2021 AMERICANCOLLEGE OF

RHEUMATOLOGYADVOCACY

ANNUALREPORT

Dear Colleagues,2021 brought about the first year of a new Congress and administration in Washington, D.C. The ACR was able to successfully work with and engage legislators, policymakers, and their staff on important policy improvements for rheumatology patients and providers. Whether it was staving off cuts to Medicare reimbursement, securing funding for more residency positions, winning battles over utilization management techniques in state governments, or working with insurance companies to address outstanding issues, the ACR was here for you, so you could be there for your patients. This year, we will continue to advocate to Congress, federal agencies, state governments and payers on behalf of ourselves and our patients as it is a critical part of the ACR’s mission. However, we have a more effective voice when we speak as a louder collective of engaged ACR/ARP members. It is incumbent upon on us all to educate and persuade relevant stakeholders to act. Rheumatology is a small specialty and often we have fewer resources at our disposal compared to competing interests, so it is imperative that every one of you finds a way to get involved. We have had major recent advocacy success due largely to a core group of highly invested ACR/ARP volunteers. We can be even more successful in fighting for our patients and our colleagues by raising our participation level. With more involvement from ACR and ARP members, we can make significant strides toward being a major force in Washington, D.C., and state governments across the country. In this Advocacy Report, you will find what the ACR accomplished in 2021, its aims for 2022, and the various ways YOU can help. I hope you not only become personally involved, but also educate your peers about the policies, issues, and what’s at stake, as well as the easy ways to grow our collective voice by advocating using ACR resources. Sending grassroots messages, donating to RheumPAC, and simply keeping yourself educated about relevant issues are all simple ways to do your part. Encourage your colleagues to do the same and consider taking the next step in becoming an advocacy champion by attending “fly-in” in Washington, D.C, building relationships with your legislators back at home, or joining your state society or an ACR committee. We have much to do in 2022 and we need your help! I look forward to working alongside you to achieve our lofty goals!

Sincerely,

Kenneth Saag, MD, MScACR PresidentUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham

3 Message from the ACR President4 2021 Advocacy Wins & What to

Expect in 2022 n Congress n State Governments n Federal Agencies n Insurance Advocacy8 Message from the Government

Affairs Committee Chair9 Resources 10 Ways to Get Involved12 Message from the RheumPAC Chair13 Recognizing our 2021 RheumPAC

Champions19 Enhance Your Commitment:

Get Your Organization Involved in the RheumPAC Advocacy Fund

5

Congress The ACR engages Congress on issues impacting rheumatology care teams and their patients. Relying on direct lobbying from ACR staff, grassroots connections made by ACR members with their members of Congress, and working in coalitions with other provider and patient groups, the ACR can impact legislative policy in Washington, D.C. 2021 was a busy year in Congress, with legislators focusing on large bipartisan packages to address the COVID-19 pandemic and the country’s infrastructure. There were very few single-issue bills passed this year, but some successes include: n Medicare Cuts: Delayed all but 0.75% of the planned 9.75% cut to

Medicare reimbursement scheduled for January 1, 2022.

n Pediatric Subspecialty Loan Repayment Program: For the first time ever, funding for this program, which would provide qualifying pediatric health professionals with up to $35,000 in education loan repayment for practicing in underserved areas, was included in both the House and Senate appropriation bills. The ACR is working with Congress to support passage of a federal budget including this funding as opposed to another extension of the previous budget passed by the last Congress and administration.

While it is diff icult to predict what the 117th Congress has in store for its second half in 2022, they are likely to keep working for com-mon ground, and it is our hope legislators will shift their focus to stand-alone healthcare bills that have garnered strong bipartisan support and that the ACR continues to advocate for: n Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act: Streamlines the prior

authorization process in Medicare Advantage plans

n Safe Step Act: Creates a clear and transparent process for patients with employer-sponsored insurance to seek exceptions to step therapy

n Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act: Funds 14,000 slots over seven years starting in 2023

n Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act: Would recapture 40,000 unused visas for more durable immigration status for International Medical Graduates

n Increasing Access to Osteoporosis Testing for Medicare Beneficiaries Act: Would create a $98 basement for reimbursement for dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) tests

