Hey, Dr. Bill Cassidy and fellow gastroenterologist Bill Cassidy here. By the way, bit of trivia, I'm the first gastroenterologist to be elected to the U.S. Senate. You are all a lot smarter than me. You didn't run for Senate, you're seeing patients. Thank you for doing so. But maybe, just maybe, there's a fellow out there or someone just in practice that may follow in my footsteps. ASGE is a great organization, I wouldn't be surprised. There's a lot of issues before Congress that concern you and your practice. The 2023 physician reimbursement issues. There are several cuts slated for this year if Congress does not act. All I can tell you, keep up the communication with Capitol Hill, your local congressman, that fellow who you did a colonoscopy on, that woman who you actually happen to know socially. Make it so that they understand that inflation has gone way up and you're getting your reimbursement from Medicare cut. And the implications that has for patient access. There's no better advocate for the patient needing gastrointestinal services than a gastroenterologist. Please, be an advocate. I am working with colleagues to find long-term solutions, but unless you educate, my colleagues won't quite know what that issue is to work with me for that. We need solutions for the patient. We need solutions for the provider. Prior authorization, something else I'm constantly hearing about. I'm sponsoring the Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act. It's gaining momentum. There's 450 supporting organizations. There's 17 of my fellow senators who are co-sponsoring. And it makes sure that routine prescriptions and procedures are not delayed. Prior authorization is costly, both in terms of paying the employee to obtain it, but also in terms of the time it takes to acquire. As one of our colleagues who's an oncologist told me, when you tell the patient she needs to start chemo as soon as possible, and the prior authorization takes two weeks, there's a cost associated with that. We are working on that bill. That is something else. As you go to Capitol Hill, or as you meet the folks that you have contact with, you can advocate for. And let me just finally say that my training as a gastroenterologist, as a physician, has prepared me for working in the political life. It is where you understand that there is just an essence of what you have to tell a patient, that you have to focus on that in the conversation, that you have to be prepared to answer other questions that may be related, but you don't know if that patient has. When you approach that congresswoman or that congressman, that senator, have that mindset. Show that you care. Show that you know about that one issue. And if they have questions, be prepared to ask that. If you bring your skills, dealing with patients, dealing with colleagues, to working with my senatorial colleagues and those in the House of Representatives, we can pass solutions to these problems for the benefit of our practice, the benefit of our practices, excuse me, of our practices, the benefit of our patients. Thank you very much.

Dr. Bill Cassidy

gastroenterologist

U.S. Senator

physician reimbursement

prior authorization