Donald Rumsfeld famously said, “There are things we don’t know we don’t know.” From the depths of this ignorance come the most astonishing surprises and devastating disasters. In the wound care world, the unknown dangers lurk in halls of Medicare and in the sprawling, luxuriously appointed offices of private insurance companies.
The unsung heroes of the AAWC Health and Public Policy committee continuously monitor and rapidly respond to the endless policy publications of our bureaucratic overseers. Without their tireless efforts, wound care practitioners would never know the regulations that directly impact them and their patients. Recently, a physician asked me why joining the AAWC was important. I replied, “Among the many things AAWC does is protect your practice from payers and regulators because we don’t know what we don’t know.”
The AAWC has designated Public Policy as one of its three strategic pillars. We focus on the rules and restrictions that hamper our practice. In addition, we are expanding our Public Policy efforts. This month we are meeting with a member of Congress at our Pressure Ulcer Summit to discuss the challenge of pressure ulcers in the United States and the impact they have on cost and outcomes. We are expanding our initiatives to be more proactive rather than simply reactive in our advocacy on regulation and reimbursement.
Strong positions on Public Policy require a committed membership speaking with one voice. Your participation and input help shape that voice and are vital to our success. Join us in protecting patients, ensuring access to care and making wound care a priority in Washington so there will be fewer things we don’t know.