2021WINS

& LOOKINGTO 2022

State Advocacy

All polit ics is local. While there are many national healthcare issues that impact the practice of medicine, strengthening ACR local and state advocacy efforts is an essential step in protecting patient access to high- quality care. The ACR advocates on issues in state legislatures across the country, works with regional coalitions, and mobilizes rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals to take an active role in their local legislative process. In 2021, there were many important bil ls introduced and enacted in various statehouses. Thanks to advocacy efforts by the ACR, its members, and coalition partners, we are happy to see “wins” for these key issues in the following states:

n Step Therapy: Arkansas, Arizona, California, Nebraska, Oregon

n Prior Authorization: Georgia, Oregon, Texas

n Copay Accumulators: Arkansas, Connecticut, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee

n Non-Medical Switching: New York

n White Bagging Restrictions: Louisiana

As we look forward to 2022, we expect to see white bagging legis-lation in more than 10 states and copay accumulator legislation in more than 15 states. We are also working with state medical societies to support prior authorization “gold card” legislation in more states.

Step Therapy Legislation

n Enacted in 2021n Previously Enactedn Active Legislation in 2021

Copay Accumulator Legislation

n Enacted in 2021n Previously Enactedn Active Legislation in 2021

Non-Medical Switching

n Enacted in 2021n Previously Enactedn Active Legislation in 2021

Prior Authorization Legislation

n Enacted in 2021n Previously Enactedn Active Legislation in 2021

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Federal Agencies & Regulations2021 began with integration of President Biden and his administration in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and was focused on the public health emergency. This included the rollout of three COVID vaccines, approval of boosters, and approval of vaccines for children beginning at age 5. The ACR has been actively engaged with the Biden Administration throughout the pandemic response in ensuring autoim-mune patients were given priority in the vaccine and booster distribution. We continue to work with the FDA and CDC as the coronavirus response continues to evolve.

In addition to continuing our ongoing pandemic work, the ACR is advocating on issues related to the practice and care for patients. These activities include:

n Rescinding the Most Favored Nation (MFN) interim final rule, which would have had devastating effects on rheumatology practices

n Continued implementation and operationalizing the Evaluation and Management (E/M) update code increases and documentation changes

n Drug pricing transparency to ensure patients have access to the appropriate treatments

n Ongoing discussions with the FDA on the updated boxed warning for JAK Inhibitors

We look forward to adding to these successes in 2022. Specifically, the ACR advocacy team will be working on the following major issues:

n COVID Pandemic Response: We look forward to our dialogue with the FDA and the CDC’s ongoing efforts to protect vulnerable patients from the new variants.

n Drug Pricing: The ACR will work to be part of discussions to ensure patients have access to affordable treatments.

n Evaluation and Management (E/M) Code Updates: We applaud CMS for their ongoing support of cognitive care specialties by implementing positive E/M code updates. We will continue our work with the agency to be sure these code updates are operationalized appropriately.

2021WINS

& LOOKINGTO 2022

Insurance Advocacy The ACR is committed to helping you by coordinating and engaging with health insurers to improve the practice environment of rheumatology. The most common areas of interest are patient access to high-quality care and treatment, reimbursement, regulation, and reviews of various drug and treatment policies. Some examples of successes in 2021 from ACR Insurance Advocacy staff and the Insurance Subcommittee include: n UnitedHealthcare issued a new policy on reimbursement for

“incident-to” services after the ACR advocated for consistency with Medicare guidelines.

n CVS Caremark committed to prior authorization updates for biologic drugs to help address member concerns about administrative burden.

n Outreach to commercial payers to help ensure patient access during tocilizumab shortage.

n Hosted first annual Access in Rheumatology meeting, bringing together ACR/ARP members, partner rheumatology organizations, payer representatives, and other subject-matter experts for meaning-ful conversations on major coverage and payment issues impacting access to rheumatology.

