2012 Neurology on the Hill

The 2012 Neurology on the Hill will take place February 27-28, 2012, at the Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City in Washington, DC.

Neurology on the Hill is an annual, two-day event hosted by the American Academy of Neurology that takes place in the spring. Participants are flown to Washington, DC, to put a face on the challenges of people with neurologic disorders and the physicians who treat them. For many Academy members, Neurology on the Hill is their first hands-on experience with the political process.

The AAN's top advocacy priority is to seek payment reform to more accurately value cognitive care services. The current Medicare fee-for-service model disproportionately values procedures over non-procedural care. Any reform of the broken Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula offers an opportunity for broader payment reforms. In participating in NOH, you will be part of the effort to educate Congress about the value of neurologic care and the need for reform to ensure that this expertise continues to be available to the patients who need it.

No experience is necessary, just a passion for neurology and desire to advocate for positive changes for your patients and profession. For further information, please contact Melissa Showers at mshowers@aan.com or (612) 928-2748.

2011 Neurology on the Hill Videos

On March 1, 2011, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Representative Russ Carnahan (D-MO) took time out of their busy schedules to address the health care issues to attendees as Neurology on the Hill.

AAN Advocates Visit Capitol Hill to Fight for Neurology

The 2011 Neurology on the Hill took place February 28–March 1, 2011. 129 energized Academy members were present. Members in attendance asked for support of crucial Alzheimer's disease and health insurance initiatives, while also reminding Congress that patient access to neurology faces serious problems should the current health care climate continue.

Specifically, members in attendance discussed: Cognitive Care, the MIND Act, and Health Insurance Coverage for Patients in Clinical Trials.

Recent Developments on Cognitive Care:

After the 2011 Neurology on the Hill bills were introduced in both the House of Representatives and the Senate that would add neurology as an eligible specialty in the primary care incentive program. Both bills have bi-partisan support. The AAN also continues to urge Congress to replace the flawed Medicare SGR formula with a payment system that more accurately recognizes the value of non-procedural care and ensures that Medicare beneficiaries have adequate access to cognitive specialists like neurologists. The AAN recently sent a letter to the members of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction urging consideration of this position. In addition, the Academy has strongly opposed the new recommendation from MedPAC that would cut all specialist pay by nearly 18-percent in exchange for permanent elimination of the SGR.

Recent Developments on the MIND Act:

Due to the current focus on deficit reduction in Washington, the MIND Act continues to present a unique opportunity to gain public support and funding for neurology research at little to no cost to the US government. Since Neurology on the Hill, the MIND Act has gained 12 new co-sponsors, including several who met with AAN members in March. To date a total of 22 members of Congress have co-sponsored this legislation.

Recent Developments on Health Insurance Coverage for Patients in Clinical Trials:

The AAN has partnered with several neurologic volunteer health associations to continue to address this issue. Most recently the AAN sent a letter to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), a group that is developing model legislation on this issue. In the letter, the AAN and its partners argued that the Affordable Care Act's health care insurance coverage provision for clinical trials should be interpreted broadly so that as many patients as possible can benefit from its protection—and so that society can also realize the maximum impact of research advances.