My afternoons are often spent digesting the same newspapers that serve Congress, including Congressional Quarterly’s Congress Daily, Roll Call and The Hill. Additionally, I regularly monitor compounding pharmacy issues in the news and regulatory activity which could potentially impact compounding pharmacists. You have to pore through these materials, as you never know what tidbit you may see that could substantially impact your industry. In addition to legislative and regulatory work, you can go to two, three social events every morning and night to do what we lobbyists call“grip and grin.”This time investment really is critical in order to obtain one-on-one face time with the legislators who directly impact policies affecting our industry. All of this activity exponentially goes up during the election cycle. In D.C., we call the lead-in to a congressional, senatorial or presidential election, the, “silly season." Candidates and their advisors will ask IACP to provide them with compounding policy positions, set up one-on-one meetings, provide key contacts and names of associated individuals and most importantly for these candidates, endorse them and contribute money. Immediately after the elections, my role usually morphs into After the elections,I also work to identify the members of Congress ensuring I know the new Congressional committee chairs; who and staffers who potentially would be supportive to IACP policies has new rankings in the committees; who are our current as well as those who may oppose them. You’ve got to identify contacts within the rankings and whether I need to establish new potential allies and foes and then try to develop a strategy as to how in-roads with certain offices. to most effectively proceed. For many, these tasks may seem mundane and tedious, but after all these years, they still feed the adrenaline rush that empowers lobbyists like myself. One of my favorite times of the year is in June when IACP’s Compounders on Capitol Hill (CCH) rolls into town. This event truly is an amazing opportunity for our IACP Members to meet face-to-face with their state representation. I can tell you that what you do there really does make a difference. I urge you to save the date for the CCH 2013 event, June 1-4, 2013, the 19th time we will join together and take our compounding issues to the Hill! I A C P C U S T O M Rx C O N N E C T I O N I A C P R X . O R G 27
Custom Rx Connection August 2012
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