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Reboot: Band of lobbyists

Reboot: Band of lobbyists

WASHINGTON - AAHomecare has resurrected its Legislative Council to pool the industry's lobbying efforts.

AAHomecare's Jay Witter points out, for a small industry, quite a few HME companies have lobbyists on the Hill—not only Invacare, Pride Mobility Products and Philips Respironics, but also Hill-Rom, Cardinal Health, Smith & Nephew and others—and a major goal of the council is to get them all in the same room on a regular basis.

“It's a good way to get all of the D.C. assets together, trade intel, share contacts and strategize,” said Witter, senior vice president of public policy at AAHomecare, who will serve as the staff liaison for the council. “It's a tremendous resource.”

The council, which was dissolved before Witter's time at AAHomecare, had its first meeting in April. It joins seven other councils at the association with focuses ranging from medical gases to DME MACs.

Where most councils are tasked with helping AAHomecare's Executive Committee set policies on issues, the Legislative Council is tasked with helping the association “get things done” on the Hill, Witter says.

“What's the best route for a piece of legislation?” he asked. “Who are the key members of Congress who need to be influenced?”

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