APMA News - July/August 2017 - 18

Focus on Innovation at the
2017 State Advocacy Forum

he biennial State Advocacy Forum sponsored by
APMA's Center for Professional Advocacy (CPA) was
held in Salt Lake City in May. More than 60 participants attended, including liaisons from 32 states, APMA
board members, this year's three recipients of APMA's Young
Physician Advocate Scholarship, and members of the Center
for Professional Advocacy Advisory Group.
The forum's theme was "Advocacy Innovation," with attendees hearing from policy and advocacy experts as well as
their peers. The ultimate goal of the forum was to provide attendees with the tools they need to advocate effectively, whether using traditional methods or more creative ones.
The meeting began on Friday, May 12, with a case study
from the Utah Podiatric Medical Association (UPMA). Several
state components had applied to host the forum, and UPMA
was selected, in part, because UPMA successfully updated
state scope-of-practice laws in 2015 to allow podiatrists to
perform certain ankle surgical procedures, including ankle
fractures and fusions. Before introducing any legislation, UPMA
leaders spent more than a year planning their initiative by
developing messaging, training podiatrists about grassroots
advocacy, and identifying legislative leaders. With this advance planning, UPMA was better organized and stronger
than before, and thus able to overcome the orthopedic community's opposition.
On Saturday, May 13, CPA staff kicked off the morning
with an update on CPA efforts during 2016-17. This year, CPA
has been active helping state components prepare for scopeof-practice initiatives, assisting members with their hospital
privileging issues, and assisting podiatrists with private insur-

ance issues. A complete list of state legislative, regulatory, and
legal activities is available at www.apma.org/CPA.
Following this update, APMA member and Nebraska
State Senator Robert Hilkemann, DPM, shared his experience
running for office and serving in the legislature. As the only
podiatrist currently serving in a state legislature, Sen. Hilkemann provides a unique voice, and he encouraged other podiatrists to run for state office. It has been an opportunity of
a lifetime, he said, and it has been a rewarding experience to
give back to his community and his profession. One of his
proudest accomplishments is preserving Medicaid coverage
for foot and ankle services, due in part to his ability as a podiatrist to provide invaluable perspective to his legislative colleagues. State laws have a significant impact on the practice of
podiatric medicine, and APMA strongly encourages more podiatrists to run for state office.
Innovation in Medicaid programs was the topic of a presentation on state health-care reform payment by Laura Summers, director of State Intelligence with Leavitt Partners, a
health-care policy firm led by former US Health and Human
Services Secretary Michael Leavitt. Summers stated that key
policy signals on Medicaid from the recently passed US House
of Representatives' American Health Care Act are to decrease
federal costs, increase state flexibility, and reduce Medicaid
enrollment, which all equal increased opportunities for those
who can provide innovative solutions. States' responses to
Medicaid reductions will vary. Some states will reduce benefits and services, while other states may increase efforts to
maximize efficiency and reduce duplicate services. It is imperative for podiatrists to know which direction their state is

APMA President Ira Kraus, DPM (right), and APMA Director of Clinical
Affairs Dyane Tower, DPM, MPH, MS, kicked off the 2017 State Advocacy
Forum, welcoming speakers, attendees, and 2017 Young Physician Advocate Scholarship recipients.

Dr. Tower (far right) and CPAAG young physician liaison Gary Liao, DPM
(far left), with the 2017 Young Physician Advocate Scholarship recipients
(from left to right), Jonathan Rouse, DPM; Alicia Canzanese, DPM; and
Tyler Tidwell, DPM.

18 APMA News July/August 2017

http://www.apma.org/CPA

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