May 2, 2025
ACEP 2025 Leadership & Advocacy Conference
ACEP Members Advocate on Capitol Hill for Emergency Medicine & Patients
Nearly 500 emergency physician and resident advocates from 42 states, DC and Puerto Rico came together to share their unique and vital perspectives with members of Congress and their healthcare staff on Tuesday during ACEP’s 2025 Leadership and Advocacy Conference (LAC) in Washington, DC.
Despite the reported gridlock and dysfunction in Washington DC, participants conducted nearly 300 productive, meaningful advocacy visits with legislators who have the power to improve care for patients and protect the future of the specialty.
 Colorado ACEP Members on Capitol Hill |
Already legislators are responding to the heartfelt stories heard during our Hill meetings with some moved to share our messaging on social media: https://x.com/RitchieTorres/status/1917660605609320819
The Hill visits focused on three critical issues that impact emergency medicine and patients.
Addressing the ED Boarding Crisis
Attendees described how hospital emergency departments (EDs) have reached a breaking point due to the long-standing problem known as “boarding,” where patients are held in the ED following stabilization and care awaiting an inpatient bed or space in a tertiary facility where they can be safely transferred. Noting there is no one-size-fits-all solution to the boarding crisis, legislators were urged to cosponsor the new bi-partisan "Addressing Boarding and Crowding in the Emergency Department Act," or ABC-ED Act, (H.R. 2936) to help alleviate the boarding crisis and support efforts to build a more resilient, transparent, and coordinated emergency care system.
If you could not attend LAC and visit your legislators in person this year, you can still send a message to educate Congress about the boarding crisis and ask for their support of the ABC-ED Act.
Supporting the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Emergency Physicians and the Health Care Workforce
Participants urged their legislators to co-sponsor the "Dr Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act (H.R.929/S.266)," the ACEP-developed bill to provide critical mental health resources and support for health care workers that was originally signed into law on March 18, 2022. This new bill introduced by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Todd Young (R-IN) and Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Jen Kiggans (R-VA) will reauthorize critical grants to provide education on strategies to reduce burnout, provide peer-support programming, and increase access to mental and behavioral health treatment services.
The law honors the life and legacy of Dr. Lorna Breen, a New York City emergency physician who died by suicide in April 2020 and whose story highlighted the intense pressures and burnout rates faced by emergency physicians and other health care professionals. To date, more than $100 million has been distributed under the law to improve access to mental health resources for physicians across the nation. But more needs to be done.
Send a message here to your members of Congress about this critical legislation.
Protecting Access to Life-Saving Emergency Care
During their Hill Visits, participants shared key findings from a new RAND Report,“Strategies for Sustaining Emergency Care in the U.S.", which reinforced the need to :
- Protect access to high-quality emergency care by stabilizing Medicaid and Medicare physician payments
- Maintain the long-term viability of emergency medicine as our nation’s safety net of care by ensuring it remains a viable, competitive, and attractive career for current and future generations of the physician workforce.
You can access additional information on all three issues here.
*If you attended LAC25, don’t forget to send thank you notes through the AdvocacyDay App to the legislators and staff you met with, and please complete the feedback form for each meeting.
911 Network Member of the Year Award
Thomas J. Sugarman, MD, FACEP
Dr. Sugarman is the kind of advocate we all aspire to be—passionate, persistent, and powerful in his presence. He’s not just involved—he’s engaged at every level. Whether he’s walking the halls of Congress, speaking with state lawmakers, or helping craft ACEP’s policy priorities, Tom brings clarity, integrity, and an unwavering dedication to the mission of emergency medicine.
 Dr. Sugarman receives the 911 Award from ACEP President Alison Haddock |
From his early days as a grassroots advocate in the 911 Network to his leadership in the Advocacy Leaders Program, Tom has made his mark. He’s been Chair of the Emergency Medicine Policy Institute, led ACEP’s State Legislative and Regulatory Committee, served multiple terms on the NEMPAC Board, and still finds time to actively mentor others in advocacy.
He’s been a tireless member of the ACEP Council since 2006 and continues to serve in national and chapter leadership, including as Past President of California ACEP.
Bi-Partisan Presentations by Legislators at LAC25
In addition to sessions on ED Boarding Solutions, Scope of Practice, Legislating Insurer Bad Behavior, Medicaid Reform and Threats to Clinical Autonomy (among others), LAC participants heard from Rep. John Joyce, MD (R-PA) and Rep. Kim Schrier, MD (D-WA), physician legislators from both sides of the aisle and members of their respective physician congressional caucuses and Reps. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), co-chairs of the evenly bi-partisan Problem Solvers Caucus.
 Rep. Kim Schrier, MD with WA ACEP members |
