The AOA makes sure DOs and osteopathic medical students have a voice where it counts: on Capitol Hill, at the state and international levels, in the media and to the public.

Legislative Advocacy

Federal

The AOA has a constant presence in Washington, DC – reviewing, advocating and analyzing key issues that affect your practice every day. The AOA's Department of Government Relations (DGR) along with the AOA's Bureau on Federal Health Programs, promotes AOA's health priorities to federal policymakers working in Washington, D.C. DGR prepares recommendations based on policies set by the AOA House of Delegates, the current political landscape, and the AOA’s mission. To find out what issues, the AOA is currently

State and International

The AOA Division of State Government and International Affairs works to ensure that the basic tenets of osteopathic medicine, from educational programs to licensure, are recognized at all levels of state government, as well as internationally. The division selects priority health care topics by following legislative and regulatory trends, and identifying health care issues of importance to the osteopathic profession and consumers of the health care system.

Priority issues at the state and federal level include:

• Medical Malpractice (also known as Professional Liability) insurance: In communities nationwide, citizens are losing access to quality medical care. Skyrocketing liability insurance premiums are leading many doctors to cut services, leave litigious states, or abandon the practice of medicine altogether. As a result, patients lose access to affordable health care, hospitals close, and families lose doctors they've relied on for years
• Medicare reform: More and more physicians each year elect not to accept Medicare patients in their practice because they are losing money. Serious discrepancies currently exist between the cost of providing medical services and the current government method for reimbursing physicians for these services.
• Other issues: AOA has a number of other priority governmental issues.

Regulatory Advocacy

Physicians are overburdened with unfunded federal regulatory mandates, straining already limited practice resources and, ultimately, taking more time and attention away from patient care. The AOA works hard to help alleviate that regulatory burden by calling on the Dept of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to follow through on their promise to enact regulatory reform. The AOA provides the osteopathic community up-to-date information on regulations coming out of HHS, CMS, HRSA, Veterans Administration and other federal agencies. More.

Publications

From a high school career counselor to an osteopathic physician with your own practice, the AOA offers publications for your needs from information to medical education. More.

Advertising

The AOA offers a number of ways to advertise to osteopathic physicians including event exhibition, classified ads and magazine display advertisements. More.

Media

Advancing the osteopathic profession is a critical part of the AOA’s mission. The AOA's Department of Communications works tirelessly to promote DOs and osteopathic medicine in the media and to assist osteopathic affiliate groups through the Osteopathic Public Awareness Network.