February 24, 2011

Virtual Lobby Week Underway Now
The AARC PACT will be heading to Washington, DC, on Tuesday, March 8, to lobby members of Congress on the Medicare Respiratory Therapy Initiative, and we want to be sure they’ve all heard about the legislation before our volunteers arrive in town. Our Virtual Lobby Week, going on now through March 8, is your chance to make that happen. So click on the link to learn more about how and why you—and everyone you know who cares about lung health—should call or email in support of this vital legislation.

• What’s the Medicare Respiratory Therapy Initiative? The Initiative encourages Congress to pass legislation that would revise the Medicare program to permit certain highly qualified respiratory therapists to provide smoking cessation, asthma management, medication management, and other disease management services to Medicare patients in the physician’s office without the physician having to be physically present in the office. Our FAQs explain more about it.

• Want to support the Initiative but don’t know where to start? Our Capitol Connection website makes it easy, with sample letters you (and your patients, coworkers, friends, and family) can use to customize your message. It can all be done with just a few clicks of the mouse!

AARC Times’ 9/11 Edition Accepted by Bush Presidential Library
The AARC has just learned that the George W. Bush Presidential Library, now under construction in Dallas, TX, has accepted a copy of the October 2001 edition of AARC Times for its vertical files. The issue features President and Mrs. Bush on the cover and details the heroic efforts of RTs to care for victims of the 9/11 attacks.

Second Group of Winter Section Bulletins Online Now
Members of the Long Term Care, Management, Neonatal-Pediatrics, Sleep, and Surface & Air Transport Sections have just published the Winter editions of their Section Bulletins.

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