Office of the Attending Physician

Office of the Attending Physician
Agency name	Office of the Attending Physician
Formed	1799
Jurisdiction	United States Capitol, White House, Congress, Supreme Court
Headquarters	United States Capitol Complex
Chief1 name	Attending Physician
Parent agency	Legislative Branch

Contents

Office of the Attending Physician The Office of the Attending Physician provides clinical care, public health services, and medical oversight to members and staff of the United States Congress, the Supreme Court of the United States, and other officials working in the United States Capitol Complex. Founded at the turn of the 19th century, the office has intersected with events involving figures such as John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Franklin D. Roosevelt, and institutions including the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, and the Capitol Police. Its activities touch on public health crises linked with episodes involving Yellow Fever, Influenza Pandemic of 1918–1919, HIV/AIDS epidemic, and recent outbreaks like COVID-19 pandemic.

History

The office traces roots to early medical care for legislators during the administrations of George Washington and John Adams and formalized roles during the tenure of lawmakers such as Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, and John C. Calhoun. Through the 19th century the office responded to epidemics affecting members alongside interventions connected to the Mexican–American War, the American Civil War, and the era of Reconstruction. In the 20th century the office adapted to challenges tied to the Spanish flu pandemic, the expansion of federal institutions under Woodrow Wilson, and health emergencies involving presidents including Warren G. Harding and Woodrow Wilson. In recent decades the office intersected with events involving Watergate, security incidents like the 1998 Capitol shooting and the 2021 United States Capitol attack, and public health responses during the H1N1 influenza pandemic and COVID-19 pandemic.

The office's charter assigns duties to provide primary care, emergency medicine, preventive services, and occupational health for members of the United States Senate, United States House of Representatives, and staff of entities such as the Library of Congress, the Government Publishing Office, and the Architect of the Capitol. Responsibilities include immunizations tied to outbreaks like measles, screening programs influenced by policies from agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and continuity planning during national events involving the President of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, and diplomatic entourages from the United Nations. The office liaises on biosecurity issues related to legislation like the Bioterrorism Act of 2002 and public health directives from the Department of Health and Human Services.

Staffing includes physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, paramedics, laboratory technologists, and administrative personnel appointed by the Attending Physician, a role previously held by clinicians with ties to institutions such as Johns Hopkins University, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Mayo Clinic, and Georgetown University Medical Center. The office coordinates with uniformed services including the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the United States Army Medical Corps and draws specialist consultation from clinicians at institutions like Massachusetts General Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Leadership has included physicians with military backgrounds connected to events like the Gulf War and organizational ties to professional bodies such as the American Medical Association and the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Clinical services encompass urgent care, occupational health, travel medicine, immunization clinics, and laboratory diagnostics performing tests for pathogens that include SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A virus, and other reportable diseases overseen by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Facilities are housed within the United States Capitol and adjacent office buildings including the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Russell Senate Office Building, and Cannon House Office Building, with emergency coordination involving the United States Capitol Police and transport to tertiary centers like MedStar Washington Hospital Center and George Washington University Hospital. The office operates medical records systems, telemedicine services, and occupational screening aligned with standards from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The office played roles in care after high-profile medical incidents involving lawmakers and staff during sessions of the United States Congress and has provided medical support during ceremonies featuring leaders such as Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump. It managed responses to infectious threats during the Spanish flu pandemic, advised on exposures related to viral outbreaks investigated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and contributed to continuity planning for events like State of the Union addresses and inaugurations involving the Chief Justice of the United States, the Speaker of the House, and diplomatic delegations visiting from nations such as United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan.

The office maintains formal and informal relationships with military medical facilities including Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and Tripler Army Medical Center, federal agencies such as the Department of Veterans Affairs, and civilian hospitals like Johns Hopkins Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. It coordinates interagency responses with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during public health emergencies and security incidents, facilitating patient transfer protocols, laboratory confirmations, and joint planning with entities like the Capitol Police Board and the Architect of the Capitol.

The office has faced scrutiny in episodes involving transparency, care prioritization, and testing policies during outbreaks such as the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting oversight inquiries from committees of the United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform and the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Debates have involved comparisons to care at civilian institutions including Mayo Clinic and questions about resources coordinated with agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and have surfaced during political controversies tied to sessions of the United States Congress and security reviews after incidents like the January 6 United States Capitol attack.