ACEP in Action

Defending emergency physicians

• Frustrated with scope creep? We published a procedural sedation paper to counter scope of practice infringement efforts of radiologists and anesthesiologists. Plus, we’re partnering with chapters to stop hostile scope of practice legislation with success in LA, MS, TX, SD and elsewhere.
• Tired of patient confusion about who’s the doctor? We’re leading a public campaign to promote the value of physician-led care and clearly outlining the distinctions in training between emergency physicians, PAs, and NPs.
• Discouraged by misunderstanding of roles? ACEP recently wrote to the National Academy of Medicine’s Clinical Well-Being Collaborative expressing deep concerns over a potential recommendation allowing APPs to perform independent, unsupervised care in the ED.

Protecting your autonomy

• Concerned about private equity in EM? The ACEP Board recently approved the ACEP Statement on Private Equity and Corporate Investment in Emergency Medicine, reaffirming our core beliefs that the physician-patient relationship is the moral center of medicine.
• Want to be heard? Harnessing the clout of ACEP’s voice, we submitted 100+ member stories and your president testified to the FTC about the impact of consolidation on EM.
• Want to chart your own course? ACEP and EMBC's Independent EM Group Master Class offers the inside scoop from entrepreneurial EPs who created groups with policies and practices that matter most to them. And you can, too.

Improving your workplace

• Eat a sandwich on shift lately? ACEP fought so you could eat and drink at your workstation….then created tools for you to convince your hospital administrator.
• When is the last time you used ketamine on shift? ACEP offered evidence on the safety of medications like ketamine and droperidol, previously banned in ED, so you could make the best decisions for your patients.
• Ever used the HEART score to send someone home from the ED? That was us. ACEP’s clinical policy on NSTEMI redefined the standard of care and acceptable practice of safely discharging low risk patients. We have developed more than 20 clinical policies to protect you from lawsuits and ensure that we define the standard of care based on our unique practice environments.
• Frustrated about inconsistency of patient satisfaction surveys? ACEP secured removal of the “Pain Question” from patient experience surveys.

Empowering you clinically

• Sick of merit badges after being board certified in EM? We’re pushing back on medical merit badges and requirements for Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) so that hospitals will not require these classes if you're board certified. Print a card to confirm your training far surpasses these requirements.
• Exhausted by changing COVID protocols and variants? ACEP created the COVID-19 Field Guide in 12 days to ensure you had the latest information at your fingertips (and it's still going strong!)
• Need quick help on an unusual case at 3 AM? Pull up one of ACEP’s 17 point of care tools at the bedside.
• Need to grab a few CMEs before year end? ACEP has 900+ hours of online CME and 100+ hours of free CME for members

Equipping you for your career

• Want to take your career to the next level? ACEP offers training to enhance your leadership skills, including our ED Directors Academy, the ACEP Teaching Fellowship, and the EM Basic Research Course to help you advance your career.
• Need to ensure your contract is right for you? ACEP helps prepare you to negotiate employment contracts.
• Looking for a new job? We have an employment checklist and more resources in our Career Center to ensure you secure the terms that work best for your life and career.
• Have you been sued and you’re scared? We can help with resources to help navigate medical malpractice suits.

Fighting for your reimbursement

• Just want to be paid fairly? We sued the federal government on surprise medical billing to ensure you are fairly reimbursed for the work you do.
• Concerned that your reimbursement amounts may drop? ACEP is the only EM organization with a seat on the RUC, the highly influential group that makes recommendations to the federal government on how physicians are paid.
• Want to be in the driver's seat for the shift to value-based care? We developed the first ever EM-focused alternative payment model.
• Want to ensure you’re hitting quality measures? ACEP is building the only emergency medicine data institute and registry to protect you by assisting you with quality reporting requirements, helping you become eligible for payment bonuses, and allowing you access to the most robust national EM database to advance research and better understand the changing healthcare environment.

Providing connection and support

• Overwhelmed and need someone to talk to? Members receive three wellness or counseling sessions when you need to talk. Plus, for an extra $15, you can schedule 30-minute legal consultations all year.
• Want a place to find folks who think like you? We cultivate communities for EPs who share similar interests and passions. There’s a place for you at ACEP.
• Want to feel safer at work? We created a Violence in the ED Toolkit to help protect you and your staff.

Protecting your patients

• Worried about patients and surprise bills? We joined the American College of Radiology (ACR), and the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), to file a lawsuit against the federal government charging that the interim final rule (IFR) on surprise medical billing goes against the language of the No Surprises Act and will ultimately harm patients and access to care.

• Angry that patients delay care for fear of their claims being denied? ACEP is willing to fight insurance companies to protect the prudent layperson standard, including filing a lawsuit against Anthem BCBS to stop its retroactive denials of emergency visits