Transcription:
AAOMS Day on the Hill – Why It's important for the Specialty

Bill Klaproth (host): This is an AAOMS On-the-Go Podcast. I'm Bill Klaproth. And with me is AAOMS Vice President, Dr. J. David Morrison. Dr. Morrison is currently Vice President of AAOMS, as well as a long-time attendee of the AAOMS Day on The Hill. And he's going to talk a little bit about what Day on The Hill is, how it's important to AAOMS' overall advocacy efforts. And what interested AAOMS members can expect and benefit from attending. Dr. Morrison, thank you for being here. J. David Morrison

J. David Morrison: Thank you, Bill. It's pleasure to be here and I appreciate your time and efforts.

Bill Klaproth (host): You bet. It's great to see you. And we're interested to learn about this. So, can you explain a little bit about what Day on The Hill is?

J. David Morrison: AAOMS Day on The Hill is basically the premier annual grassroots advocacy advent. It gives an opportunity for OMSs to meet and build relationships and to advocate for legislation that's important to not only the OMSs, but to our patients. The meeting takes place over a two-day period in Washington, DC. Typically, it's face to face. Past few years due to the pandemic, unfortunately, the Day on the Hill was canceled in 2020. And then, subsequently, the past two years, we've been doing it virtually. We're excited to return back to Washington this year. I do believe the dates are March 7th and 8th and excited to go back to face-to-face meetings.

Bill Klaproth (host): Yeah. So, this is your opportunity to get face to face with people in congress to talk about legislation that will impact the OMS specialty and patients. It's good to be able to actually meet with those people and discuss the issues.

J. David Morrison: I agree. Because, face-to-face, we definitely have more purposeful and meaningful interaction. Doing it Zoom virtually is convenient. But certainly, when you're trying to build those relationships with legislators and their aides, you know, face to face, you can't be underestimated.

Bill Klaproth (host): Yeah, absolutely. So, what made you decide to go to your first meeting?

J. David Morrison: When I was first getting involved professionally in state and national societies, it was a colleague. He just approached me and said, "Hey, this is a great avenue to get involved and it's important to the specialty and the future of this specialty. And you have the opportunity. The AAOMS does provide scholarships or funding for first time attendees and you ought to apply for that." Well, me being one more economically conservative, I saw the opportunity to go and you give back on somebody else's dime.

Bill Klaproth (host): Yeah. So, that's interesting that you say that, that this opportunity was presented to you. And you said, "Okay, I'm going to go. We're going to do this." How was Day on the Hill different than what you expected it might be?

J. David Morrison: When I first went to that first meeting, I had some extreme anxiety. I had no idea what to expect. But when I arrived there, They prepared you quite well. They have a little training session. They show you the right way and the wrong way to interact with the legislators. And it was actually a really positive experience, having the opportunity to sit down and speak with them one-on-one and basically have a conversation with people that you really don't realize that you have a lot in common with, and that they're very interested in what you have to say. It was a great experience. It was totally different than what I anticipated.

Bill Klaproth (host): So, this is congressmen and congresswomen. Is that right? Not senate.

J. David Morrison: Well, no, it's also senate. Any kind of legislator, from my particular state, I've had the opportunity to meet both my senators, meet multiple representatives. When they're not available, you still can schedule. We end up scheduling with their legislative aides. And so, you still get contact. And the legislative aide often is the one that's making policy recommendations to the legislator, whether it'd be a senator or representative. It's a great opportunity to get in front of them face to face, get the issues and then also, more importantly, to build relationships

Bill Klaproth (host): So, we talked about the benefit of this. It gives you an opportunity to advocate on the legislation impacting the OMS specialty. What else does it do? Is part of this you then have the opportunity to let the legislator know of AAOMS and what you're going through? So, they're like, "Oh, okay. I didn't know what you're looking for. I didn't know how I can help you," that's part of it too, is that right?

J. David Morrison: Yeah, I agree. The ability to share a surgeon's perspective is very impactful and memorable to those members of congress and staff that we get to interact with. The legislators, getting to learn who you are and what you do. And it's interesting, over the years, that I've done this, over the last four or five years, I've actually had some reach out from legislators to me to ask me about a particular issue, which it's actually kind of rewarding to realize that you do make a bit of a difference.

Bill Klaproth (host): And that is really rewarding and really makes you feel like we're getting something accomplished here for this specialty.

J. David Morrison: I would agree with that also. We've had some legislative, what I would call victories. Certainly, passing the Antitrust Reform legislation was a multi-year task, the ability for oromaxillofacial surgeons to opt out of Medicare, incentive pay for OMSs in the military. And in this past year, we helped basically defeat the expansion of Medicare B dental benefits, which for us in medical dental medicine, Medicare part B would have been a little bit problematic.

Bill Klaproth (host): So, you talked about building longterm relationships. If a bill comes across the floor or someone is suggesting certain legislation, having that relationship, they might go to you then and say, "Hey, the legislation is being proposed. This might affect you. I'm giving you a heads up." Then, you kind of have an advocate that's already there in congress looking out for you. Is that right?

J. David Morrison: That is correct. When you look at the Day in The Hill and our advocacy efforts, our federal lobbyists I think put it best. If you're not at the table, you may be on the menu. Those relationships keep you off the menu.

Bill Klaproth (host): Right. So, this is really important work that you're doing. So, how much time is involved then? How much prep time is needed to attend Day on The Hill? And, I mean, does it take political experience to do this?