As we look forward to 2022, the ACR anticipates continued focus on the following insurance advocacy priorities: n Policies mandating specialty pharmacy acquisition (white bagging)

n Use of access-threatening strategies such as non-medical switching

n Excessive step therapy requirements

n Copay accumulator policies

However, we are only able to help with the issues we are aware of! If you are experiencing a problem with a health plan, please do not hesitate to ask the ACR to help. We encourage you to tell us what you are seeing or report any insurance concerns/complaints via the online Health Plan Complaint Form or you can simply emai practice@rheumatology.org.

“As a physician-scientist in an academic center, I place utmost importance on such issues as research funding and workforce training. My donations to RheumPAC have resulted in discussions between the ACR and our lawmakers on research funding priorities, as well as expansion of workforce training and loan repayment programs. Having frequent conversations with lawmakers helps bring awareness, and RheumPAC donations promote those lawmakers who support our issues.” Kristine Kuhn, MD, PhD University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Aurora, CO

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A MESSAGEFROM YOUR

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

COMMITTEE CHAIR

Dear ACR and ARP Members,

My f irst foray into advocacy, aside from voting on election days, began with a phone call to my local congressional office to voice my concerns about a policy I had heard debated on the radio. To my astonishment, someone answered the phone, and I could hardly get my name out or reason for calling. Living in a world of voicemail and emails, my shocked reaction to someone answering the phone was followed by reassurance. Constituents do have a line to their elected representatives.

Fast forward a few years, where the opportunity arose to be a member on the ACR’s Government Affairs Committee. My initial reaction after the first meeting was, “Holy smokes there are a lot of acronyms.” Once I got past my urge to memorize acronyms and intricate policy details, I realized that becoming an effective advocate was simply telling my story and sharing my experiences.

We providers are well equipped to lend our voice to the health-care policy debate given that we care for patients, work with pharmacies, negotiate with insurance companies, deal with regulatory burdens, are integrated with care providers ranging from nurses to physical therapists, navigate hospitals and doctors’ offices, and operate electronic health records. We are the “practice of medicine” experts, not healthcare policy experts, and it’s important they hear from us. It is easy to feel like no one is listening, which is a recipe for burnout and apathy. Luckily, there are people out there who seek input. In my own personal experience and in hearing from others I find that advocacy is a helpful tool to combat that feeling of helplessness.

We have a responsibil ity, on behalf of our patients and our pro-fession, to be informed on health policy and participate in the discussion given our central role in healthcare for the betterment of patient care. The ACR has made it easier than ever to stay up to date on the latest issues and gives you the tools to easily share your voice to the relevant stakeholders. I hope you join me in having advocacy be an integral extension of your work in caring for patients every day.

Elizabeth “Blair” Solow, MDChair, Government Affairs CommitteeDivision of Rheumatic DiseasesUT Southwestern Medical Center

Read ACR@Work for the latest policy updates

The ACR sends this electronic newsletter to U.S. ACR/ARP members on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month to commu-nicate the latest advocacy and public policy news, updates, and activities.

Reading quickly through these headlines is an easy way to stay informed of policy issues that may impact you and the work of the ACR advocacy team including issues that need the support of grassroots communications from you to your legislators! Look for ACR@Work in your inbox or see the latest issues. Follow @ACRheumDC on Twitter There is so much to cover when it comes to how policy in regula-tions, legislation, and insurance plans affect rheumatology patients and providers. Follow this account to get the latest from ACR advocacy on what is happening from Washington, D.C., to your state house and how you can get involved! Inform the ACR To advocate for you, we need to know the issues you’re facing! Tell us what policies would most improve your work, the rheumatology field, and healthcare outcomes. n Tag @ACRheumDC or send a DM

n Fill out the Health Plan Complaint Form or email practice@rheumatology.org when facing issues with payers

n Email advocacy@rheumatology.org with any general inquiries

RESOURCES

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Respond to Legislative Action Alerts

The ACR sends legislative alerts when it is critical for congres-sional offices to hear from you. Congressional offices use constituent letters, faxes, phone calls, and emails to gauge constituent opinion on specific issues. The more personal the message, the more impact it has on the office’s position. Don’t be offended if you receive a form letter in response. Members must answer hundreds of letters a week, many on the same topics, and their staff time is not best used crafting individual-ize responses to each one. Sign up here to receive alerts! Attend ACR Hill Days Advocates for Arthritis is an annual event that brings together ACR leadership, ACR and ARP members, and patients to advocate on behalf of the rheumatology community. During the event, attendees hear from representatives of key legislative and regulatory agencies and meet with members of Congress to discuss current legislative issues impacting the rheumatology community. Participating in Advocates for Arthritis is a great way for ACR and ARP members to engage in the legislative process and increase awareness of rheumatology on Capitol Hill. Interested in participating? Sign up here to receive the latest updates!

