Residents, fellows, and new physicians in practice are encouraged to apply for the BEL DO Day scholarship! Find more information here, and apply by January 31, 2024.
DO Day on Capitol Hill takes place in April every year and is the AOA’s largest public policy and advocacy annual event. It is an opportunity for every member of the osteopathic profession to come together and advocate for issues that are important to the profession and patients. This event takes place both in-person in Washington D.C. and virtually through a leadership and professional development conference at your convenience.
No matter how you choose to participate, you will have the opportunity to have your voice be heard by congressmen and women, represent the osteopathic profession, and build leadership skills. This is a chance for your voice to be heard by senators and representatives for your community!
For this upcoming DO Day on the Hill, the virtual conference will take place April 13-14, 2024 with the in-person sessions and congressional meetings taking place on April 17-18, 2024. Although the 2024 advocacy issues have not been released, the issues that osteopathic physicians and students advocated for at the 2023 DO Day on the Hill included Medicare payments to physicians that help protect patient access to healthcare, expansion of the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program, a training program that fills primary care gaps in rural and underserved areas, and support for the REDI Act, which would allow medical residents to defer student loan payments until after completion of residency without accruing interest.
Through the efforts of osteopathic physicians at DO Day 2023, along with the continued advocacy of the AOA, the following policies have been put into effect: $1.44 billion six-year reauthorization of the THCGME program, the prevention of 8.5% cuts to Medicare payment rates that were scheduled in 2023, and funding for distribution of 200 additional Medicare-funded GME residency positions.