Event Planning Materials

Quick Information

Hotel: Westin Washington D.C. City Center

Event Presentation: To Boldly Go: How Will Congress Influence the Trek to Health Care Reform? And How Can You Help Chart the Course? - Slide presentation by Bob Doherty, SVP Governmental Affairs and Public Policy (Accessible to ACP Members only)

8:00 am Registration desk will be open
8:30 am A special briefing for medical students and residents/fellows in-training
10:30 am Grassroots advocacy training session
12:45 pm Opening remarks

Full Information

Welcome to Leadership Day 2014, an annual event in Washington, D.C. that enables the College to increase its presence on Capitol Hill and bring our issues of concern to U.S. lawmakers. We are excited to be having Leadership Day in a new venue this year, the Westin Washington D.C. City Center Hotel, located at 1400 M Street NW, Washington, DC. Although not within walking distance to Capitol Hill, the hotel is a short metro ride or taxi ride away from the Congressional offices.

We have an exciting program and experience in store for you, including many educational briefings on the key policies you will be discussing with lawmakers as well as an opportunity for you to socialize with your colleagues.

On our agenda is the seemingly perennial issue of SGR repeal. This year lawmakers appeared to be closer than ever before to enacting legislation to repeal the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) and transition to a new value-based payment and delivery system. We have seen unprecedented agreement by the House and Senate Medicare committees on bipartisan legislation to repeal the SGR, which ACP has fully endorsed. We have led an aggressive campaign, along with all of organized medicine, to urge lawmakers to reconcile their differences on the budgetary impact of SGR repeal and enact this legislation this year before the 113th Congress ends. The momentum is clearly on our side but partisan differences over how to pay for SGR-repeal are holding this legislation hostage. Recently, both the House and Senate resorted to passing a one-year patch delaying scheduled SGR cuts until April 1, 2015 – an action strongly opposed by ACP.

We are not giving up on SGR repeal though. We need your participation at Leadership Day to advocate on a whole host of issues, including keeping the pressure on Congress to work together to solve the budgetary impasse on SGR repeal and pass the legislation developed by the Medicare committees before time runs out in this 113th Congress. The clock is ticking. We also will be advocating for Congress to extend a program that pays internal medicine specialists no less than the Medicare rates for services provided to Medicaid patients, which is set to sunset at the end of this year. If Congress does not extend the program, internists will see deep cuts in Medicaid payments on January 1, as much as 40 percent in some states! We also will advocate for a new bill to provide medical liability safe harbors for physicians who follow evidence-based practice guidelines, and for increased funding for primary care training programs.

The official Leadership Day program will begin Wednesday, May 21 at around 12:45 PM with opening remarks from the President of ACP and the Chair of the Board of Governors followed by in-depth issue briefings by key congressional and Administration staff. Attendees will hear from a host of Washington insiders who will assess the current political environment and its impact on ACP issues.

An optional grassroots advocacy training session will be offered on Wednesday morning, May 21, at 10:30 AM to help our first-time attendees prepare for their Hill visits. The training will be interactive, lively and well worth the time commitment.

A special briefing for medical students and residents/fellows in-training will be held again this year at 8:30 AM on Wednesday, May 21, at the Westin Washington D.C. City Center Hotel.

The registration desk will be open on Wednesday morning, May 21, at 8:00 AM for attendees to pick up briefing packets and name badges. On Wednesday, a light lunch will also be provided for all participants.

As for evening activities on Wednesday (May 21), there will be two receptions held early that evening, one exclusively for members of the ACP Services PAC and one for medical students and residents/fellows in-training. There will be no formal dinner that evening; allowing attendees to enjoy dinner on their own in Washington or gathering with their chapters to coordinate for the following day’s congressional meetings. A list of nearby restaurants including relatively inexpensive ones will be provided.