Donate to RheumPAC Political Action Committees can get a bad rap, but RheumPAC is the only federal PAC dedicated to educating Congress on rheumatology-specific issues. RheumPAC is the voice of rheumatology providers and patients on Capitol Hill and supports federal lawmakers who can move the needle on issues that impact rheumatology. Funds raised allow ACR staff lobbyists and volunteers to meet, educate, and build relationships with members of Congress who make decisions that impact our mem-bers every day. The only way they can consider the perspective of rheu-matology is if we share it with them which is why RheumPAC is vital to the advocacy mission. Learn more at www.rheumpac.org! Set Up In-District Meetings or On-Site Visits

The ACR can help you set up a meeting with your lawmakers in the district office nearest you when they are in recess. Members typically can spend more time meeting with constituents when they are home in their state or district, and such meetings tend to build better relation-ships and have more of an impact than in the Washington, D.C., office. Also, consider inviting a member of your congressional delegation to your office, hospital, or clinic for an on-site visit. By demonstrating the day-to-day concerns of patient care delivery, you enable them to become more aware of and sensitive to practice issues.

WAYSTO GET

INVOLVED

Volunteer with the ACR or Your State Society Results cannot be achieved without the time, effort, talent and experience of the ACR’s volunteer leadership, board of directors, and committee members. The College welcomes self-nominations or nomi-nations of colleagues for open volunteer positions. Learn more!

While the ACR is engaged in policy at the state level, often, state societies have better relationships with stakeholders and are more involved in emerging issues. Get involved to help find legislative solutions at the local level. Find out more!

“The advocacy work of the College through RheumPAC is essential and offers an opportunity to engage with legislative leadersand discuss issues important to our patients and the entire rheumatology team caring for them. I also appreciate the judicious stewardship decisions of RheumPAC when using my financial contributions to help meet the needs of all College stakeholders.” Hazel Breland, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, CLA Medical University of South Carolina Columbia, SC

LEADERSHIPCIRCLE

ACR: $2,000–5,000FIT/ARP: $1,000–5,000

Dear Colleagues, Despite the many challenges our families, communities, and specialty have faced over the past year, I am pleased to announce that we had our most successful fundraising year ever for RheumPAC in 2021. We raised a record $156,369 from 369 donors, including 74 first-time donors. I would l ike to sincerely thank each and every one of you for recog-nizing the importance of supporting our advocacy efforts with your generous contributions. With your money, RheumPAC was able to effectively educate and support key congressional partners, which led to important successes, including: 1. Staving off a potential 9.75% reduction in Medicare reimbursement for 2022 2. Funding for the Pediatric Subspecialty Loan Repayment Program included

appropriations packages for the first time—this will be an important action item for 2022 in terms of making sure that the funding is used to support these urgently needed programs

3. Changing the narrative about the importance of stronger regulations for PBM’s and their significant role in rising drug prices and barriers to patient care.

As we look to 2022, the second half of this Congress, we plan to contin-ue to build on the momentum from 2021 in garnering broad bipartisan support through RheumPAC for some of our longstanding policy priorities, including: 1. Step therapy reform 2. Prior authorization modernization 3. Legislation to address the medical workforce shortages 4. Rheumatic disease research funding, including dedicated arthritis

research through the Department of Defense Increasing the number of offices that are aware of these issues and are willing to work to find solutions will be important to get bills that support rheumatology care teams, our patients, and rheumatology research across the finish line before the 117th Congress ends at the end of the year. We can only do that through sustained support of RheumPAC. I hope you make a contribu-tion in 2022 and urge your colleagues to do the same. Let’s continue to grow RheumPAC into a major force in Washington, D.C.! Sincerely,

