Page 8 - Mobility Management, June 2017

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Make the Most of Capitol Hill Visits
Perspectives of a Former Staffer
You’ve packed your bags, gritted your teeth through airport security or highway traffic, and arrived in Washington, D.C. Your ultimate destination: the office of your Congressional representative or senator so you can advocate face to face for complex rehab technology and the consumers who benefit from it.
But when you arrive at the office and are ushered into a meeting space, you’re likely to find yourself meeting not with your elected official, but with a Congressional staffer — who might appear disconcertingly young.
It’s a situation very familiar to John Goetz, director of government affairs for Permobil.
For nearly six years, Goetz worked for Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) on the senator’s healthcare policy team, just as debate on healthcare reform and the Affordable Care Act was gaining steam.
Goetz was one of those staffers, and now he shares insider info, including why staffers might be exactly the people you want to meet.
Every 15 Minutes
In an interview with Mobility Management, Goetz recalled meeting with complex rehab technology (CRT) and DME industry stakeholders when they came to Capitol Hill. Now, Goetz is on the other side of the table and working to preserve consumer access to assistive technology.
In his tenure with Corker, Goetz focused on healthcare policy and also worked on disability issues.
“During the time that I was there, Sen. Corker was ranking [member] on the Committee on Aging, and despite the name of the committee, a lot of the issues we dealt with also dealt with disability,” Goetz said. “I did a lot of research and briefings for the senator as issues came up.”
As one of Corker’s staffers, Goetz added, “I remember taking meetings with [NCART members] and taking meetings with AAHomecare. It was right around the time that things were really coming to a head with competitive bidding. Any healthcare or disability- related issue that came up, usually I was one of the
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staff that [they] met with.”
While visiting groups are sometimes able to meet
directly with representatives or senators, they more often meet with Congressional staffers who take meetings on legislators’ behalf.
That was Goetz’s role when he worked for Corker.
“Especially when we were in session and when there were hot topic issues happening, [staffers] basically have meetings put on their calendars for every 15 minutes all day long and all week long,” Goetz said.
In remembering his time as a staffer, he said, “So much is under healthcare that you would [meet with a group about] CRT, you would meet with hemophilia doctors, you would meet with nursing home folks. It was a wide range of things. You had to jump between topics constantly.
“In the middle of that, you get an e-mail from your boss that asks you something completely unrelated to anything you’ve been talking about all day that you have to jump in and do as well.”
Tips of the Trade
Goetz’s “tip sheet” comes from those years of experi- ence in meeting with healthcare groups.
• Survey the scene before you go to Capitol Hill. “It might be good to make yourself familiar with the issues that are going on in D.C. at the time,” Goetz said. “Pick up a copy of the Wall Street Journal, or go online to Politico to see what the hot topics are in Washington. Have that realistic aspect [and know] these are the things that are going on and will be competing with you. You want to make sure that the way you communicate is effective and organized in such a way that they’re going to remember you amongst all of these other things that are happening around them.
“There’s just a lot of noise, so having that clear, concise message will help you stand out.”
• Don’t be disappointed if your meeting is with a staff member rather than the representative or senator. Staffers often look young, but they’re critical members of representatives’ and senators’ teams.
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