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Accomplishments
ACEP Accomplishments
The following accomplishments highlight the important role ACEP plays in representing the interests of the individual emergency physicians.
Supported legislation passed by the House and Senate to stop a scheduled 4.4 percent cut to physician Medicare payments.
- Lobbying for legislative action to correct the flawed formula used by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to set physician Medicare payment rates
Led the successful effort to overturn a CMS directive allowing states to limit the number of ED visits made by Medicaid recipients.
- Informed media of CMS action and its consequences
- Provided information to Senate leaders
- Brought together a coalition of hospital and physician groups to lobby against directive
- Lobbied Bush administration officials
Continuing to work for medical liability reform.
- Made issue a top priority for 2003
- Lobbied for passage of the HEALTH Act
- Implemented nationwide campaign publicizing effects of crisis on emergency medicine
- Supporting President Bush’s call for liability reform
- ACEP Board members agreed not to provide expert witness testimony
- Promoting
ACEP policy on expert witness qualifications
Addressing emergency medicine’s concerns about smallpox vaccination policy to the Department of Health and Human Services and White House.
- Representing EM position to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Provided CDC educational resources to ACEP members
- Developed
and implemented smallpox vaccination policy
Continue to work for solutions to overcrowding crisis.
- Developing policy paper with Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare organizations
- Co-sponsoring symposium with JCAHO seeking solutions
- Issued joint advisory with the American Hospital Association detailing immediate strategies to help ease overcrowding
- Initiated
series of meetings in Washington, DC with the JCAHO, AMA,
and the American Public Health Association to develop strategies
Developed educational materials to clarify the significant changes included in new teaching physician documentation guidelines.
Identified problem and worked with CMS to clarify Medicare rules involving non-physician providers.
- Rules eventually changed to make it easier for physicians to bill for those services
Representing emergency medicine on CPT task force that is developing a new methodology to eliminate the need for documentation guidelines.