Howard Blumstein, MD Chair, RheumPAC Rheumatology Associates of Long Island

Karina Torralba, MDRedlands, CA

Mohammad Ursani, MDSpring, TX

Jill Vargo, MDAsheville, NC

Angus Worthing, MDWashington, DC

Grace Wright, MD, PhDNew York, NY

Richard Yonker, DOSarasota, FL

Meera Oza, ARNP, MDOrange Park, FL

Christopher Phillips, MDPaducah, KY

Ellison Smith, MDAsheville, NC

Elizabeth Blair Solow, MDDallas, TX

Tien-I Karleen Su, MDWhittier, CA

Latisha Heinlen, MD, PhDOklahoma City, OK

Stuart Kassan, MDLakewood, CO

Karen Kolba, MDPismo Beach, CA

Bonita Libman, MDBurlington, VT

Gwenesta Melton, MDFayetteville, NC

Stephanie Ott, MDCarroll, OH

Hazel Breland, OT, PhDCharleston, SC

Paul DeMarco, MDOlney, MD

Deborah Dyett Desir, MDWoodbridge, CT

Kori Dewing, ARNP, DNPEverett, WA

Jody Hargrove, MDEdina, MN

William Harvey, MDBoston, MA

Howard Blumstein, MDMt. Sinai, NY

David Borenstein, MDWashington, DC

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ACR: $1,000–1,999FIT/ARP: $600–999

Herbert Baraf, MDMichael Brooks, MD

Sean Fahey, MDJoseph Flood, MD

Norman Gaylis, MDKristin Gowin, MD

Max Hamburger, MDAdrienne Hollander, MDKent Kwas Huston, MDRichard Jones, MD, PhD

