Patient Advocacy in Plastic Surgery: An Underutilized Tool

Mullens, Cody L.; Nathan, Shelby L.; Kozak, Geoffrey M.; Fischer, John P.; Greco, Gregory; Ueno, Cristiane M.

doi:10.1097/gox.0000000000002207

Cited by 13 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…The impact of PACs in plastic surgery has been explored in prior studies, with Ellsworth et al noting a correlation between PAC legislative actions and corresponding case volume [14]. Mullens et al also described a number of legislature and advocacy efforts at both the national and regional level that were enabled by the ASPS, including establishment of databases, opposition of independent practice by non-qualified providers, and increase in funding of residency and fellowship positions [15]. Although PlastyPAC plays an important role in optimizing the impact of plastic surgeons in the political landscape, there has been a decline in the past three years for independent contributions as noted in our study (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Longitudinal, Geographical, and Descriptive Analysis of Political Contributions of Plastic Surgeons

2021

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Background Political contributions from healthcare providers are essential to shaping healthcare policy and allow physicians to expand their influence on a national level. Political Action Committees in particular provide a useful avenue for unifying contributions for the interest of a specific community. This study examined the geographical distribution, temporal pattern, and overall nature of the political contributions made by plastic surgeons. Methods The Federal Election Commission was analyzed for political contributions made by plastic surgeons from 2003 to 2021 using the search terms ''plastic surgeon,'' ''microsurgeon,'' and ''craniofacial'' as well as physician contributions to PlastyPAC. Contributions were categorized based on political parties (Democratic, Republican, and independent parties), and further analyzed based on state distribution and year of contribution. Spatial distribution data were then visualized using heatmaps for each state.Results The total sum of contributions between 2003 and

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Longitudinal, Geographical, and Descriptive Analysis of Political Contributions of Plastic Surgeons

2021

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“…The physician’s armamentarium must include advocacy. 20 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Political Advocacy from Plastic Surgery Trainees in the United States

Kozusko

Lopez

Sheck

et al. 2021

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery - Global Open

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Background: Legislature directly impacts the practice of physicians across multiple specialties. The goal of our study is to investigate the political engagement and opinions of plastic surgery trainees, and how they perceive legislation impacts future practice. Methods: A 24-question survey was designed and distributed to all program directors and Resident Council members within the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. This initiative was driven by the board and directors and supported by the Resident Council. The Resident Council is a trainee-driven committee within the American Society of Plastic Surgeons that communicates with the Board of Directors. Results: This survey generated a 10.3% response rate with 118 responses out of 1143 trainees in ACGME accredited institutions. When asked in an open-ended fashion to list the most important reason why one planned to vote in the 2020 election, only 6.8% listed healthcare as a factor. Eighty-four percent of respondents believe that their vote impacts future legislation and regulation. Ninety-four percent strongly agree or agree that political legislation affects reimbursement. Conclusions: With only 10.3% of trainees responding, there is a concern that political activity is not a priority for plastic surgery trainees. Plastic surgery trainees are attending summits, meeting with politicians, writing letters, and attending fundraisers. Respondents are overwhelmingly voting and planning to vote in elections, though few list healthcare as a reason. A future goal must be to motivate trainees to consider the intersection between healthcare and plastic surgery.

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“…Surgical standards, such as that of access to immediate and delayed breast reconstruction, can benefit from the voices of patient advocacy groups and media in their implementation process; these are often underutilized tools that facilitate the prioritization of cancer surgical standards by the provinces and organizations. Many physicians underestimate the importance and influence that healthcare advocacy has on the profession and feel that they lack the skill and leverage to advocate on behalf of themselves, their practices, their patients, and their profession [ 9 ]. However, breast and plastic surgeons are uniquely positioned to advocate based on their clinical acumen, personal experiences with patient care, and their position in the healthcare ecosystem value chain.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implementation of the Canadian National Standards in Breast Cancer Surgical Care: Gaps, Barriers, Enablers and Opportunities

et al. 2021

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Background: Diagnosis and surgical treatment decision making for breast cancers has become increasingly complex. Recently, Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC) published pan-Canadian evidence-based surgical standards for the care of breast cancer patients. This study was undertaken to assess the degree to which these standards were currently met in practice and to further understand the determinants of their implementation nationally. Methods: This study was undertaken in two parts—(1) National survey of breast cancer surgeons to assess the perceived extent of implementation of these standards in their institution and province; (2) Formation of a focus group with a representative sample of breast surgeons across Canada to further understand the barriers and facilitators towards future breast standards implementation. Results: 35 surgeons participated in the survey: 66% were from community hospitals. There were four categories of standards that were the most significantly lacking across the country—(a) processes related to quality assurance, (b) turnaround time for pathology results (c) psychosocial and health-related support for the breast cancer patient and (d) breast reconstruction for patients undergoing mastectomy. The focus group included participants from all ten Canadian provinces. For each standard, the 134 determinants fell into three main categories—individual physician (n = 27, 20%); organizational (n = 46, 34%), and system (n = 61, 46%). While specific determinants were present for each category, surgical standards were more likely to be implemented in practice if (1) they aligned with organizational priorities standards; (2) the individual physicians or physician groups were accountable to the organization and/or cancer jurisdiction regarding compliance with the standard; and (3) if infrastructure or resources existed within the organization or system for the reliable collection of relevant, meaningful, practice changing data combined with the capability of benchmarking, peer–peer comparisons and timely feedback to the surgeons. Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrated variation, barriers and opportunities for the national implementation of CPAC’s breast cancer surgery standards and identified determinants of high-quality breast surgical care delivery.

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Patient Advocacy in Plastic Surgery: An Underutilized Tool

Cited by 13 publications

References 6 publications

A Longitudinal, Geographical, and Descriptive Analysis of Political Contributions of Plastic Surgeons

A Longitudinal, Geographical, and Descriptive Analysis of Political Contributions of Plastic Surgeons

Political Advocacy from Plastic Surgery Trainees in the United States

Implementation of the Canadian National Standards in Breast Cancer Surgical Care: Gaps, Barriers, Enablers and Opportunities

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