Congressional recess is an important opportunity for WOCN Society members to connect directly with lawmakers in their home districts and speak up for the patients we serve.
This year, we are asking members to use that opportunity to educate Congress about our concerns with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) decision to include ostomy and urological supplies in Medicare’s Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program.
CMS has included ostomy supplies, urological supplies, and hydrophilic urinary catheters among the product categories scheduled for the next round of competitive bidding. The new contracts are expected to take effect no later than January 1, 2028.
For WOC nurses and the patients we care for, this is not simply a question of how Medicare purchases supplies. Ostomy products are highly individualized. The appropriate pouching system and accessories depend on factors such as stoma characteristics, body contours, skin condition, output, dexterity, lifestyle, and other clinical needs. Access to the right products can make the difference between successful ostomy management and complications such as leakage and peristomal skin problems.
That is why your voice matters.
Meet With Your Member of Congress
Members of Congress spend portions of the summer congressional recess working in their districts and meeting with constituents. Members will likely be in your state the months of August and October. As a WOC nurse, you can provide something congressional offices do not get from a policy paper alone: firsthand clinical experience.
Setting up a meeting is easier than you may think:
1. Find your U.S. Representative.
Visit the U.S. House of Representatives website and enter your home address to identify your Representative and their district office. Use the U.S. House of Representatives’ Find Your Representative tool and enter your home address to identify your Representative.
2. Contact the district office.
Call or email the office and ask to speak with the scheduler or the staff member who handles health care issues. Let them know that you are a constituent, a wound, ostomy, and continence nurse, and a member of the WOCN Society.
3. Ask for a meeting during the district work period.
Explain that you would like to discuss CMS’s inclusion of ostomy and urological supplies in Medicare competitive bidding and the potential effect on patients. Meetings with congressional staff are valuable as well, so do not be discouraged if the Member is unavailable.
4. Call the Washington DC office.
If you are unnamable to arrange a meeting in the district you can always call the DC office of your members of Congress and ask to speak with the Health Legislative Assistant. Connect with this staff and express your concerns about competitive bidding.
5. Make it personal.
Congressional offices hear about hundreds of issues. Your clinical experience is what makes this conversation different. Explain what goes into selecting an appropriate ostomy product, why products are not interchangeable, and what can happen when a patient cannot obtain the product that works for them.
Please protect patient privacy and do not share identifying patient information.
6. Make the ask.
Ask your Representative to help protect Medicare beneficiaries’ access to medically appropriate ostomy and urological supplies and to urge CMS to halt or delay implementation of competitive bidding for these products while concerns about patient access and clinical appropriateness are addressed.
7. Follow up.
Thank the Member and staff for their time, offer to serve as a clinical resource, and stay in touch. Building relationships with elected officials and congressional staff can have an impact long after a single meeting ends.
Things You Can Do
- Set up a meeting with your member of Congress
- Call their health care staffer in Washington
- Sign the “Keep Them Out” petition
Some Resources to Help You Prepare
The following resources provide additional background on competitive bidding, ostomy care, and current advocacy efforts:
- WOCN Society Public Policy and Advocacy Resources
- Keep Them Out
- The High Cost of Low Bids
- WOCN Position Paper on Competitive Bidding
- United Ostomy Associations of America: Understanding the Medicare Competitive Bidding Proposal
- United Ostomy Associations of America Webinar: Protecting Access to Ostomy and Catheter Supplies—What CMS Competitive Bidding Could Mean for You
Some of these resources are produced by outside organizations and are not offered through the WOCN Society, but they may provide helpful educational and advocacy information as you prepare for your meeting.
Your experience as a WOC nurse gives you a powerful perspective. A short conversation with a congressional office can help lawmakers understand that decisions about ostomy and urological supplies have real consequences for the people who depend on them every day.
Thank you for advocating for your patients and for the future of WOC nursing.