Advocacy

CHEST advocates to expand access to health. To make it happen, we not only partner with our expert clinician membership, but we work with government agencies where far-reaching decisions that impact lung health are made. We also work hand-in-hand with patient advocacy groups that are immersed in understanding the major barriers to health people face.

For decades, CHEST has championed lung health advocacy and has been a driver of federal anti-tobacco laws. As the global leader in innovative chest medicine, we fight for policies that prevent and treat lung disease, empower clinicians, and save lives. We’re calling for action at the top of our lungs.

Our advocacy mission

CHEST supports the development of policies and regulatory or legislative actions that improve access to health. Our most proactive efforts are focused across the four key areas that comprise the current policy agenda: tobacco and vaping, oxygen access, pulmonary rehabilitation, and noninvasive ventilation. Through expert-backed research and analysis, we advocate for practical solutions that reflect the needs of those who are directly affected by the issues.

Our efforts are directed toward forming and adopting evidence-based policy recommendations; influencing change within government, payors, and health systems; and organizing collective responses to issues across pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. We strive to eliminate health disparities by understanding barriers to accessing quality health care, acknowledging the impact of social determinants of health, and promoting healthy environments that help prevent lung disease before it starts.

Let’s speak out for the hundreds of millions of people who suffer from lung disease globally. Together, we can help our world breathe easier.

Our advocacy leaders

Michael Nelson, MD, FCCP

Chair

Kathleen Sarmiento, MD

Vice-Chair

Neil Freedman, MD, FCCP – Chair, Oxygen Access and Education Work Group
Cassie Kennedy, MD, FCCP – Chair, Pulmonary Rehabilitation Work Group
Frank Leone, MD – Chair, Tobacco/Vaping Work Group
Neeraj Desai, MD, MBA – American Medical Association Representative
Scott Manaker, MD, PhD, FCCP – American College of Physicians Representative and Chair, Billing, Coding, and Reimbursement Work Group

Advocacy in action

NONINVASIVE VENTILATION

Encouraging CMS to Support In-Home Treatment of Chronic Respiratory Failure Related to COPD

October 28, 2024 | CHEST provides public comment to CMS in support of access to in-home noninvasive positive pressure ventilation for the treatment of patients with chronic respiratory failure related to COPD.

CRITICAL CARE

Addressing the IV Fluid Shortage

October 15, 2024 | CHEST calls on the FDA to coordinate efforts to mitigate IV fluid supply chain challenges in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

OXYGEN ACCESS

World Oxygen Day Underscores Urgent Need for Life-Changing Oxygen Reform

October 2, 2024 | CHEST urges Congress to act swiftly to pass the SOAR Act.

SEE MORE STATEMENTS

Priorities

Tobacco and vaping

Building upon our history of anti-tobacco advocacy, CHEST invests in identifying ways to prevent tobacco addiction and stands against innovation that focuses on kids, young adults, and members of marginalized communities, who have been long-time targets of the tobacco industry. We develop evidence-based cessation programs and guides, engage in federal rule-making processes, and lend our voice to legislation that aims to protect communities and individuals from the detrimental impact of smoking, vaping, and nicotine addiction.

Oxygen access

Access to high-flow and liquid oxygen systems is critical to effective patient care and improving patients' overall quality of life. We promote product innovation, seek improved coverage of devices, and educate patients and providers on how to effectively order, use, and maintain their devices. Partnerships with manufacturers and suppliers are key to navigating the barriers sufferers of chronic lung disease face in obtaining access to the devices that enable them to lead a normal life.

Pulmonary rehabilitation

Pulmonary rehabilitation is not a single procedure or service. It is the beginning of a lifestyle change that, with the proper education, guidance, and training, can improve outcomes and the quality of life for those who live with chronic lung disease. CHEST is dedicated to increasing the awareness and ubiquity of pulmonary rehabilitation. We seek to promote innovative delivery, improve reimbursement rates as a means to ensure broader program availability, and increase the prescription of pulmonary rehabilitation for improved patient outcomes.

Noninvasive ventilation

CHEST is committed to making it easier to get patients the type of device and supportive ongoing care they need to live better with chronic conditions, whether COPD, central sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea, hypoventilation syndromes, or thoracic restrictive diseases. CHEST strives for the decoupling of device prescription and home therapy. Restructuring how devices are approved for coverage is an essential goal that unites physicians, patient advocates, manufacturers, and suppliers, and CHEST is keeping the stakeholders at the table to find solutions.

Read the latest advocacy news and notes from CHEST Advocates

FEATURES

FEATURE STORY

From Stigma to Strength

Experts explain the barriers and benefits to disclosing disabilities in the medical field

14 MINUTE READ

MEET THE ADVOCATE

Embodying Advocacy, From Her Home to the House

Rupa S. Valdez, PhD, fights for change on the local and national levels

8 MINUTE READ

IDEAS AND INSIGHTS

CLINICIAN PERSPECTIVE

This Armor of Mine: Perspective of a bipolar physician and his program director

7 MINUTE READ

PATIENT PERSPECTIVE

My Last Wave: The road to recovery and acceptance after a spinal cord injury

7 MINUTE READ

MEET THE ADVOCATE

"This Is My Superpower": Joanna Turner Bisgrove, MD, on why America needs doctors with disabilities

4 MINUTE READ

Dr. Brian King and Frank T. Leone, MD, MS, FCCP

VIDEO INTERVIEW

A Conversation With Center for Tobacco Products Director, Dr. Brian King

Frank T. Leone, MD, MS, FCCP, Chair of CHEST’s Tobacco/Vaping Work Group, recently spoke with Brian King, PhD, MPH, Director of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Tobacco Products, about priorities for the agency, its enforcement capacity, the evaluation of electronic cigarettes, and reducing nicotine content in cigarettes.

WATCH THE INTERVIEW

CLINICAL PRACTICE RESOURCES | See how CHEST has commented on coding, billing, and regulatory compliance issues. READ NOW »

Stay informed. Get involved.

Keep up to date on advocacy developments affecting you and your patients, volunteer to contribute to a work group, or share your thoughts on rising priorities.

Together, we can help our world breathe easier.

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