We will start our Capitol Hill Day, Thursday, May 22 at the Westin Washington D.C. City Center Hotel (National Ballroom) with breakfast and remarks from key members of Congress. Immediately following the presentations, attendees will disperse to their scheduled congressional appointments on Capitol Hill. Please note that the Westin Hotel is a short taxi cab or metro ride away from Capitol Hill and attendees are responsible for those transportation costs. A hospitality/debriefing room on Capitol Hill will be available throughout the day of May 22 for attendees in room 201 Capitol Visitors Center (CVC) from 9:00 AM -5:00 PM.

Selecting Your Chapter’s Delegation – Those you might consider for your delegation include: Governors, Governors-Elect, Regents, Health and Public Policy Chairs, Advocates, medical students and residents/fellows in-training members. (For a list of Advocates from your state that have been particularly engaged in the legislative process, please contact Jolynne Flores, Grassroots Associate and PAC Supervisor, at 1-800-338-2746, Ext. 4532 or by E-mail at jflores@acponline.org.

Leadership Day Registration

The Leadership Day online registration form and link to the Liaison hotel reservation site are available on the Leadership Day webpage at http://capwiz.com/acponline/home/LD. Governors/chapters can register their chapter’s participants online or simply forward the online registration form https://store.acponline.org/ebizatpro/ProductsandServices/Meetings/MeetingDetail/tabid/55/Default.aspx?ProductId=21251 to the individuals being asked to participate.

Hotel/Flight Reservations

Hotel reservations can also be made for the Westin Washington D.C. City Center hotel online at: https://www.starwoodmeeting.com/StarGroupsWeb/booking/reservation?id=1307023835&key=2AD1F (a link is also available on the Leadership Day webpage) or by phone at 202-429-1700. If you call in your hotel reservations, our block rooms are under ACP Leadership Day. Room requests and rates cannot be guaranteed after April 28 so please reserve now if you have not already.

As you are aware, three major airports service the Washington D.C. area, Ronald Reagan National Airport, Dulles International Airport, and the Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI). You may find substantial savings with flights into BWI. While the trip from BWI to downtown Washington is longer than the trip from Ronald Reagan National Airport, limousine/shuttle service is available. BWI is only a few miles farther from downtown Washington than Dulles Airport. During weekday travel, MARC trains make frequent trips from the BWI airport to Washington’s Union Station (one-way ticket is $6). A free shuttle is available for the 5-minute ride from the BWI Airport, baggage claim level to the BWI rail station. Go to: http://www.bwiairport.com/en/travel/ground-transportation/trans/marc for more information and the MARC Penn Line train schedule.

Arranging Your Chapter’s Hill Meetings for Thursday, May 22

For those chapters that are scheduling their own congressional meetings, contact information for U.S. Senators and U.S. House Members is available at:  – click on “Find Your Elected Officials” – located on the bottom of the webpage (pocketsize congressional directories will also be available at the registration desk on Leadership Day). For those chapters scheduling their own meetings, please fill out and fax to Shuan Tomlinson at 202-835-0042 the enclosed form entitled "Appointments Arranged Form." Having this information in advance will give the governmental affairs staff the information they need to tailor their advice to you for your individual meetings. Those chapters that have asked us to schedule their congressional meetings will receive their congressional visits schedule at Leadership Day on May 21-22.

Policy Briefing Materials to Follow

In May, briefing materials for Leadership Day will be made available electronically. These materials will include background information on our key policy issues as well as specific “asks” of Congress that will be provided in “leave-behind” documents. Leadership Day attendees will be notified when these materials are available for viewing. The Washington staff is available for any assistance you may need in preparing for and conducting your meetings.

For other information or questions about Leadership Day, please contact Shuan Tomlinson, State Health Policy Analyst, at 1-800-338-2746, Ext. 4547 or by email at stomlinson@acponline.org.

Chapter participation in Leadership Day and the Advocates for Internal Medicine Network are the bedrocks of ACP’s advocacy program. Thank you for your chapter's support and we look forward to seeing you at Leadership Day!