January Highlights

• Cheers to Patient Advocates: Kicked off the year by attending the Cheers to Patient Advocates event in Washington, DC, presented by Lilly. It was a meaningful opportunity to celebrate alongside fellow advocacy groups, recognizing our shared successes in improving patients’ lives and the important work that still lies ahead.
• Obesity Care Advocacy Network (OCAN) Spotlight Series: January was a strong start to the year, marked by meaningful engagement across advocacy, policy, and clinical leadership. AACE was spotlighted in the Obesity Care Advocacy Network (OCAN) Spotlight Series, which highlights the work of more than 40 member organizations across X and LinkedIn and provided visibility into our programs, resources, and initiatives advancing obesity care.
• AMA RUC Negotiations on Fine Needle Aspirations and Continuous Glucose Monitors: On the clinical policy front, Dr. Morkos and Dr. Biggs, serving as our Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC) advisors, met with panel members from the American Medical Association (AMA) to discuss practice expense inputs for thyroid fine-needle aspiration procedures, as well as valuation and access considerations related to continuous glucose monitors. These discussions are critical to ensuring physician-led care is accurately reflected in national payment policy.
• Obesity Care Advocacy Network and the American Security Project to Secretary Pete Hegseth: We joined forces with OCAN and the American Security Project to sign a joint letter to Secretary Pete Hegseth, urging the Department of War to address the growing challenge of obesity within the U.S. Armed Forces. The letter outlined recommendations for how the Department of War can safely and effectively address rising obesity rates within the U.S. Armed Forces, underscoring the connection between health, readiness, and national security.