APMA News - May/June 2018 - 50

State Component Self-Assessment Survey:
Relationships
As the next installment of the results of the 2016 State Component Self-Assessment Survey, this article addresses the fourth category of
the Center for Professional Advocacy's (CPA) biennial State Component Self-Assessment Survey: developing good relationships with other
stakeholders. Members can find the previous installments in the following issues of APMA News, at www.apma.org/apmanews: Survey
Overview and Results (July/August 2017); Category 1-Advocacy Infrastructure (September/October 2017); Category 2-Grassroots
Advocacy (November/December 2017); and Category 3-Political Action Committee (PAC) (March/April 2018).

Developing good relationships with other stakeholders is
critical to a state component. When the profession successfully
builds and maintains these relationships, podiatry advances.
APMA has employed this philosophy for years. Recent examples
include efforts to overcome the proposed changes to physician
certification requirements to prescribe and furnish certain custom orthotics and prosthetics in offices, as well as successfully
fighting Anthem's proposal to reduce reimbursement on the 25
modifier by 50 percent. In both cases, APMA partnered with
other stakeholder associations and groups to fight these policies.
The relationship category evaluates the breadth and diversity of a state component's relationships. Questions in this
category include whether the state component:
1. is a part of a coalition(s);
2. meets regularly with state medical and osteopathic societies; and
3. seeks support for legislative initiatives from outside organizations and community leaders.
The survey also asked state components which interest
groups, state, and federal entities it had working relationships
with, using a pre-set list.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker signed the bill allowing podiatrists to
supervise nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Standing, left to
right: Rep. Dave Murphy (R-WI); Wisconsin Podiatric Medical Association (WPMA) Executive Director Amanda Soelle; Michael Moscicke,
legislative staffer; WPMA resident member Robert Rawski, DPM; Diane
Handrick, legislative staffer; WPMA President Jason Boudreau, DPM;
WPMA lobbyist Steve Conway; Sen. Jerry Petrowski (R-WI), and Kelsey
Kleist, legislative staffer.

50 APMA News May/June 2018

In 2016, almost half of responding state components
partnered with outside coalitions. More than half worked to
receive support for their legislative initiatives from outside
organizations and community leaders. Almost half met regularly with their state medical and osteopathic societies. Having a representative voice with these groups is critical. If your
state medical or osteopathic societies are not open to working
with podiatrists, work with specialty groups, which are less
political and work closely with podiatrists.
Case Study: Wisconsin Podiatric Medical Association
The success of the Wisconsin Podiatric Medical Association (WPMA)
in changing state law to allow podiatrists to supervise nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) was grounded in its solid
relationships with the state societies as well as key legislators.
Throughout the process, WPMA worked with both the state NP and
PA associations. Despite the PA association initially registering as
opposed in testimony, WPMA was able to successfully persuade it to
return to neutral, ensuring no active opposition to its bill. WPMA
physician leadership met with legislators and testified at senate and
assembly public hearings, and enlisted friends and family to contact
legislators in support of the bill. A WPMA member, Victor Soderstrom, DPM, reached out several times to Senate Majority Leader
Scott L. Fitzgerald to ensure the bill stayed on track, capitalizing on a
good relationship he had built over 20 years. All of these actions-
maintaining relationships with state medical associations to ensure no
opposition and developing ongoing and healthy relationships with
critical state decision makers-are critical to state legislative success.
State components that work with interest groups, government entities, and private payers on common goals or issues
tend to be more successful in their efforts. Much of the relationship building necessary to succeed happens over time, through
a state component's education and public outreach efforts.
Look for coverage of the last category of our state component self-assessment survey, public education and outreach, in
the July/August 2018 edition of APMA News. For more advocacy resources, visit www.apma.org/StateAdvocacyHandbook. n

Questions? Email advocacy@apma.org.
http://www.apma.org/apmanews http://www.apma.org/StateAdvocacyHandbook
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of APMA News - May/June 2018
