Meeting With Members of Congress and Staff

Below are some general guidelines for making the most of your visits on Capitol Hill. Whether you are meeting with your Member of Congress or one of their staffers, it is important to keep in mind the following advice during meetings:

• Arrive on time. Anticipate that there will be additional time needed to get through the security lines for each building. If you are with a group, please wait outside the office until the others arrive and then announce yourself to the receptionist. Check your messages, texts, and emails throughout the day in case our scheduler needs to provide you with any changes to your appointments. It is possible that due to the press of congressional business your meeting may be rescheduled during the day or even cancelled.
• Come prepared. Review background information provided to you in advance of your meeting. Consider practicing your message before you arrive. Background material on particular topics, as well as fact sheets to be left behind with congressional offices, will be provided to you. Before coming to Washington, DC, it is highly recommended that you visit the websites of your two Senators (www.senate.gov) and your House member (www.house.gov) to learn more about their positions on health issues, specifically what bills they have cosponsored.
• Introduce yourself. Begin your meeting by introducing yourself, noting where you are from and the hospital in which you practice. This establishes relevancy: you are a constituent from the Senator’s state or House member’s congressional district. Don’t assume that the Member of Congress or staffer knows what a hospitalist is, so spend a few minutes explaining what you do, where you work, and the benefits of hospital medicine.
• Convey your message succinctly. Meetings with Members of Congress and their staff are usually fairly short (expect no more than 15 minutes with a lawmaker; 20 minutes with a staffer), so be prepared to convey your message concisely. Designate a spokesperson if you are part of a group.
• Make your message understandable. Be specific in telling the lawmaker or his/her staff what it is that he/she should do. Use the fact sheets and issue leave-behind as a guide to make sure you are clear. Be sure to thank your lawmaker if he/she cosponsored bills SHM supports or has taken other actions that we favor.
• If you don’t know, you don’t know. There is nothing wrong with not having an answer. If you can’t respond to a question or do not know if SHM has a position on a particular issue that may come up during your meetings, simply say that you do not know the answer but that you will try to find out and follow up with the office.
• Provide supporting materials. In your folders you will find fact sheets to leave with each office.
• Ask what you can do to help your elected official. For example, volunteer to be a resource for the office on health-related matters or invite them to do a tour of your hospital or facility.
• After Hill Day: Complete and return feedback forms to SHM. Follow up with your Congressional office.

Checklist of Items to Bring With You:

• Plenty of business cards (You will be asked for a business card by the receptionist as well during the meeting)
• Raincoat and umbrella if the forecast includes rain
• Comfortable shoes
• Business attire
• Digital camera