Brady Stewart, D.P.M.’17, represented the Iowa Podiatric Medical Society (IPMS) on Capitol Hill in a meeting with Iowa Senator Charles Grassley to talk podiatric health care in Iowa. Stewart joined podiatrists Gene Nassif, D.P.M., of Cedar Rapids, and Tiffany Hauptman, D.P.M., of Mount Pleasant, to discuss important issues facing podiatric medicine, including:
- Helping Ensure Life- and Limb-Saving Access to Podiatric Physicians (HELLPP) Act – Even though foot and ankle care is a covered benefit under Medicaid, access to medical and surgical care provided by a podiatrist is considered optional and is not covered by all state plans. The HELLPP Act remedies this barrier by recognizing podiatrists as physicians just as they are in Medicare.
- Physician Recognition at the Veterans Administration – The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) asks that Congress introduce and pass legislation to modify the Physician and Dentist Pay Schedule to recognize doctors of podiatric medicine to help address the ongoing recruitment and retention issues for podiatric physicians employed under the Veterans Health Administration.
- Permanent Reform of Medicare’s Physician Payment System – APMA strongly supports improving the Medicare program by repealing the sustainable growth rate formula; enacting stable, adequate, annual Medicare physician payment updates; and ensuring beneficiaries’ continued access to care.
“The Iowa Podiatric Medical Society is dedicated to improving patient access to podiatric services and providing high quality health care to our citizens,” said IPMS President David Schroeder, D.P.M., “We will continue to advocate for critical legislation that benefits podiatrists and patients in Iowa and across the country.”
Stewart went to Washington, D.C., along with fellow members of IPMS for the APMA’s 2015 Legislative Conference on March 23-25. The annual conference brings together APMA members and podiatric medical student leaders from across the nation to lobby members of Congress. Nearly 200 podiatrists and medical students representing 42 states visited members of Congress to discuss critical issues facing the profession.
