Medical societies and health IT companies ramped up their lobbying efforts on telehealth and prescription drug monitoring programs during the first quarter of 2018, according to a Politico analysis of lobbying disclosures.
Here are notes on five healthcare organizations and their first-quarter lobbying efforts.
1. The American Medical Association spent roughly $6.6 million on lobbying efforts during the first quarter, including on issues related to EHR-PDMP interoperability, e-prescribing and telemedicine.
2. The American Association of Medical Colleges disclosed roughly $1.14 million on lobbying activities, including "enhancing usability of PDMPs."
3. The American College of Physician Services — a division within the American College of Physicians — spent roughly $250,000 on lobbying efforts, including advocating for a more comprehensive PDMP system.
4. Appriss, which provides software for many state PDMPs, paid Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld roughly $50,000, including for activities related to PDMP programs and legislation.
5. Zipnosis, a virtual care company, paid Duetto roughly $10,000, including for activities related to "support for telemedicine via Software as a Service."