Advocacy and Health Policy
General Division E-Mail Address: ahp@facs.org
Medical Director
Don Detmer, MD, MA, FACS
Division of Advocacy and Health Policy
20 F Street, NW
Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-337-2701
Fax: 202-337-4271
E-Mail: ddetmer@facs.org
Division Director
Christian Shalgian
Phone: 202-337-2701
Fax: 202-337-4271
E-Mail: cshalgian@facs.org
Advocacy and Health Policy Staff
| Staff | Issues/Responsibilities |
D’Arcey Johnson |
Washington Office Administrator including liaison for accounting services; IT; building facilities and vendors; budget preparation and division web page updates. Assistant to Director, Division of Advocacy and Health Policy. ACSPA-SurgeonsPAC Administrator. |
| Kelly Wilkins Staff Assistant Phone: 202-337-2701 E-Mail: kwilkins@facs.org |
Receptionist and staff support. |
| Regulatory Affairs Staff | Issues/Responsibilities |
| Bob Jasak Deputy Director, Regulatory Affairs and Quality Improvement Programs Phone: 202-337-2701 E-Mail: bjasak@facs.org |
Medicare physician payment and coverage, regulatory and quality issues, ambulatory and outpatient surgery, General Surgery Coding and Reimbursement Committee and AMA/RUC activities. |
| Vinita M. Ollapally, JD Senior Regulatory Associate E-Mail: vollapally@facs.org Phone: 202-672-1510 |
Privacy Federal regulatory matters, including Medicare, HIPAA, EMTALA, graduate medical education, OIG issues, physician self-referral issues. |
| Jenny Jackson Practice Affairs Associate E-Mail: jjackson@facs.org Phone: 202-672-1506 |
Liaison with: CPT editorial panel, AMA RUC, E&M documentation guidelines, Assistants at Surgery (payment policies), HIPAA-transaction information, socioeconomic tips, CPT Coding/Practice Management workshops and consultants, CPT hotline. |
| Jill Shelly Senior Quality Programs Associate E-Mail: jshelly@facs.org Phone: 202-672-1507 |
Representation with national groups such as JACHO, NQF, Leapfrog, AHA, AHRQ, surgical groups, industry (innovations). Manages the Surgical Quality Alliance (SQA). |
| Sana Gokak Quality Associate E-Mail: sgokak@facs.org Phone: 202-672-1517 |
Assists in monitoring federal and private sector quality initiatives affecting the practice of surgery, PQRI, e-Prescribing incentives and surgical patient experience of care survey. |
| Sarah Kurusz Regulatory and Quality Assistant Phone: 202-672-1505 E-Mail: skurusz@facs.org |
Provides administrative support to Regulatory and Quality Team in Washington, DC office. |
| Legislative Affairs Staff | Issues/Responsibilities |
John E. Hedstrom, JD |
Develops and implements the College’s federal health policy agenda, grassroots strategies, and political operations. Directs the College’s federal and political affairs department and serves as the organization’s chief lobbyist on several issues, including health system reform, Medicare physician payment, quality measurement, workforce, and scope of practice. |
| Matt Coffron Government Affairs Associate Phone: 202-672-1516 E-Mail: mcoffron@facs.org |
Lobbies House Energy & Commerce and Rules Committees and Senate Appropriations Committee. |
| Dana Halvorson Government Affairs Associate Phone: 202-672-1502 E-Mail: dhalvorson@facs.org |
Lobbies House Education & the Workforce, Small Business, and Judiciary Committees and Senate Finance and Small Business Committees. |
| Kristin McDonald Senior Government Affairs Associate Phone: 202-672-1509 E-Mail: kmcdonald@facs.org |
Lobbies House Ways & Means, Appropriations, and Budget Committees and Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee. |
| Sara Morse Manager of Political Affairs Phone: 202-672-1520 E-Mail: smorse@facs.org; ACSPA-SurgeonsPAC related e-mail to: acspa@facs.org |
ACSPA-SurgeonsPAC and political grassroots programs. |
| Catharine Harris Legislative Coordinator Phone: 202-672-1511 E-Mail: charris@facs.org |
Legislative and Grassroots projects, including the ACS Legislative Action Center. |
| State Affairs Staff | Issues/Responsibilities |
| Jon H. Sutton Manager, State Affairs Phone: 312-202-5358 (Chicago office) E-Mail: jsutton@facs.org |
State legislation and policy, state legislative action center, AMA House of Delegates and surgical caucus, AMA young physicians, health policy scholars, and scope of practice partnership. |
| Charlotte Grill State Affairs Associate Phone: 312-202-5363 (Chicago office) E-Mail: cgrill@facs.org |
State health policy/legislation tracking, state-level advocacy strategy development and training/workshops, STAR program, NCSL, and state-level trauma advocacy. |
Alexis Macias |
State legislative advocacy focus on Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin; state-level advocacy strategy development and training/workshops; chapter advocacy development; state advocacy event planning and assistance; state trauma advocacy; and NCSL. |
Revised February 8, 2012