My Glimpse into the World of Advocacy
Matthew Conti, MD
I didn’t know there is an underground subway connecting the House of Representatives and Senate buildings to the U.S. Capitol until I was running through the halls with Representative Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.). We jumped into the “members only” elevator, sprinted to the subway, and arrived just in time for a vote on the House floor. I also didn’t know there is an orthopaedic surgeon who is also a senator until I met John Barrasso, MD, FAAOS (R-Wyo.). I also didn’t know the difference between the terms “regulatory” and “legislative” until I did the AAOS Resident Advocacy Fellowship.
NYSSOS congratulates Dr. Conti on his advocacy efforts and for getting involved at the State level. We look forward to his participation on the State level as well!
> Read the full story
Over the past year, I have spent time meeting with and learning from the AAOS Office of Government Relations (OGR), located in Washington, D.C. Truthfully, before I applied for the fellowship, I didn’t even know that the office existed. Based on a recent poll undertaken during my AAOS Instagram stories takeover, about 70 percent of respondents said they did not know that AAOS has an office in Washington, D.C.
I have learned that effecting change in government requires persistence and patience. Ironically, one of the reasons I went into orthopaedics was that the care we provide has more immediate results. If a bone is broken, it needs to be urgently fixed. But if the government is broken, then we form a committee to debate the merits of fixing it, vote on a resolution, and then have a debate on the House floor.
Change does happen though—very slowly. We are fortunate as a profession to have dedicated, passionate people in Washington, D.C., fighting battles daily on behalf of orthopaedic surgeons—battles most of us do not even know about. While you’re preparing for your first total knee arthroplasty of the day, the AAOS advocacy team is fighting to make sure that case isn’t delayed because you couldn’t get timely prior authorization from the insurance company.
I’ve learned a tremendous amount over the past year. Prior to the AAOS Resident Advocacy Fellowship, I didn’t know that the voice of an orthopaedic surgeon in Congress is powerful, or how important it is to donate to the Orthopaedic Political Action Committee.
Matthew Conti, MD, is an AAOS 2019 Resident Advocacy Fellow and is completing postgraduate year-4 at the Hospital for Special Surgery
Read his full story: https://www5.aaos.org/aaosnow/2019/dec/advocacy/advocacy01/
