Are You Passionate About Transforming Healthcare? Your Opinion Has More Weight Than You Think!

You can’t escape the constant and often frustrating news reports from Washington—there are a lot of strong opinions here!  I’m pretty sure those of you beyond the Beltway have opinions too.  Have you shared them with your elected representatives on Capitol Hill? 

In a recent complimentary webinar offered by HIMSS Government Relations, now available on demand, Washington insider Brad Fitch, President & CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation, shared with participants results of a survey of Congressional staff, showing that a full 97 percent of Congressional staff say that in-person visits from constituents influence an undecided Member.

So, do you want to make an impact?  Join other health IT advocates in Washington September 14-15 for HIMSS 10^th Annual Policy Summit, featuring a keynote speech from Representative Michael Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), as well as more Congressional insights from Brad Fitch. In addition, HIMSS staff is busy making appointments with Congressional offices for everyone who’s registered to date, and we’d love to schedule a meeting for you too. This is a terrific opportunity to share your knowledge and passion for health IT with your representatives in Congress.

Can’t make it to Washington?  Check with your Congressman’s office (you can look it up here) to see if he or she will be hosting a local town hall meeting—90 percent of Congressional staff say that town halls are important in gauging constituent views.  And engage in social media—most Members of Congress have at least a Facebook page they monitor for what the folks back home are thinking; 64 percent of staff say that Facebook is an important tool for understanding constituent opinions. 

In this electronic age, it’s easier and less time-consuming than ever to share your thoughts with elected officials, but just as effective as the hand-written missives of years past. Eighty-eight percent of Congressional staff say that an individual email message from a constituent has influence on a Member’s decisions. 

And HIMSS’ Legislative Action Center is a straightforward tool that makes it easy for you to share your opinion on health IT issues.  Just log on with your address, find the legislation that’s relevant to you, and tell your Member of Congress what you think.  Your message should explain why you support or oppose a bill, the impact it would have on the Member’s district, and, if applicable, a personal story related to the issue. 

Please join us in Washington next month during National Health IT Week (September 12-16, 2011).  In the meantime, for more insights from Brad Fitch on the power of citizen advocacy, a recording of the webinar is available on-demand. 

And for questions or help with your efforts to reach out to Congress, HIMSS’ Government Relations team is happy to help! 

Contact us at policy@himss.org.