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Academy advocacy priorities


AADA Advocacy agenda

The American Academy of Dermatology Association (AADA) advocates on behalf of members and patients with a focus on advancing state and federal legislation and regulations that:

  • Advance patient-centric models of care.

  • Promote access to dermatologic care provided by FAADs, particularly in underserved, rural, and non-English speaking areas.

  • Position dermatologists as the owner of dermatological data and technology.

The AADA advocates on numerous issues, prioritizing work on those that are most pressing and impactful for our membership.


Top Advocacy Priority: Medicare payment reform

The primary focus of AADA’s advocacy is on advancing Medicare payment reform that:
Member>Advocacy>Priorities-2023>Inflation-adjustment
Establishes a positive annual inflation adjustment. 
Member>Advocacy>Priorities-2023>Documentation
Replaces or eliminates budget neutrality requirements to the physician fee schedule.
Member>Advocacy>Priorities-2023>Reform-quality-payment
Reforms the Quality Payment Program to increase physician input and improve patient care without overly burdensome documentation and compliance activity.

Advocacy Priorities

The AADA will also pursue opportunities to advance our efforts in key areas, including:

Developing patient-centric models of care that:

Member>Advocacy>Priorities-2023>Reimbursement
Assure accurate and sustainable reimbursement, including for new methods of patient interaction.
Member>Advocacy>Priorities-2023>Relationships
Strengthen relationships with other specialties and within the house of medicine to provide coordinated patient care.
Member>Advocacy>Priorities-2023>Clarify
Clarify the roles in patient care for board-certified dermatologists and the non-physician clinicians in their care team.

Wherever possible, the AADA will advance our positions on the following issues:
  • Physician-led care: Working with all stakeholders to help appropriately define the practice of medicine, to ensure a physician-led, team-based approach to care.

  • Network transparency: Promoting transparency in provider networks, including ensuring adequate and accurate information about provider directories for private and public payers.

  • Dermatopathology: Fighting for the rights of dermatology practices to process and/or read their own slides and to refer specimens to their dermatopathologist of choice.

  • Compounding: Guarding against restrictions on dermatologists’ ability to prepare, administer, and prescribe compounded medications, including buffered lidocaine.

  • Skin cancer prevention: Advocating for laws that promote skin cancer prevention.


Promote access to dermatologic care provided by FAADs, particularly in underserved, rural, and non-English speaking areas, with emphasis on:

Member>Advocacy>Priorities-2023>Digital
Overcoming the digital divide: Technology use to enhance physician/patient interaction will increase, but barriers exist in many communities and some generations.
Member>Advocacy>Priorities-2023>Medication
Access to medications: Remove barriers that reduce patient access to pharmaceutical treatments.

We will work toward favorable policies in this area on the following issues:

Truth in advertising: Advocating to ensure truth in advertising that helps vulnerable populations better understand who is providing their care.

Drug access: Minimizing or eliminating barriers to medications, including step therapy and prior authorization policies, iPLEDGE, and drug formulary requirements that force patients to switch therapies, as well as supporting policies to address rising drug prices, drug shortages, research funding, and price transparency.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion: Advocating for policies that further health equity and dermatology workforce diversity and decrease care disparities for skin of color patients.

Dermatology workforce: Working to ensure the number of dermatologists is sufficient to meet the demand of an aging and diverse population and advocating to ease the physician shortage, e.g., increase residency slots, and encourage dermatologists to practice in underserved communities.

Teledermatology: Supporting policies that facilitate the appropriate use of telehealth services according to the AADA standards to meet patient needs, particularly in underserved communities across the country.

Access for military and vets: Ensuring that our nation’s military and veterans have access to the full range of dermatologic services provided by board-certified dermatologists.

Make your voice heard

Contact Congress using our convenient portal and share how advocacy issues impact your dermatology practice.

Be heard

Related Academy resource


Advocacy contacts

Karry La Violette, Senior Vice President Advocacy & Policy 
(202) 609-2602
klaviolette@aad.org

Beth Laws, Director, Advocacy & Policy Operations
(202) 712-2600
blaws@aad.org

Heather Schultz, Manager, Advocacy & Policy
(202) 712-2618
hschultz@aad.org

Federal legislative, political & grassroots advocacy staff:

Adam Harbison, Director, Congressional Affairs
(202) 712-2601
aharbison@aad.org

Christine O’Connor, Associate Director, Congressional Affairs
(202) 609-6330
coconnor@aad.org

Nick Beek, Assistant Director, Congressional Affairs
(202) 712-2617
nbeek@aad.org

Jennifer Mangone, Manager, Congressional Policy
(202) 609-3333
jmangone@aad.org

Hannah Calvert, Senior Specialist, Political & Grassroots Advocacy
(202) 609-6336
hcalvert@aad.org

Regulatory & payment policy staff:

Chad Appel, Director, Regulatory & Payment Policy
(202) 712-2614
CAppel@aad.org

Louis A. Terranova, Associate Director, Practice & Payment Policy
(847) 240-1465
lterranova@aad.org

Jillian Winans, Associate Director, Regulatory & Payment Policy
(202) 712-2603
jwinans@aad.org

Becky Dolan, Manager, Payment Policy
(847) 240-1825
bdolan@aad.org

Teresa Salaway, Manager, Practice & Payment Policy
(847) 240-1695
tsalaway@aad.org

State policy staff:

Lisa Albany, Director, State Policy
(202) 712-2615
lalbany@aad.org

Victoria Pasko, Assistant Director, State Policy
(202) 609-6331
vpasko@aad.org

Sandra Ring, Senior Manager, State Society & Patient Engagement
(224) 715-5935
sring@aad.org

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