Come together for ACEP's Leadership & Advocacy Conference (LAC), April 30 – May 2, 2023 in Washington, DC, to advocate in person for your specialty and your patients. Check out the latest speakers and agenda and register now!

During the conference, you’ll join EM colleagues from across the country to tackle issues such as the current boarding crisis and develop tools to advocate and build relationships with policymakers at all levels. And don’t miss our keynote speaker, David Wasserman, the Senior Election Analyst for the non-partisan Cook Political Report, and a contributor to NBC News.

This year LAC will bring a fresh focus on how you can advocate for yourself - even within the workplace - to improve your livelihood. Programming is approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. 

NEMPAC VIP Reception (by invitation only)
Sunday, April 30 from 6:00 - 8:00pm, Hay Adams Hotel – Top of the Hay 
The NEMPAC VIP Reception is an excellent chance to network with ACEP leaders and your colleagues who support a strong, unified advocacy effort on behalf of emergency medicine and patients.

NEMPAC donors at the Sterling level or above ($600 for attending physicians/$60 for residents/fellows/medical students annually) are invited and encouraged to attend. Donors who are currently eligible will receive an invitation via email.

Click here to contribute to NEMPAC and secure your invitation.

Questions about your donation status? Contact Us.

Congressional Dine-Around Events Sponsored by NEMPAC
Join your ACEP Board members and colleagues! The NEMPAC Board has identified Congressional leaders deserving of special recognition and support for their work on national health policy impacting emergency medicine and patients. NEMPAC is hosting in-person dinners during LAC23 as a unique opportunity to discuss health care policy and the national political environment in small group settings. NEMPAC is donating to these legislators' campaigns and attendees are asked to donate personally as well. Food and drink are included with your contribution. 

An RSVP is required to attend the dine-arounds – click here to email us. 

Confirmed dine-arounds*:

• Rep. John Joyce, MD (R-PA-13), Sunday, April 30, Dinner, 7:30pm, Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab, 750 15th St NW
• Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), Monday, May 1, Reception, 6:30-7:15pm, Trattoria Alberto, 508 8th St SE
• Rep. Larry Bucshon, MD (R-IN-08), Monday, May 1, Dinner, 6:30pm, The Capital Grille, 601 Pennsylvania Ave NW
• Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), Monday, May 1, Dinner, 6:00pm, Location TBD
• Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Tuesday, May 2, Reception, 6:15-7:15pm, Location TBD

*The dine-around schedule is subject to change and additions.

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.

ACEP recently launched the 911 Network Advocacy Leaders Program to support emergency physicians interested in taking their engagement and advocacy with federal legislators and staff to the next level. If you are interested in joining or already have a relationship with a federal legislator, complete this short form to receive more information.

During LAC23, there will be a special lunch session for our ACEP Advocacy Leaders on Monday, May 1 at noon. Brad Fitch, President and CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation, has created a special presentation to help you take your advocacy to the next level. A boxed lunch will be provided to the first 50 Advocacy Leaders who register for this session – contact us to reserve your lunch spot!

The National Emergency Medicine PAC (NEMPAC), sponsored by ACEP, is another vehicle through which we can educate legislators and advocate for the concerns of emergency physicians and patients. NEMPAC pools contributions from ACEP members to support candidates for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. In many instances, ACEP members deliver NEMPAC donations personally through local events and meetings.

Most recently, NEMPAC supported the attendance of WA State ACEP members Dr. Carl Heine and Dr. Ryan Keay to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Issues Conference in Seattle.  The DCCC is chaired by Rep. Suzanne DelBene (D-WA), who serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, and the conference serves as a platform for supporters to hear from congressional leaders about legislative and political priorities. Drs. Heine and Keay had the opportunity to meet more than 20 Democratic members of Congress, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Conference Chair Pete Aguilar (D-CA), and Rep. Kim Schrier, MD (D-WA) and frame important issues such as the boarding crisis, the need for stronger workplace violence protections in the ED, and ensuring annual Medicare payment updates for physicians in terms of their impact on patient care in the legislators’ communities.

On Tuesday, ACEP responded to a proposed rule issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that would require the disclosure of certain ownership, managerial, and other information regarding Medicare skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and Medicaid nursing facilities. In our response, ACEP states that we are increasingly concerned about the expanding presence of private equity and corporate investment in health care, including emergency medicine.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently took a major step forward in addressing some of the most egregious practices that Medicare Advantage (MA) private health plans are routinely employing. 

ACEP responded to two proposed regs earlier this year that attempted to tackle the major criticisms MA plans have faced recently: overpayments, extensive use of prior authorization, and deceptive marketing practices. To CMS’ credit, the agency decided to finalize most of the proposals concerning these issues (with some exceptions) in two final regs released last week.

Read the Regs and Eggs blog post for an overview of these final MA policies and for ACEP’s assessment of the work CMS and Congress still need to do to create a more sustainable Medicare program.

The Louisiana Chapter joined with other physician specialties to urge the Louisiana Senate Health and Welfare Committee to reject a proposal by the state Board of Nursing to expand ARPN’s scope of practice to prescribe medications to include controlled substances and obesity medications. While APRNs are required to be supervised by a physician in Louisiana, concerns were raised regarding the potential impact of expanded access to opioids in the state. Jamie Kuo, MD, testifying on behalf of Louisiana ACEP, told the committee that an increase in opioid prescriptions would lead to an increase in overdoses and visits to emergency rooms. 

The committee unanimously voted down the proposal. Governor John Bell Edwards has 10 days to review the committee’s decision and could overrule it. 

This week, the Indiana Senate concurred with amendments adopted by the House in Senate Bill 400 sending the bill to Governor Eric Holcomb for signature. SB 400 is a comprehensive health care bill that includes reforms to physician credentialing and prior authorization, amongst other items. The bill also includes Indiana ACEP’s proposal to require that a hospital with an emergency department have at least one physician on site and on duty who is responsible for the emergency department. 

To share legislative activity happening in your state, contact Christopher Johnson. Check out the state legislation that is currently identified and being tracked by ACEP:

• Scope of Practice
• Violence Against Healthcare Workers
• ED Boarding and Crowding
• Private Payer/Insurance
• All Other Bills