Federal Advocacy Initiatives

Making an impact

Shaping health policy to advance your practice & improve patient care

Representing more than 197,000 osteopathic physicians and medical students, the AOA works to reduce regulatory burdens and improve affordability and access.

Through its National Osteopathic Advocacy Center in Washington, D.C., the AOA promotes policy advancements that benefit DOs and their patients, expand graduate medical training opportunities and promote public health. Our strategy encompasses policy development, lobbying on Capitol Hill, regulatory engagement and engaging our members and affiliates in grassroots advocacy.

What we do

The AOA works to build relationships with policymakers at all levels of government and facilitate the direct voter-to-legislator communication that ultimately delivers the strongest message.

Federal lobbying: We engage directly with lawmakers to advocate for policies that support the osteopathic profession.
Regulatory advocacy: We study and evaluate regulatory proposals that could impact the profession, submit comments to federal agencies, and engage directly with federal agencies’ leadership to promote our goals.
Osteopathic representation on federal advisory committees and panels: We regularly submit nominations and help create opportunities for DOs to share their unique perspective on federal advisory committees and panels.
Participation in coalitions: Advocacy is most effective when large groups representing the same interests or point of view collaborate. We work with a wide range of partners in the health care field to amplify our voice.
Campaigns: The American Osteopathic Information Association supports the campaigns of candidates who will further our profession’s goals and values.

Federal priority areas

Advocacy at the federal level is crucial to promoting the osteopathic profession and translating our philosophy into policy.

Supporting physicians & their ability to care for patients

Support enactment of legislation and regulatory reforms that promote physician wellness and safety in workplaces.
Support enactment of legislation that strengthens the financial stability of independent physician practices.
Support enactment of legislation and regulatory reforms that promote osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT).
Support enactment of legislation and regulatory reforms that advance patient privacy and safety; patient-physician relationship; and the osteopathic philosophy in the application of artificial intelligence in medicine.

Strengthening the physician workforce where it is needed most

Support enactment of legislation that increases the physician workforce and provides an equitable distribution of graduate medical education resources to all practice types and communities where it is needed most.
Support enactment of legislation that reforms student loan repayment programs.
Educate Congress on the importance of physician-led care in all communities, and how programs that improve physician shortages in underserved rural and urban communities are better for patients and more effective and efficient than scope of practice expansion.

Access & affordability

Support enactment of legislation and regulatory reform that alleviates arbitrary burdens in step therapy and prior authorization to improve patients’ access to prescription drugs and physician services.
Support legislative and regulatory reforms that ensure continued and improved coverage and payment for telehealth services.
Support enactment of legislation and regulatory reform that expands access to medical services and prescription drugs that treat and manage chronic conditions.

Regulatory reform

Support policies that address systemic issues and improve payment adequacy for medical services, reduce administrative burdens, eliminate barriers to coverage and care and strengthen the patient-physician relationship.
Support value-based arrangements that provide adequate payment and greater flexibility in service delivery.
Support digital health through policies that reduce physician burden and drive greater interoperability of health information technology, promote connected care and make care delivery more efficient and seamless across the health care spectrum.

Public health

Support legislation that requires all health care providers to affirmatively communicate their degrees and licensure types to patients.
Promote policies that reduce health disparities across ethnic, racial, geographic, socioeconomic and other underserved populations.
Support policies that increase utilization of evidence-based vaccine guidelines, address vaccine hesitancy, expand patient and physician education and ensure adequate payment for vaccine administration.

Federal funding

Support funding that enhances research opportunities for osteopathic physician-researchers and osteopathic institutions.
Support funding that advances an infrastructure that promotes the provision of primary care to advance health and wellness for patients.
Support funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institutes of Health for research on reducing firearm violence.

Connect & get involved

Advocate on behalf of your profession and patients by staying up to date on public policy developments and opportunities to get involved in your community.

Osteopathic Advocacy Network (OAN)

The AOA is working on your behalf every day, but you are the best advocate for the osteopathic profession and your elected officials must hear from you. Your experience and knowledge can help guide your lawmakers to craft impactful legislation for you and your patients. Learn more.

The DO Engage
AOA members receive The DO Engage newsletter detailing current legislative and regulatory activity, and updates on issues that affect our members.
Advocacy action alerts
AOA members receive calls to action to stimulate grassroots engagement when legislative activity takes place that may significantly impact the profession.
DO Day on Capitol Hill
Held each spring, this event serves as the osteopathic family’s premier opportunity to lobby Members of Congress on the issues that are most important to the practice of osteopathic medicine. Learn more.
Training in Policy Studies (TIPS) Program
Training opportunities for osteopathic resident physicians in health policy to support their future engagement in advocacy and policy development on behalf of the profession. Learn more.