Advocacy Services
The FSMB serves as the voice for state medical boards, supporting them through education, assessment, research and advocacy while providing services and initiatives that promote patient safety, quality health care and regulatory best practices.
Supporting State Medical Boards
FSMB's Advocacy team assists state medical and osteopathic boards in achieving their legislative initiatives and priorities on the federal and state level through policy development, legislative tracking and communications support.
Working from offices in Washington, DC, the FSMB educates legislators and officials from various government agencies on the important role that state medical boards play in protecting the public. The FSMB advocacy team regularly meets with members of Congress and their staff, administration officials, national health care reporters and other leaders in the health care community to advocate on behalf of state medical boards and state-based medical regulation.
Federal Legislative Affairs
The FSMB develops and implements strategies for effectively representing the interests of state medical and osteopathic boards before Congress and health administration officials. On behalf of state medical boards, the FSMB:
- Facilitates congressional contacts for medical boards
- Monitors congressional hearings and the introduction of federal legislation
- Interacts with federal agencies
- Participates in agency-sponsored taskforces
- Drafts letters of endorsement and testimonies on behalf of state medical boards on national issues impacting medical regulation.
State Legislative Affairs
At the state level, the FSMB supports state medical boards by:
- Promoting state legislative agendas and policies, and encouraging dialogue among state medical boards
- Identifying legislative trends as they develop
- Drafting correspondence to federal and state officials
- Drafting and presenting testimony to support member medical boards initiatives or to reinforce opposition to specific legislative initiatives
- Tracking legislation of interest to medical boards across the country as it is introduced and addressed by state governments.
Policy Development
The FSMB periodically convenes representatives of state medical boards, together with experts in specific subject areas, to study and develop recommendations on issues pertinent to medical regulation. FSMB’s official public policies are intended to give guidance and encourage consistency among state medical boards in addressing trends in medical practice and regulation in order to protect the public and improve the quality, safety and integrity of health care.