David Karp, MD, PhDKevin Kempf, MD

Kristine Kuhn, MD, PhDDaniel Malone, FACR, MD, RMSK

Jay Mehta, MDVictoria Menzies, APRN, PhD

Amanda Myers, CCD, MDVedashree Panthulu, MD

Elizabeth Perkins, MDDeborah Power, DO

Christopher Ritchlin, MD, MPHMichael Schweitz, MD

Evan Siegel, MDBarbara Slusher, MSW, PA-C

Marcus Snow, FACR, MDSwamy Venuturupalli, MD

Sara Walker, MDZachary Wallace, MD, MSc

Alvin Wells, MDDouglas White, MD, PhD

ACR: $500–999FIT/ARP: $350–599

Aryeh Abeles, MDAsena Bahce-Altuntas, MD

Mara Becker, MDMartin Bergman, MD

Belinda Birnbaum, MDKathleen Black, MS

S. Louis Bridges, Jr., MD, PhDHoward Buchoff, MD

Steven Craig, MDSteven Echard, CAE

Alan Epstein, MDMadelaine Feldman, MD

Richard Furie, MDL. Douglas Graham, MD

Ellen Gravallese, MDEdward Herzig, MD

V. Michael Holers, MDRichard Houk, FACR, MD, MPHMary Beth Humphrey, MD, PhD

Ashok Jacob, MDRobert Jenkins, MD, PhD

Karla Jones, NP, RNStacy Kennedy, MBA, MD

Howard Kenney, MDBharat Kumar, MD, MMed

Brian Loggins, BA, BSL.Manuela Marinescu, MD

Douglas Mund, MDMark Niemer, MDA. Silvia Ross, MD

Kenneth Saag, MD, MScDaniel Schaffer, MPAS, PA-C

Grant Schulert, MD, PhDMichael Schuster, MD, PhD

Anu Sharma, MDRebecca Shepherd, MBA, MD

Nora Singer, MD

DONORLEVELS

Brett Smith, DOChristine Stamatos, ANP-C, DNP

Vibeke Strand, MDElizabeth Tindall, MDTrinh Tran, MBBS, MD

Melissa Wells, MDKelly Weselman, MD

Patience White, MA, MDFehmida Zahabi, MD

JoAnn Zell, MD

ACR: $250–499FIT/ARP: $150–349

Abby Abelson, MDDavid Bacha, MDAnne Bass, MD

Adey Berhanu, MDNeal Birnbaum, MD

Irene Blanco, MDGary Bryant, MD

Stacey Busch, BSN, MA, RNAdam Cooper, MS

Donah Crawford, BS, MAM.E. Csuka, FACP, MDKevin Deane, MD, PhD

Emma Diiorio, MDNadia Elias, MD

Adenike Esho, MD, MPHKathleen Flint, MD

Liana Fraenkel, MD, MPHGilbert Gelfand, MD

Timothy Gensler, MDHarry Gewanter, MD

Howard Hauptman, MDMarc Hirsh, MDSheri Hsu, MD

Ryan Jessee, MDAlfred Kim, MD, PhD

Robert Koval, MDAnna Lawrence, MBA

S. Sam Lim, MD, MPHWambui Machua, MDAlan Matsumoto, MD

David McLain, FACP, FACR, MDKaleb Michaud, PhDCarrie Mihordin, DOGarland Moeller, MDDuncan Moore, MD

Christopher Morris, MDAudrey Nelson, MD

Jim Oates, MDJames O’Dell, MDKaren Onel, MDJustin Peng, MDMichael Pick, MD

Janet Poole, FAOTA, OT, PhDJeffrey Potter, MD

Rosalind Ramsey-Goldman, MDJohn Richards, MBBS

Raymond Scalettar, DSc, FACP, MACR, MD

Elizabeth Schlenk, PhD, RNAmanda Schnell, MDPaul Schulman, MDJayashree Sinha, MD

Padmapriya Sivaraman, MDGrant Syverson, MDNicole Thomas, MD

Mark Wener, MDStephen White, MD

Benjamin Widener, MDJeffrey Wilson, MBA, MD

David Wofsy, MDHoward Yang, MD

GOLD

SILVER

“Rheumatologists need to understand that RheumPAC is one of the only mechanismswhereby we can try to influence and affectthe opinions of our legislators about criticalissues. Keeping RheumPAC well-funded is critical and essential to our survival as a specialty.” Norman Gaylis, MD Arthritis & Rheumatic Disease Specialties Aventura, FL

PLATINUM

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ACR: $100–249FIT/ARP: $50–149

Sunil Abraham, MDHassan Ahmad, MD

Grace Ahn, MDOscar Arill, MDErin Arnold, MD

Robert Ashman, MDShervin Assassi, MD, MS

Janet Bahr, NPMatthew Baker, MD, MS

Leyka Barbosa, MDChristie Bartels, MD, MS

Suleman Bhana, MDCatherine Bingham, MDBryce Binstadt, MD, PhD

Marcy Bolster, MDMichael Borofsky, MD

Kaitlyn Brittan, MDMelvin Britton, MD

Patricia Cagnoli, MDSteven Call, MD

Grant Cannon, MDJulie Carkin, MDJeff Chung, MD

Randy Cron, MD, PhDBruce Cronstein, MD

Cheryl Crow, OTCynthia Crowson, PhD

Maria Danila, MD, MPH, MScFatma Dedeoglu, MD

Eric Dein, MDShari Diamond, MD

Arturo Diaz, MDRashmi Dixit, MD, PhDSarah Doaty, FACP, MDCarole Dodge, CHT, OTChristina Downey, MD

Yoel Drucker, MD

Linda Ehrlich-Jones, PhD, RNGerald Eisenberg, MD

Elana Eisner, MDDaniel El-Bogdadi, MD

Bryant England, MD, PhDNatalie Faith, MD, RhMSUS,RMSK

Jessica Farrell, PharmDRuth Fernandez Ruiz, MD, MSc

Brenda Frie, OTRobert Fuhlbrigge, MD, PhD

Mileka Gilbert, MD, PhDSonia Gordon-Dole, MD

Janice Gupta, DOBevra Hahn, MD

Marian Hannan, DScJonathan Hausmann, MD

Lauren Henderson, MD, MScAlicia Hinze, MD, MHS

Lindsay Holtz, MDChristine Hom, MD

Evelyn Hsieh, MD, PhDMark Hwang, MD, MS

Emily Isaacs, MDSusan Jacobi, MD

Aruni Jayatilleke, MD, MSBeth Jonas, MDAmy Joseph, MD

J. Michelle Kahlenberg, MD, PhDRachel Kaiser, MD, MPH

Robert Kalish, MDMohammad Kamran, MDIrene Kazmers, MD, MDTanaz Kermani, MD, MSGeorge Kernodle, MDYasmeen Khalid, MD

