AAPM Government Affairs

AAPM is deeply engaged in advocacy, continuously working to represent the interests of our profession with dedicated AAPM staff, expert consultants, and lobbyists actively monitoring, responding to, and leading initiatives that affect medical physicists.

(October 7, 2026)

AAPM Experts Featured at NIST-NIBIB Symposium on Medical Metrology and Standards

AAPM members participated in the September 24 NIST-NIBIB Symposium on Medical Metrology and Standards for American Healthcare and Commerce, which brought together experts from government, academia, healthcare, and industry to discuss measurement and standards needs across medical imaging, diagnostics, and therapeutic technologies.

AAPM participants contributed medical physics perspectives on CT metrology, quantitative imaging, and the role of measurement standards in ensuring that medical technologies perform accurately, consistently, and safely in clinical practice. The symposium is part of a broader NIST and NIBIB effort to develop a national Medical Metrology and Standards Roadmap identifying priority measurement needs, standards gaps, and opportunities to strengthen the infrastructure supporting healthcare innovation.

The meeting also underscored the importance of federal measurement science to medical physics, including the need for reliable, reproducible, and traceable measurements across devices, institutions, and clinical settings.

AAPM Preparing Response to NIST-NIBIB Request for Information

Following the symposium, NIST and NIBIB issued a Request for Information seeking stakeholder input to help inform development of the Medical Metrology and Standards Roadmap. The agencies are seeking feedback on current and emerging measurement and standards needs related to medical imaging devices, diagnostics, therapeutic technologies, and other areas of healthcare.

The RFI provides an opportunity for the medical physics community to identify measurement challenges and standards gaps that can affect the development, evaluation, and clinical implementation of new technologies. These issues are particularly relevant to medical physicists working in quantitative imaging, dosimetry, calibration, quality assurance, and emerging technologies.

AAPM is coordinating an organizational response to ensure that medical physics priorities are represented in the roadmap. Comments are due November 30, 2026.

AAPM Joins Coalition Opposing Proposed $103,265 H-1B Petition Fee

AAPM joined 48 other organizations in a September 24 comment letter opposing a Department of Homeland Security proposal to impose an additional $103,265 fee on all cap-subject H-1B petitions, including petitions eligible for the advanced-degree exemption. The proposed fee would be charged in addition to existing H-1B filing fees and is intended to recover a portion of the federal government’s costs of administering the lawful immigration system.

AAPM joined the coalition because of the potential impact on hospitals, academic medical centers, universities, research institutions, and other employers that rely on highly skilled international professionals. Medical physics is a specialized workforce, and substantial new petition costs could create additional barriers for institutions seeking to recruit and retain qualified medical physicists and other scientific and healthcare professionals.

The coalition urged the federal government to reconsider the proposed fee and its potential effects on employers whose use of the H-1B program supports healthcare, scientific research, innovation, and higher education.

Federal Courts Block Separate $100,000 H-1B Payment Requirement

Separately, litigation continues over a $100,000 H-1B payment requirement established through a presidential proclamation in 2025. The requirement applies to certain H-1B workers outside the United States and, subject to specified exceptions, restricts entry or petition approval unless the employer makes the $100,000 payment. On September 18, 2026, the Administration issued a new proclamation extending the policy through September 21, 2027.

Federal courts have blocked implementation of the $100,000 requirement. Earlier litigation resulted in a Massachusetts federal court vacating federal agency actions implementing the proclamation, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit subsequently declined to stay that ruling while the government appealed. A second federal judge issued another ruling against the policy on September 30.

The $100,000 proclamation requirement is legally and procedurally separate from the proposed $103,265 DHS petition fee on which AAPM joined the September 24 coalition comments. AAPM will continue monitoring both developments and their potential effects on the medical physics workforce.

Please contact Lauren DePutter, AAPM’s Director of Government Affairs and External Relations, with any questions or concerns.

Monthly AAPM Advocacy Updates

How you can help!

Your voice and participation strengthen our advocacy efforts. Numerous opportunities exist for AAPM members to advocate by lending their voices, experiences and collective expertise.

Become a state champion through CHAMPS and CHAMPWG
Take action through the AAPM Advocacy Action Center to contact lawmakers and support key policy priorities affecting medical physics
Volunteer on key committees including GRAC, ECON or through subcommittees and working groups: WGPVAC, CRCPDS, JMPLSC, and GRPSC

How AAPM is Actively Advocating:

Monitoring and Engagement: Our staff and dedicated volunteers closely track news, policy actions, and communications from peer and partner organizations. This ensures we are informed and responsive, supporting relevant initiatives beneficial to our members.
Informing Membership: Stay updated through the AAPM Newsletter, e-News, association emails, committee updates, meeting sessions, social media, and by direct contact with staff and volunteers.
Working Collaboratively: AAPM has worked to establish a close and cooperative working relationships with numerous government bodies, organizations and key federal agencies, such as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), along with a range of medical providers, corporation, suppliers and peer professional societies. AAPM recently spearheaded a joint response to the July 17, 2025 Federal Register notice regarding proposed changes to the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR) Program, with 5 peer societies adding their support. Read the response HERE.

Together, we can ensure the voice of medical physicists remains strong, informed, and influential.

Activities

Highlights of Recent Activities (2025):

AAPM recently spearheaded a joint response to the July 17, 2025 Federal Register notice regarding proposed changes to the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR) Program, with 5 peer societies adding their support. Read the response HERE.
Supported multiple coalition letters advocating for robust federal funding of NIH and NSF research programs.
Endorsed ASTRO’s ROCR bill aimed at enhancing radiation oncology reimbursement.
Initiated a "Take-Action" campaign opposing indirect funding caps at NIH, successfully mobilizing over 90 advocacy messages to Congressional offices.
AAPM leadership approved an official Advocacy Agenda, a strategic roadmap to guide our government relations efforts moving forward.
AAPM’s inaugural Advocacy Day (Hill Day) scheduled for Thursday, July 31, 2025 immediately following our Annual Meeting.
Launched CHAMPS, a state-level grassroots advocacy program:
- The Steering Subcommittee is actively recruiting and training state volunteers.
- This program sets targeted advocacy goals and provides training resources to enhance state-level advocacy.
Strengthened partnerships and provided training through CRCPDS, enhancing our relationships with federal and state radiation programs.
ECON Committee diligently monitors and prepares for annual CMS rule cycles, offering training to members and submitting formal comments on behalf of medical physicists.
Through WGPVAC, we proactively engaged for the Veterans Affairs Hospitals—the nation’s largest healthcare system—to safeguard medical physics contracts crucial for patient care. AAPM previously facilitated the introduction of HR6800 to address hiring and retention challenges for therapy physicists within the VA, and we’re actively pursuing its reintroduction and expansion to diagnostic physicists.

Government Affairs