As part of our advocacy to combat dangerous policies allowing non-physicians to practice medicine without physician supervision, ACEP just released another entry in our My Experience Matters video series. This campaign amplifies the voices of members who began their career in another role on the care team.

This time, we heard from Ricki Brown-Forestiere, MD, who began her medical career as a physician assistant. She was told her PA training would prepare her to do pretty much everything a physician does, but nothing could have been further from the truth. Hear about it in her Doc Blog.

Learn more about ACEP's efforts to protect the physician-led care team.

At long last, the No Surprises Act final regulation has been released! ACEP's comprehensive summary of the reg can be found here, but this week's Regs & Eggs outlines some of the major policies and their implications on you as emergency physicians and on other providers.

The Departments did in fact actively try to address at least some of the issues that ACEP has brought up in the past regarding health plan behavior and health plans' adherence (or lack thereof) to the regulatory and statutory requirements of the No Surprises Act.  In other words, the Departments did listen to us in some cases, called out some of the egregious health plan behavior, and enacted policies that we specifically recommended. While we still have a long way to go to ensure that the No Surprises Act is implemented fairly and that the dispute resolution process is not skewed against providers, our advocacy is paying off in many respects!

Read the Regs & Eggs blog for an overview and analysis of this major reg.

ACEP responded to a request for information (RFI) on the Medicare Advantage Program on Wednesday. Our comments focus on issues that affect emergency physicians and the patients you serve, specifically relating to:

• Advancing Health Equity
• Expanding Access to Coverage 
• Telehealth and Network Adequacy Requirements
• Driving Innovation and Shifting to Value-based Care
• Supporting Affordability and Sustainability
• Reimbursement Cuts in Medicare
• Stakeholder Engagement with CMS

This week, judges in Texas and Idaho issued rulings on two separate cases related to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) guidance on application of EMTALA relative to state abortion laws following the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs decision. These are the cases for which ACEP, along with other medical societies, submitted amicus briefs.

On August 24, a ruling on the State of Texas' suit against HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra from the presiding judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas blocked the application of HHS's EMTALA guidance on the state's law. However, the ruling was limited to only the state of Texas, not impacting other state laws. 

The next day, August 25, the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho issued a ruling on the U.S. Justice Department's challenge to the state of Idaho abortion law that contains no exemptions in the case of a medical emergency. The federal judge sided with the U.S. Justice Department blocking application of the state law in the case of medical emergencies and cited the brief submitted by ACEP along with the Idaho College of Emergency Physicians and other medical societies. 

The Biden Administration has indicated they are reviewing options to appeal the Texas ruling. While Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden has not publicly indicated if he will appeal the Idaho ruling,  the Republican leadership of the Idaho legislature issued a statement that they plan to use every legal option available to challenge the ruling. 

ACEP is sponsoring a second comprehensive Reimbursement Leadership Development Program (RLDP) to identify and train future leaders in emergency medicine reimbursement leadership roles. The program will fund three members' travel and registration costs to the ACEP Reimbursement and Coding Conferences, the ACEP Leadership and Advocacy Conference, EDPMA's Solutions Summit, a meeting at ACEP Headquarters featuring structured sessions with relevant department staff, and possibly an AMA CPT and an AMA RUC meeting. 

Learn more and apply here by September 8, 2022. The selection process by the Review Committee will be completed by late September so that participants can plan their schedules accordingly. 

NEMPAC VIP Donor Reception (by invitation only)
Friday, September 30 from 6:00 - 8:00pm, The View Lounge, San Francisco Marriott Marquis

NEMPAC donors at the Sterling level or above ($600 for attendings/$60 for residents/fellows/medical students annually) are invited to celebrate NEMPAC's success while mingling with other donors and NEMPAC and ACEP leaders. 

NEMPAC "Give-A-Shift" Donor Lounge (by invitation only)
Saturday, October 1 - Monday, October 3, 8:00am - 4:00pm, The Moscone Center, Lobby Level South, Room 104

ACEP members who have donated at the "Give-a-Shift" level ($1,200 for attendings, $120 for residents, $365 for Transitioning and Retired Members) in 2022 are invited to visit and enjoy this private lounge with complimentary beverages, hot buffet lunch, snacks, head and neck massage appointments, and business center amenities. NEMPAC Board members and staff will be available to discuss NEMPAC's mission and activities.

Click here to contribute to NEMPAC and secure your invitation. Donors who are currently eligible will receive an invitation via email. Questions about your donation status? Click here to email us.

Contributions or gifts to NEMPAC are voluntary and are not tax deductible for federal income tax purposes. The amount given or refusal to donate will not benefit or disadvantage you. By law, we may only use your contribution to support federal candidates if your contribution is made using a personal credit card or personal check. We are required to provide your employer name, your occupation, and to obtain an original signature of the ACEP member if contributing by credit card. NEMPAC encourages personal contributions. All non-personal contributions to NEMPAC will be used to defray costs of educational programs for NEMPAC and other activities permissible under federal law.