Alan Kivitz, MDMarisa Klein-Gitelman, MD, MPH

Christopher Koenig, MBA, MDFotios Koumpouras, MD

Nitasha Kumar, MDKent Kwoh, MD

Carol Langford, MD, MHSWilliam Lapin, MD

Joseph Laukaitis, MDJoseph Lemmer, MD

Laura Lewandowski, MDAstrud Lorraine Leyva, MBA, MD,

RhMSUSYuanteng Li, MD

Herbert Lindsley, MDKristine Lohr, MD, MSGrant Louie, MD, MHS

James Louie, MDKatherine Maher, FACR, MD

Vikas Majithia, MD, MPHEric Matteson, MD, MPH

Gale McCarty, MDZsuzsanna McMahan, MD, MHS

Christopher Mecoli, MDSaurin Mehta, MD

Ted Mikuls, MDDonald Miller, FASHP, PharmD

Kenneth Miller, MDEli Miloslavsky, MDRachel Myslinski

Mathew Naegle, MDTimothy Niewold, MD

Midori Nishio, MDKamala Nola, MS, PharmD

Annette OeserMurray Passo, MD, MEd

Louis Perdue, MDAmarilis Perez-Dejesus, MD

Charles Pritchard, MDLaura Ray, MA, MSVirginia Reddy, MD

Dan RedingerLisa Robbins, BSN, RN

William Robinson, MD, PhDRoberta Rose, MD

Tamar Rubinstein, MD, MSLaura Sampson, PA-C

Roy Sampson, MDVaneet Sandhu, MD

Aliese Sarkissian, MDEric Schned, MD

Katy Searle, FNP-CLeonard Sigal, MD

Ram Singh, MDMelanie Smith, MD, PhD

Daniel Solomon, MD, MPHNEIL STAHL, MDJeffrey Stark, MD

John Sundy, MD, PhDIrene Tan, MD

S. Bobo Tanner MD, MDJohn Tesser, FACP, FACR, MD

Don Thomas, MDJames Udell, MD

Richard Vehe, MDJoan Von Feldt, MD, MSEdRunsheng Wang, MD, MHS

Robert Warren, MD, MPH, PhDArthur Weinstein, MD

Tyler Williams, MDDavid Wolfe, BA, MD

Robert Yood, MDLouisa Ziglar, MD

DONORLEVELSBRONZE

“I donate to RheumPAC, because if you don’t have a seat at the table, you are on the menu! It opens doors to legislators who can enact beneficial policies for rheumatology professionals and our patients. I hope we can continue to grow our influence on Capitol Hill, but the onus is on each member of the ACR and ARP to step up to the plate and make that happen.” Sean Fahey, MD Piedmont Healthcare Mooresville, NC

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Alireza Meysami, FACP, FACR, MD, RhMSUS

