DONATE TODAY! Please visit GIPAC.org to make a contribution or simply click here:       ABOUT GIPAC   GIPAC is the political action committee (PAC) for clinical gastroenterologists and gastrointestinal (GI) specialists. We are a bipartisan federal PAC that supports legislators demonstrating an interest in the issues and challenges facing our practices and patients. It is important to note that GIPAC is an issue-specific PAC: While our members may have diverse political opinions, we agree that it is necessary to support those willing to champion the legislative causes important to our profession. Please contact GIPAC leadership if you wish to have GIPAC support a member of Congress or candidate for federal office. A message from GIPAC President Dan Pambianco: “One Scope” Campaign: $200 Please join GIPAC today. I urge everyone to donate the national average Medicare reimbursement from one colonoscopy to help GIPAC become a stronger voice for the GI clinician. Unfortunately for our specialty, dwindling Medicare reimbursement makes this contribution even easier. It is only getting worse for GI practices. As you know, our upper GI endoscopy codes were slashed this year and colonoscopy may be next. How does your contribution to GIPAC help? What’s in it for you? Health care policy and Medicare reimbursement is unfortunately a zero sum game, with CMS continuing to use gastroenterology professional fees as a means to pay for other Medicare/Medicaid initiatives. Congress has the ability to pass legislation that supports our patients and profession. Congress also has the constitutional responsibility to oversee federal agencies such as CMS, so it is crucial that those on Capitol Hill are also those supporting clinical GI. As clinicians, we are all familiar with the importance of preventive medicine. It is time that our specialty gets together and becomes familiar with preventive politics. If we all contribute “one scope,” we have the ability to help define our fate. If we do nothing, we certainly seal our fate. Thanks to your generosity, GIPAC remains well-positioned financially to support those legislators and candidates willing to champion causes for our patients and our profession. Your contributions should be going towards a campaign and not lost in administrative fees. As a separate and stand-alone organization, GIPAC is uniquely situated where total operating expenses are less than $1,000 per month. We will continue to operate on a shoe-string administrative budget while growing GIPAC coffers and influence on Capitol Hill. Our goals are reachable because of your continued support. We must continue to gain influence on Capitol Hill and with those responsible for overseeing Medicare and other regulatory agencies. RECENT GIPAC ACTIVITY Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) Sen. Cardin continues to be a friend of clinical GI and our patients. Sen. Cardin has championed the SCREEN Act (S. 608), a bill that lowers patient barriers to colorectal cancer screening and improves quality of care in our specialty. The bill also seeks to ensure the GI clinician is adequately paid for performing screening colonoscopy in Medicare. The stakes are high this year. The recent data show that both incidence rates and death rates from colorectal cancer are on the decline. Yet reimbursement for colonoscopy continues to be targeted by regulators. This illogical reimbursement policy may have disastrous unintended consequences in patient care. That is why it is important to keep Sen. Cardin in Congress and as a member of the powerful Senate Finance Committee. This committee has jurisdiction over Medicare payment policy in the U.S. Senate. GIPAC appreciates Sen. Cardin’s longtime support for clinical GI and our patients. Rep. Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ) After his father’s death from colorectal cancer in 2012, Rep. Payne took over representing New Jersey’s 10th district. He made it his personal mission in Congress to increase colorectal cancer screening rates and help prevent others from losing a loved one. He remains a leader in Congress in working with the GI societies and patient advocacy groups on issues related to patient cost-sharing as well as funding for colorectal cancer awareness campaigns and medical research. Rep. Payne recently participated in the GI societies’ Capitol Hill event on the important role colonoscopy plays in the fight against colorectal cancer. This event served as the kick-off to National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month (March). Rep. Payne captured the audience with a moving speech about this personal mission to increase screening rates. GIPAC appreciates Rep. Payne’s dedication to our specialty and patients. Donate today! GIPAC.org Dan Pambianco, MD FACG President, GIPAC Please contribute “one scope” for clinical gastroenterology! Questions or Concerns? Call us at 855-505-3279.   Copyright © 2014 GIPAC, All rights reserved. GIPAC 1950 Roland Clarke Place Suite 300 Reston, VA 20191 @Pay 855-505-3279 5600 Wyoming Blvd NE Suite 270 Albuquerque, NM 87109