Happy Holidays from Dr. Peter Tiffany

Season's greetings from the New England Section! As the holiday season is upon us and the year is coming to an end, I recently took a few minutes to reflect on all that the Section has accomplished this year. Dr. Gormley and her Program Chairs, Drs. Vernon Pais and Veronica Triaca, hosted yet another successful annual meeting in Newport with stellar attendance and superb scientific presentations. We also saw solid participation in the third annual physician extender program geared towards urologic nurses; we owe Kris Green with SUNA a big thank you for working with our Section to organize the program. The Section selected two outstanding candidates for the AUA Leadership Program in Drs. Arthur Mourtzinos and Joe Renzulli, both of whom participated in their inaugural Leadership Program sessions over the summer. We also elected Dr. Dick Babayan to serve as the AUA President in 2017 and preside over the AUA meeting in Boston. Dr. Babayan is a Past President of our Section, served as the New England Representative to the AUA Board of Directors, and last year was honored with the Section's Dowd Award. We congratulate him on this honor and look forward to his leadership at the AUA. View full article

2015 NEAUA/MAAUA Joint Meeting

Save the date for the 2015 Joint Meeting of the New England and Mid-Atlantic Sections of the AUA. The meeting will take place October 22-25, 2015 at the Atlantis on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. Visit the NEAUA meeting website frequently for updates. The abstract submission site will be open in early January 2015.

AUA 2015 Research Funding Opportunities – CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

STATE ADVOCACY & HEALTH POLICY

UROPAC Donors Forge Senate Relationships

Multiple UROPAC donors across several states built new relationships with several key members of Congress and strengthened old ones in key Senate races this past election cycle. View full article and photos

A Funded Trip to the 2015 Joint Advocacy Conference: Application Deadline January 2nd

The New England Section will fund the trip of 2 residents or fellows in 2015 to attend the 10th Annual JAC, as it recognizes that engagement of young urologists in urologic advocacy is important to the specialty. To apply for this funded trip, residents and fellows should visit the link below, submit their contact information, a 1-page essay outlining their interest in urology/healthcare policy and advocacy and how attending the 10th Annual JAC would support their interest and future aspirations. A brief letter from resident or fellow's Program Director confirming that if selected s/he will be able to attend the conference March 8-10, 2015 in DC should also be submitted. The deadline for submissions is January 2, 2015. View full article

SUBMIT YOUR ESSAY

Government Relations & Advocacy Update

This report is provided by the American Association of Clinical Urologists in partnership with the New England Section of the AUA. The AACU is pleased to update NEAUA members on socioeconomic issues affecting urologists. AACU staff may be reached via the NEAUA or by emailing info@aacuweb.org. We welcome your comments and suggestions.

VES Funding Cut from Medicare to Fund Tax Break

By: Ross E. Weber, AACU State Affairs Manager

As of this writing, the U.S. Senate has yet to take action on a House-approved measure that eliminates Medicare coverage for vacuum erection systems, an evidence-based treatment for erectile dysfunction.
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Urologists: Keep Up the Pressure on SGR

By: Daniel R. Shaffer, JD, AACU Associate Director

Though Congress failed to capitalize this past spring on the progress and momentum that had been steadily building toward the repeal and replacement of the flawed Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate ("SGR"), opportunities still remain in the upcoming months for passage of a permanent SGR repeal. View full article

Fight or flight: Voicing concern about government's role is only first step

By: Ross E. Weber, AACU State Affairs Manager

The 2014 State of the Specialty survey recently published by Urology Times compiles compelling, and sometimes conflicting, data on urologists' sense of their practice and profession. Not surprisingly, the impact and role of government in the practice of medicine permeates nearly every reported concern. An astounding 87% of respondents perceived “increasing government regulations” with trepidation. Unfortunately, while nearly nine in ten urologists identify the problem, far fewer take steps to address it. View full article

From the State Capitol to the U.S. Capitol

By: Ross E. Weber, AACU State Affairs Manager

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, state legislators make up a majority of newly elected members of Congress. The freshman class of the 114th Congress includes 29 state legislators elected to the House of Representatives and an additional 6 elected to the U.S. Senate. All told, 217 Representatives (49.9%) and 44 Senators (44%) have roots in the state legislature, a slight increase over previous years. The information provided below does not include members of the congressional delegation who served in an executive capacity within state or local government such as former Maine Governor, now Sen. Angus Smith; former New Hampshire Attorney General, now Sen. Kelly Ayotte and former Burlington, Vermont Mayor, now Sen. Bernie Sanders. View full article

AUA Interactive State Legislation Map

The AUA tracks state legislation that could impact the practice of urology in your region. View which bills the AUA is monitoring by visiting the interactive state legislation map.