AANA25 Non-Scientific Access Pass-CONCURRENT SESSION 2E: AANA Advocacy and YOU

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The ANA Advocacy in You session covers two main topics: current Medicare reform and the Military Advanced Surgical Treatment (MAST) program. Catherine Hayes, Executive Director of the GOP Doctors' Caucus, discusses ongoing challenges and priorities in Medicare reform. Key concerns include physician reimbursement cuts (notably a 2.89% decrease), issues with Medicare Advantage abuse, overreach in prior authorizations, and the complexities of achieving Congressional reform given budget neutrality rules and reconciliation constraints. The caucus focuses on protecting physician pay, addressing insurance company practices, and monitoring drug pricing negotiations. Hayes emphasizes the importance of physician advocacy via calling lawmakers to influence legislation.<br /><br />The session transitions to the MAST program, introduced by Rob Hunter. MAST is a military-orthopedic arthroscopic surgery education initiative established around 2010 to train military orthopedic surgeons who lack access to civilian-style fellowships. It includes annual courses and growing outreach efforts, funded by about $9 million from the Department of Defense since 2020. Kelly Kilcoyne highlights the program’s mission to improve military readiness and patient care through education and research. Admiral Bruce Gillingham praises MAST’s role in enhancing military musculoskeletal care, supporting military-civilian partnerships, and improving warfighter readiness and health post-service. Travis Decker explains MAST's expansion into linking training with outcomes using data (MOTION), plus future growth in research, scholarships, and broader training collaborations.<br /><br />The program sustains itself through grants allowing multi-year funding, enabling stable, ongoing orthopedic education, despite challenges with government fiscal processes and funding cycles. MAST is portrayed as vital for military orthopedic training and an important collaboration between military and civilian orthopedic communities.

Asset Caption

Moderators: William R. Beach, M.D., Louis F. McIntyre, M.D., FAANA, Robert E. Hunter, M.D.
Bruce L. Gilingham, M.D. | Kelly G. Kilcoyne, M.D. | Travis J. Dekker, M.D., FAANA

Keywords

Medicare reform

Physician reimbursement cuts

Medicare Advantage abuse

Prior authorizations

Congressional budget neutrality

Physician advocacy

Military Advanced Surgical Treatment (MAST) program

Military orthopedic surgery education

Department of Defense funding

Military-civilian orthopedic collaboration