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BCMS LEGISLATIVE
NEWS

Physicians hard at work advocating on behalf
of medicine during March 7 First Tuesdays

By Mary E. Nava, MBA, BCMS Chief Government Affairs Officer and Lobbyist

A big thank you to the following Clockwise froom the top: BCMS physicians, Alliance and staff attendees greet Rep. Philip Cortez (House
physician and Alliance members who District 117) in the Capitol Extension building on March 7. BCMS physicians, Alliance members and
participated in the March 7 First Tues- staff pause for a photo with Sen. Donna Campbell (Senate District 25), center, in the Capitol Extension
days visits at the Capitol: stairway during the March 7 First Tuesdays event. BCMS physicians and Alliance members visit with Health
and Human Services policy staffer in the office of House Speaker Joe Straus, Heather Fleming (center,
Physicians — Leah Jacobson, MD, right, in dark sweater) on numerous medicine issues during the March 7 First Tuesdays visit to the Capitol.
BCMS President; Daniel Deane, MD; Past BCMS President, Jim Humphreys, MD and 2017 President, Leah Jacobson, MD (right) visit with
John Edwards, MD; Pam Hall, MD; newcomer to First Tuesdays, Huyen Nguyen, MD during the March 7 visit to the Capitol.
David Henkes, MD; James
Humphreys, MD; Alex Kenton, MD;
David Lam, MD; John Menchaca,
MD; John Nava, MD and Huyen
Nguyen, MD; Alliance members —
Lisa DeArmond; Danielle Henkes; Jen-
nifer Lewis and Jennifer Shepherd.

The group visited with legislators
and staff of all the offices of our state
representatives and senators from Bexar
County. Among the topics discussed
were: surprise billing; vaccine exemp-
tions; scope of practice; expanded me-
diation; Medicaid reimbursement,
GME and the prescription drug mon-
itoring program. For more informa-
tion on the 2017 TMA Legislative
Priorities, visit the TMA website at
www.texmed.org.

The next First Tuesdays is April 4.
To register, go to
www.texmed.org/firsttuesdays.

For local discussion on these and other
legislative advocacy topics, consider join-
ing the BCMS Legislative and Socioeco-
nomics Committee by contacting Mary
Nava, chief government affairs officer
and lobbyist, at mary.nava@bcms.org.

10 San Antonio Medicine • April 2017