American College Of Surgeons

Educational programs - the college's educational division supports the efforts of practicing surgeons, surgery residents, medical students, and members of surgical teams to provide the best care to patients. To help surgeons optimize their practices, attain new skills, and manage their careers, the acs offers dozens of educational opportunities that continually evolve for changing needs. These opportunities range from rigorous readiness assessments for residents to courses designed to enhance surgeons' skills as educators and leaders. In addition to providing continuing medical education activities, the division of education has developed patient educational materials relative to surgical care. Division efforts include staffing numerous education committees and the following programs: (continued in sch o).

The college has a member services division. Through member services, the college continues to remain a major professional association with over 90,000 members. The membership represents all surgical specialists, and member surgeons are provided with programs and services that help them adapt to a changing health care environment. The division evaluates all applications for fellowship based upon defined fellowship requirements for practicing surgeons, as well as admits associate fellow, resident, medical student, and affiliate members. (continued in sch o).

Division of advocacy and health policy (dahp) - the purpose of the health policy and advocacy group is to identify public policy issues and concerns affecting surgeons and their patients. This is an essential focus for the acs, with significant time and attention spent developing productive relationships with key contacts at both the us state and federal levels, as well as with regulatory and health agencies. Due in part to these relationships, congress reduced medicare cuts for surgeons by 50% in 2024 and the acs continues to steadfastly push for long-term medicare payment reform. In april 2024, acs executive director and ceo patricia l. Turner, md, mba, facs, testified before the senate committee on finance, expressing the college s support for an inflationary update, increasing the current budget neutrality threshold, access to physician-developed alternative payment models, and other steps to achieve coordinated, patient-centered, high-value care. The acs also participated in a meeting hosted by the white house office on gun violence prevention to discuss the leadership of hospitals and health systems in addressing firearm injury prevention.