American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)

Released October 14, 2020 Download the PDF The entire Emergency Medicine community, as represented by the undersigned organizations, is disheartened to see recent comments and national news stories that might confuse the public about the training and scope of practice of osteopathic physicians and emergency medicine specialists. Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DOs) make up a substantial segment of the fully licensed practicing physicians in the US.

ACEP-Backed Legislation Confronts the Boarding Crisis. ACEP is working to pass federal legislation to address the boarding crisis. In Episode 3 of ACEP’s new podcast, Built on Results, ACEP member Jesse Pines, MD, MBA, MSCE, recounts efforts to advance the Emergency Care Access and Timeliness (ECAT) measure and the Addressing Boarding and Crowding in the ED (ABC-ED) Act. Today’s episode is available now, with new conversations every day through March 28th. Listen to where you get your podcasts.

In a long-awaited victory, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) issued the Registering Emergency Medical Services Agencies under the Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act of 2017 Final Rule to ensure continued access to pain and anti-seizure medications for patients experiencing medical emergencies.

What is EMTALA? EMTALA was enacted by Congress in 1986 as part of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) of 1985 (42 U.S.C. §1395dd). EMTALA was designed to prevent hospitals from transferring uninsured or Medicaid patients to public hospitals without, at a minimum, providing a medical screening examination to ensure they were stable for transfer.

ACEP affirms its strong support for the use of high-quality, evidence-based vaccine schedules as an essential component of public health and patient safety. ACEP formally endorses the most current consensus-based vaccine guidelines and schedules as developed and published by leading medical societies, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American College of Cardiology (ACC), and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

ACEP is calling for meaningful reforms to safeguard the well-being of emergency physicians in response to a report about burnout from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The report examines how health care delivery conditions affect burnout levels, how burnout among physicians and other health care workers impacts patients and families, and how system-level interventions aim to reduce burnout.

The Senate has reintroduced a bipartisan bill, the “Workforce Mobility Act” (S. 2031), banning non-compete agreements in employment contracts. ACEP supported the legislation originally, and is proudly backing the newly reintroduced bill because it will restore emergency physicians’ freedom to choose where and how they practice. It will protect clinical autonomy and ensure emergency physicians can keep delivering lifesaving care without unreasonable labor restrictions holding them back.

A new law in Oregon ensures that patient care is managed by physicians, not corporations. OR SB 951 is enacted with strong support from the Oregon chapter of ACEP and aligns with ACEP’s policy on corporate practice of medicine. The law prohibits corporations, shareholders and staff from interfering in physician decision-making, directing physician staffing, compensation, or management.

With ACEP’s strong support, new bipartisan legislation has been introduced to reverse the harmful Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) cuts. The “Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act,” would reverse the 2.83% Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) cut that went into effect on January 1, 2025, and provide a 2% update for inflation for 2025. This bill provides critical stability for the Medicare payment system while also ensuring Medicare payments reflect inflationary pressures.

Almost a quarter of the way into the first 100 days of the new Trump Administration and the 119th Congress, and the news cycle has been filled with new developments. Join ACEP advocacy staff to cut through the noise and learn what it all means for you as an emergency physician and for your patients. Advocacy Action Event Tag3 Webinar