On March 23, 2026, SNMMI hosted
our Annual Hill Day. Over 72 attendees, including physicians, scientists,
technologists, industry colleagues, and patients from across the country,
participated in 77 meetings with legislative staff.
The goal of SNMMI's annual Hill
Day is to educate our Federal congressional leaders about the basics of nuclear
medicine, the promise nuclear medicine holds in diagnosis and treatment of
cancers and other diseases, and to advocate for policies that advance the field
of nuclear medicine and benefit patients. Hill Day attendees get first-hand
experience advocating at the federal level with one objective in mind to
improve patients access to nuclear medicine.
SNMMI held a "Virtual Information
Session" prior to Hill Day. This allowed members to learn about Hill Day's
advocacy topics, the structure of meetings with legislative staffers, Congressional
policy priorities, and ask any questions in a relaxed environment.
Hill Day began with breakfast in
the Capitol Building. SNMMI Government Relations Committee Chair, Erin Grady,
MD, CCD, FACNM, FSNMMI, introduced former Rep. Larry Bucshon, MD (R-IN), who
provided remarks to attendees. Rep. Bucshon emphasized to attendees that
advocacy from a variety of perspectives, including patients, technologists, and
physicians adds depth to conversations with lawmakers and legislative staff. He
reminded participants that sharing the lived stories of people who are impacted
by the policies being discussed in Congress is one of the best ways to get
their message across to members of Congress.
Participants were grouped into 11
teams of 4-7 members, based on their geographic location in the United States. This
allowed participants to meet with legislative staff for members of Congress
from their own states, and often their own Congressional districts. Each team
had a leader who guided the teams through the House and Senate office buildings,
introduced SNMMI and the team to the legislative staff, and took notes to
support follow-up with staff.
Attendees advocated
for three specific Federal priorities:
- Theranostics Research at the
Department of Defense (DoD) Hill Day participants advocated for Members
of Congress to support inclusion of report language in FY27 DoD funding
legislation that encourages allocated federal research dollars be leveraged to
further the field of theranostics for treating cancer.
- Reimbursement for
Radiopharmaceuticals Participants requested that members of Congress urge
the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to revise its current
reimbursement methodology for certain diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals, in order to better ensure patient access to precision
medicine.
- Preserving and Bolstering
Medical Research Funding Hill Day participants reminded Congressional
staff that cutting-edge research related to nuclear medicine is being conducted
across the U.S. government, including at the Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS), the Department of Energy (DOE), and the DoD. Participants
encouraged members of Congress to support and bolster funding for medical
research.
During Hill Day, SNMMI presented
Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) with SNMMI s 2026
Legislative Champion Award. These bipartisan awards are given to legislators
who have advocated for the nuclear medicine community.
Thank you to everyone who traveled
to Washington, DC for SNMMI's annual Hill Day. It was a great success. The real-life
stories shared by patients and family caregivers, physicians, researchers,
technologists, and industry colleagues advance the field of nuclear medicine in
diagnosing and treating patients. Congressional staff appreciates
hearing from those with expertise in nuclear medicine and those with lived
experiences, and these have a persuasive impact on Congress.