PM&R's Response to COVID-19

Advocacy

(Advertisement)

AAPM&R Collaborations and Partnerships

AAPM&R is working to ensure PM&R is part of the national conversation about healthcare amidst COVID-19 and advocating for the federal support, legislation, regulation relief and resources that physiatrists need now.

Long COVID Education, Engagement, and Care Management

The Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) received supplemental funding to improve clinician education and engagement in the care of patients with Long COVID from the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Long COVID Research and Practice in partnership with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Academy is working with CMSS on this grant.

HHS Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Long COVID

Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez, MD, FAAPMR, has been appointed to the HHS Secretary Advisory Committee on Long COVID. This committee will inform action of the Executive Branch on Long COVID and associated conditions, with a focus on health equity, by providing recommendations to the Secretary through the Assistant Secretary for Health.

NASEM Workgroup on Examining the Working Definition for Long COVID

Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez, MD, FAAPMR, is participating on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committee that is examining and recommending a new definition for Long COVID.  

AHRQ COVID-19 Research Grants

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), announced the approval of 28 research grants designed to explore essential questions about the delivery of healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic. Check out the Academy's advocacy for this funding. 

Stay Up-to-Date

Long COVID Initiative Updates: May 12, 2021

May 12, 2021

AAPM&R will provide consistent updates on our advocacy outreach efforts, the Multi-Disciplinary PASC Collaborative and other relevant information to our Long COVID initiative.

The Academy's Long COVID Efforts Are Gaining Momentum

AAPM&R continues to advocate for a national plan to address Long COVID, most recently pushing the call to action in The Hill, a Washington, D.C. based political media outlet. Continue to stand with us and share our call to action with your colleagues and community and bring more voices into the conversation. We are stronger together. Visit our press page to see how our members are making a difference and caring for patients with Long COVID. 

We recently launched our Advocacy sign-on statement with over 60 signatures which can be viewed here. The statement is being shared with federal offices to demonstrate the vast support for the national crisis plan on Long COVID. We are continuing to encourage organizations to sign on to this important initiative.

AAPM&R submitted comments to the Senate HELP (Health, Education, Labor and Pensions) Committee's meeting yesterday. We're taking the opportunity to call attention to Long COVID as the Senate checks in on the status of COVID-19 in the U.S. Thank you to Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez, MD, FAAPMR; Benjamin Abramoff, MD, FAAPMR; Gerald Nora, MD, FAAPMR, and Aaron Bunnell, MD, FAAPMR for meeting with their representatives on this issue on behalf of the Academy.

The PASC Quality Improvement Collaborative continues to make progress as well. The Cognitive Impairment writing group met last week to share ideas and strategies as it works to formulate initial guidance.