Jeff Newcomb, BSRebecca Overbury, MD

Naomi Patel, MDJoshy Pathiparampil, MD

Paulding Phelps, MDLaura Pratt, MD, RhMSUS

Naina Rastalsky, MDSwathi Reddy, MD

Annelle Reed, CPNP, MSNLinda Rodamaker, NP

Noelle Rolle, MBBSBetsy Roth-Wojcicki, CPNP, MSVeronika Sharp, MD, RhMSUS

Elizabeth Sloan, MDKaren Smarr, PhD

Kimberly Steinbarger, DSc, MHS, PhD, PT

Robert Sundel, MDAnjali Sura, MD

Sara Tedeschi, MD, MPHDonna Maria Trigone, CRNP

Margaret Tsai, MDSebastian Unizony, MD

Jennifer Weiss, MDDaniel White, PT, ScD

Tracey Wright, MDChen Xie, MD

INVESTORKelli Allen, PhD

Allen Anandarajah, MD, MSSenada Arabelovic, DOCristina Arriens, MD, MS

Saba Beg, MDLinda Belhorn, MD

Marven Gerel Cabling, MDLisa Carnago, FNP-C

Alice Chuang, MDJennifer Cooper, MD

Ethan Craig, MD, MHSNada Elmagboul, MDRami Eltaraboulsi, MD

Julia Harris, MDMichelene Hearth-Holmes, MDMichael Henrickson, MD, MPH

Gloria Higgins, MDGary Ho, MD

Andrew Johannemann, MDPaul Katzenstein, MD

Julie Keegan Strosser, PA-CSeoyoung Kim, MD, ScD

Manoj Kohli, MDDenis Krutko, MD

Usharani Kumar, MDMark Law, PhD

David Leverenz, MDSuzanne Li, MD, PhD

Sahar Lotfi-Emran, MD, PhDMichael Lucke, MD

Shereen Mahmood, MDAnne-Marie Malfait, MD, PhD

Eryn Marchiolo, MPHBeth Marston, MD

SUPPORTTHE

RHEUMPACADVOCACY

FUND

Did you know that practices, healthcare organizations, and state societies can support ACR/ARP advocacy efforts and RheumPAC with corporate funds through the RheumPAC Advocacy Fund?

A 2020 study of trade association Political Action Committees (PACs) showed that it costs 32 cents, on average, to raise $1 for PACs like RheumPAC. To increase RheumPAC’s spending power to match those of other, currently more influential specialties takes significant resources, which is why the RheumPAC Advocacy Fund was established to more nimbly support RheumPAC’s efforts. It has been a great success, raising more than $100,000 since its inception, but these funds are quickly used up (and paying off as RheumPAC set a record for both money raised and number of donors in 2021!).

RheumPAC Advocacy Fund dollars have gone toward graphic design, video production, creation of donor incentives, as well as printing,mailing and postage costs for large-scale solicitation communications. Having these operational funds at RheumPAC’s disposal has been extraordinarily helpful, especially during the ongoing pandemic when in-person interactions to educate individuals and recruit new donors are severely restricted.

Is your practice or state society interested in donating to the ACR’s RheumPAC Advocacy Fund to enable us to more effectively advocate for you and your patients’ best interests?

Write a check to RheumPAC Advocacy Fund and mail it to: RheumPAC Advocacy Fund 2200 Lake Boulevard NE Atlanta, GA 30319

Past Donors Practices: Arthritis Associates, PA (San Antonio, TX) Arthritis & Rheumatism Associates, P.C. (Wheaton, MD) Arthritis and Rheumatology Clinics of Kansas, LLC (Wichita, KS) Kansas City Physician Partners, Inc. Center for Rheumatic Disease (Kansas City, MO) The Rose Medical Group, LTD (Belleville, IL) Societies: Association of Women in Rheumatology Rheumatism Society of the District of Columbia Georgia Society of Rheumatology Nebraska Rheumatology Society Ohio Association of Rheumatology South Carolina Rheumatism Society The Virginia Society of Rheumatologists

“My practice and the Rheumatology Society of the District of Columbia have both strongly supported the RheumPAC Advocacy Fund since its inception because it supports grow-ing the PAC so more voices can be heard on all of our behalf.” Angus Worthing, MD, FACP, FACR Arthritis & Rheumatism Associates, Washington, D.C.

“The Association of Women in Rheumatology strongly believes in advocating for women and all practitioners in rheumatology, our patients and the myriad issues that affect our day-to-day practices. Supporting and partnering with the RheumPAC Advocacy Fund and RheumPAC helps open the doors for engagement and dialogue with our policy makers and we hope, eventually, the changes we all desire and need.” Stephanie Ott, MD, FACR AWIR Director, Co-Chair Advocacy; Director of Rheumatology at Fairfield Medical Center, Lancaster, Ohio; and President of the Ohio Association of Rheumatology