J. David Morrison: You know, that actually goes back to that first question you asked me, was it different than what I expected? It was interesting. There really is no preparatory work, which I went to Washington, DC. And first day, I was like, "Well, I don't have any material. I don't know what's going on." But once again, they train you the staff, the committee on governmental affairs and the federal lobbyist and the staff. I have got all the materials for you. They'll go through the training session. You learn about the legislative priorities that are going to be addressed. And they basically coach you up and then you get there. They give you materials to hand to the legislators. It's really a great experience.

Bill Klaproth (host): So, you're not standing up there with a PowerPoint. "Let me tell you what we're advocating for," it's not like that. So, the aides are preparing you with handouts, if you will, that goes to the legislator, so they can understand the issues.

J. David Morrison: Exactly. It's almost like a pre-made information sheet. And then, you can go through those points. And then once again, you can give your personal perspective on each of those. And it is once again more meaningful to the legislators. They're going to remember that. When You can say, "Hey, well, this is what the sheet says. But let me tell you from personal experience, this is how it would affect me or my patients or my practice.

Bill Klaproth (host): . So, you just mentioned this gives you the chance to share personal information other than the bullet points or whatever that are on the sheet. Can you share any memorable experiences from your past Day on The Hill?

J. David Morrison: I had an opportunity to meet with Representative Steve Stivers. And it was actually a great experience. So, we're sitting down, we're discussing PPE, which is personal protective equipment and the scarcity of it. And I shared with him my personal experience of having to drive up the state and paying 10 times the cost during COVID to acquire equipment. And he was extremely interested, he was engaged. We talked about another legislative priority issue. We turned to his aide. He says, "I want to be on board with this. Let's investigate this. Put this on my agenda. I want to look at this Issue." And I was just amazed at the interaction you can get when you can personally meet them face to face. And that's an amazing and memorable experience with the interaction with that representative.

Bill Klaproth (host): Yeah, it's interesting to hear you talk, On the ground level, things are being done. People are meeting with their congressmen and women, no matter what political party and discussing issues and things are being discussed and propose, if you will. It's working. It's working behind the scenes. It's working.

J. David Morrison: The process really does work. My particular state, we have a democratic and republican Senator. I meet with both. And they have the same interests, issues that are in commonality. And same with representatives, I'll meet with multiple representatives from both parties and it's ultimately about the issue, not about their party, right?

Bill Klaproth (host): Right. Yes. So, that's kind of the point I wanted to make the process is working and you're able to advocate on the specialty and have a receptive audience, no matter what the political party, if you will.

J. David Morrison: And what's really amazing is they don't even ask anything about that. It's all about the issue.

Bill Klaproth (host): Which is what you want.

J. David Morrison: Exactly.

Bill Klaproth (host): Which is exactly what you want.

J. David Morrison: And we want to educate them on our perspective. And usually, they are very receptive.

Bill Klaproth (host): Yeah. Well, that is really good to hear. So, this sounds like it was very beneficial to you. Why should OMSs attend Day on The Hill? Why would you recommend that?

J. David Morrison: Well, first, you know, I often get asked, as a member of the board, "How can I get involved?" Well, firstly, this is a great start. This is one of the first avenues I use to get started. You get a lot of networking, interaction. And whether we like it or not, politics definitely impact the way we practice every day. Whether it's, you know, how much we get paid or how we manage our practice or our interaction with patients, it all comes back to ultimately politics. So most importantly for the Day in The Hill, it provides attendees, I believe, the opportunity to impact the future of our specialty. You get a chance to learn about healthcare policy, experience federal legislative process. You get the opportunity to build relationships, which is probably the most important aspect. And then once again, you get the chance to network with your colleagues and AAOMS leaders.

Bill Klaproth (host): And it's important for OMSs all around the country to do this. You're from Ohio. So, you're speaking with your legislators from Ohio, but we need OMSs in all of the states to do the same thing you're doing. Is that right?

J. David Morrison: Yes. Collectively, OMSs, we have a very loud voice. Individually, one person from one state doesn't make much waves. You get a little bit of ripple. And what we really need is OMSs to basically take gauntlet and rise up to the challenge and help support the whole entire specialty. And then, once again, that goes back to if you've never gone before, it's a mixture of first-time attendees, residents come, you've got the veterans like me. And if you're a first time attendee, there's funding available and it's on a first come first served basis. So, you put your name in and you have an opportunity to get it funded. And it's a two-day event. You fly in on a Tuesday, you fly home on a Wednesday. It's very rewarding.

Bill Klaproth (host): Yeah. It definitely sounds like that. And like you say, all of you across all the states sharing that same message, that has power and impact. And that's why this is ultimately important.

J. David Morrison: Yeah. Collectively, our voices are very loud.

Bill Klaproth (host): Dr. Morrison, anything else you want to add about Day on The Hill and the importance of it to the specialty?

J. David Morrison: If you haven't experienced it, I strongly encourage you to at least try it once. It makes a difference. And whether you believe it will impact you, it really does. The future surgeons and patients out there are only going to benefit from your participation.

Bill Klaproth (host): Yeah. Very well said. Well, thank you for your time today, Dr. Morrison. This has really been fascinating.

J. David Morrison: Thank you, Bill, for your time. And I appreciate the opportunity to participate.

Bill Klaproth (host): You bet. Your insight on Day on The Hill is very helpful. And hopefully, it encourages listeners to take a couple of days out of their practice to participate, that's for sure. So if you want to learn more about Day on The Hill, please visit AAOMS.org. That's A-A-O-M-S.org/dayonthehill. Or you can contact AAOMS Advocacy staff at 800-822-6637 or you can just email advocacy@aamos.org. And for more information and the full podcast library, please visit aaoms.org. And if you enjoyed the podcast and I hope you did, please share it on your social media and be sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Thanks for listening.