACTION ALERT
IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED

Now it’s up to YOU and YOUR PATIENTS
To Secure the Future of Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation

The next three weeks may turn out to be critical to the passage of the Pulmonary and Cardiac Rehabilitation Act of 2007 (HR 552 / S 329). While we are confident that a Medicare bill may begin to move through Congress later this summer, there is a GROWING POSSIBILITY THAT CONGRESSIONAL ACTION MAY OCCUR AS EARLY AS MID JUNE.

We must have as many co-signers as possible from the House of Representatives and the Senate sign to support HR 552 and S 329 to assure that CR and PR provisions will be included in a larger Medicare bill.

EVERY SIGNATURE COUNTS. Only you and your patients can educate the U.S. Representative in YOUR district (http://www.house.gov/) about the importance of this bill to the future of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation. All the background information you need to educate Congress can be found at: http://www.aacvpr.org/policy/legregissues1.cfm.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

STEP 1

If you have not sent a letter to your two U.S. Senators (http://www.senate.gov/) and to your U.S. House of Representatives member who represents your district (http://www.house.gov), NOW is the time to do so. These letters (sample senate letter & house letter) should be faxed or emailed ASAP -- no regular mail please.

STEP 2

Call your Representative’s Washington, D.C. office (US Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121) and ASK the health staff member what the Congressional member’s decision is on signing HR 552 or S 329, based on the information you know has been provided in your letter. If they do not recall the details of your letter, offer to fax it again TODAY. Follow up by phone after the letter is sent.

STEP 3

IT IS NOW TIME TO GET YOUR PATIENTS INVOLVED! We need the voices of our patients -- they are your Congressional member’s constituents.

There are three easy ways for you to do this, but it needs to be done NOW:

1. Patient Call-in Campaign. Because the next two weeks are so critical, this will be the most expedient way to get the message to our legislators. Make it easy for patients - provide them with the phone number and a list of talking points from the sample calling card. Please click here for more information.
2. Patient Petition Ask patients in your rehab program to sign a petition that you can fax to both Senators’ and to your House member’s Washinton, D.C. offices . This could be done in conjunction with the patient call-in campaign. Please click here for the petition.
3. Individual Patient Letters Use the template provided. This letter can be can be pre-printed and addressed to your three legislators with onlt the patient's signature needed. Faxing or emailing from your department will assure that you know it gets there, or by the patient (be sure they udnerstand the letter must be sent via fax or email). Please click here for the template.

A number of programs have successfully implemented both the petition AND patient calls. Doing ANYTHING is better than doing NOTHING AT ALL.

As we have recommended previously, it continues to be very appropriate to also involve your Medical Director and other supportive physicians in your facility, your CEO or hospital administration, and key medical leaders in your community by asking them to call. Any connections you can find with your representative or senators would be important to utilize. In fact, a number of programs have found patients or relatives who have a direct connection with their Congressional member(s).

STEP 4

If you are unable to get your Representative’s co-sponsorship in the next three weeks by completing STEPS 2 and 3, call the local office and make an appointment to visit during one of the upcoming Congressional recesses.

 

It is very effective to bring one or two cardiac or pulmonary patients along to this appointment -- they can provide the best testimony on the benefits of rehab.

Please let your Affiliate Leaders know when you have completed any of these strategies and provide feedback on which Congressional members you contacted. This will help them coordinate grass roots efforts with the two U.S. Senators in your state. Your Affiliate Leaders are working very hard to make this happen!

Thank you. You will be proud of what we will all accomplish together if the AACVPR is victorious in seeing HR 552 and S 329 pass.

ACCP/AACVPR PULMONARY REHABILITATION
EVIDENCE-BASED CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES
ARE PUBLISHED

These practice guidelines are now available in the May issue of CHEST; an extensive review of scientific evidence published since the guidelines were first published in 1997, which strengthens the recommendation that pulmonary rehabilitation is the standard of care for patients with chronic lung disease. This is a good document to share with physicians and payers.