Please Help the Society Gain a Seat in the AMA House of Delegates

Dear Colleague:

In this era of health care reform, it has been said that when it comes to reimbursement issues, “you are either at the table or on the menu.” President Obama has said that he would like to cut Medicare costs by more than 300 billion dollars in the next 10 years. The Heart Rhythm Society needs to be at the table, and we need your help. To strengthen the Society's ability to represent your interests, we need to gain a seat in the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates. This is one of the “tables” where the critical medical policy decisions are being made.

We know that many of you believe that AMA does not always represent your interests. You are not alone. Many physicians across all medical societies struggle with this, including those from societies who are already in the AMA House of Delegates. But it is critical that the Society is in all policymaking arenas to influence the future of EP practice. The AMA House of Delegates opens important doors for us — especially those entities who are in control of identifying Medicare procedures that will be reimbursed and performance measures that will be the basis for Medicare reimbursement in the future.

In order for the Society to gain membership in the AMA House of Delegates, we need to demonstrate that 25 percent of our physician members in the U.S. are also AMA members. Currently we have approximately 21 percent and we are fast approaching a deadline of August 31st.

If you are not a member, please join with us as AMA members. A pro-rated membership rate of $210 is available to physicians until August 31 who were not members in 2008: AMA Membership application (PDF, 64K). Please e-mail the health policy department as soon as you join.

 If you have any questions about the Society's health policy initiatives, including our campaign for Society membership in the House of Delegates, please contact James Youngblood, CEO;  Richard Page, MD, FHRS, President; Richard Fogel, MD, FHRS; Chair of the Health Policy Committee or Kevin Wheelan, MD, Chair of the Reimbursement and Regulatory Affairs Subcommittee. We appreciate your help.

Sincerely,

James Youngblood CEO	Stephen Hammill, MD, FHRS Past President
Rick Page, MD, FHRS President	Mark Schoenfeld, MD, FHRS, CCDS Past President
Doug Packer, MD, FHRS President-Elect	Eric Prystowsky, MD, FHRS Past President
Bruce Wilkoff, MD, FHRS, CCDS First Vice President	James Maloney, MD, FHRS, CCDS Past President
N. A. Mark Estes III, MD, FHRS, CCDS Immediate Past President	Victor Parsonnet, MD, FHRS, CCDS Past President
Richard Fogel, MD, FHRS, CCDS Chair, Health Policy Committee Member, Board of Trustees	Doris Escher, MD, FHRS Past President
Kevin Wheelan, MD,CCDS Chair, Reimbursement and Regulatory Affairs Subcommittee	Robert Hauser, MD, FHRS, CCDS Past President
Sana Al-Khatib, MD, MHS, CCDS Chair, Quality Improvement Subcommittee	Albert Waldo, MD, FHRS, CCDS Past President
David Rosenbaum, MD, FHRS Chair, Research Subcommittee Member, Board of Trustees