A team of urologists and medical students from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA traveled to Washington, DC, recently to discuss three primary concerns in their field: Medicare cuts to the physician fee schedule; the sustainability of telehealth services; and apprehensions regarding the aging population’s access to health care.
The contingent met with members of the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives to discuss pressing urologic health issues during the 7th Annual Urology Advocacy (AUA) Summit in February.
“It is truly an honor to witness numerous UCLA medical students deeply engage in the experience of this annual initiative,” said Juan Andino, MD, a UCLA Health urologist.
“The AUA Summit serves as a crucial platform for trainees, such as our DGSOM students, to advance their career development, emphasizing the significance of health policy within the health care landscape,” he said. “Effective health care delivery is impacted by health policy, where understanding and sharing the patient’s experience is critical. That is why it’s imperative for our physicians to actively participate in the policymaking arena and grasp the methods of advocating for their patients on a national scale.”
Dr. Andino said the UCLA medical students also were accepted into a national health policy program, coordinated through the American Urological Association, which facilitates ongoing engagement on health policy issues, from webinars to developing relationships with legislative offices.
