Government Relations and Public Policy

The Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville government relations law firm practice navigates the complexities of the federal government to achieve policy solutions for our clients.

As a public policy law firm with a thriving legislative and regulatory practice, we bring a highly substantive approach to our client work. We leverage our legal and policy expertise with our political acumen to achieve results. Our government relations law firm practice encompasses the full range of government relations services, including strategic problem-solving, direct lobbying, legislative development, regulatory affairs, grassroots advocacy, and public outreach, all supported by a deep bench of legal talent with extensive subject matter expertise.

Government Relations and Public Policy Law Firm

Our public policy and government relations experts bring a wealth of past experiences to our clients, drawing from our relationships with key policymakers on Capitol Hill and in federal agencies as well as with key industry stakeholders and state and national trade associations. Our public policy law firm team members have held senior government positions and appointments, including as advisors to U.S. presidents, senators, and congressmen, collectively totaling over a century of experience on Capitol Hill and in executive agencies. Our team understands that a successful government relations practice is premised on both policy expertise and personal and political relationships with policymakers. Our combination of skills, experience, and bipartisan relationships bring our clients a superior understanding of the best means to influence the ever-shifting political and policy landscape.

Who We Serve

The Powers government relations and public policy law firm team represents trade associations, nonprofit organizations, coalitions, and businesses in healthcare. In particular, we have significant expertise working with physicians and other health care professionals, hospitals and hospital systems, health technology providers, and a wide range of post-acute care and ancillary service providers and suppliers. Powers has a strong concentration of rehabilitation and disability clients. We also advocate for consumer groups and diverse coalitions serving the needs of individuals with injuries, illnesses, disabilities and chronic conditions. As such, we are frequently called upon as speakers and strategic advisors to our clients, coalitions, and for our allies.

Our Success

Through the team’s work, our clients have successfully advocated for and passed legislation, testified or prepared our clients to testify before Congressional committees, modified key regulations, developed strategic direction and cutting-edge policy proposals, defeated threats to patient access, built strong and enduring coalitions, and fostered long-standing relationships with policymakers. Successful resolution to government affairs challenges normally requires bipartisan solutions. For this reason, our practitioners are of all political stripes, working together to serve our clients’ needs and goals.

As a government relations law firm, some examples of our recent successes include the following:

  • Led a campaign to design and enact the Independence at Home care demonstration: advanced passage of a two-year extension of the model, and prompted introduction of Senate expansion legislation to make the program nationwide in scope
  • Spurred House action leading to enactment of the HIV Organ Policy Equity Act
  • Secured language in the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 for a GAO study on remote cardiac monitoring payment
  • Assisted in successful advocacy campaign to CMS, Congress, and MedPAC to reject implementation of site-neutral payment in Medicare post-acute care and preserve access to appropriate rehabilitation in the appropriate setting
  • Led campaign to secure regulations defining “rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices” as an essential health benefit under the Affordable Care Act and clarifying that “devices” must be considered part of this definition under state benchmark plans
  • Convinced New York State’s Insurance Commissioner to permanently lift its “one prosthetic limb per lifetime” restriction in Affordable Care Act benchmark benefit coverage
  • Led coalition to support greater coordination and emphasis on rehabilitation and disability research at NIH and across the federal government, resulting in two major federal strategic planning initiatives and federal legislation to elevate the stature of such research at NIH
  • Orchestrated a widespread, grassroots campaign to rescind a draft Medicare Local Coverage Determination on lower limb prostheses that would have dramatically restricted access to patient care
  • Conceived of and led advocacy campaign to secure House passage of the Injured and Amputee Veterans Bill of Rights
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