Introduction to the
American College of
Emergency Physicians
Presented by:
Insert Name:
Insert Date:
Your Questions Answered:
Today’s Agenda
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Why does ACEP Matter?
What are the issues ACEP is working on?
How is ACEP making an impact?
How does ACEP decide where to focus its efforts?
What is ACEP doing to make it easier for me to
practice EM and provide the highest quality care for
my patients?
 How is ACEP advancing my career?
 What is the value of my membership?
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ACEP’s Mission Statement
 The American College of Emergency
Physicians promotes the highest quality of
emergency care and is the leading
advocate for emergency physicians, their
patients, and the public.
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Why Does ACEP Matter?
 The health care landscape is changing.
 ACEP has been, and continues to be, involved in
shaping the future of Emergency Medicine.
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Health care reform and regulatory implementation
Letters to CMS and other high-level agencies
Residency slots and GME re-distribution
Loan forgiveness options
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Future income
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CMS= Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services
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CMS= Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services
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Uninsured
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Coverage Rates by Type of Insurance
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CMS-Physician fee Schedule 2014
Physician Fee Schedule
CY 2014 Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule with Comment Period
The CY 2014 PFS final rule with comment period was placed on display at the Federal Register
on November 27, 2013. In addition to policies affecting the calculation of payment rates, this final
rule identifies potentially misvalued codes, adds procedures to the telehealth list, modifies the
telehealth originating site definitions, finalizes a policy for chronic care management services for
CY 2015, applying therapy caps to outpatient therapy services furnished by CAHs, requires the
compliance with state law as a condition of payment for services furnished incident to physician
and other practitioner services. This final rule includes discussions and policy regarding revising
the MEI based on MEI TAP recommendations, budget neutrality for the chiropractic services
demonstration, physician value-based payment modifier and the physician feedback reporting
program, and updating the Ambulance Fee Schedule regulations, Clinical Lab Fee Schedule,
physician compare website, physician quality reporting system, electronic prescribing (ERX)
incentive program, and Medicare shared savings program.
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Average Annual Worker and Employer Contributions to
Premiums and Total Premiums for Family Coverage, 1999-2010
$5,791
$6,438*
$7,061*
$8,003*
$9,068*
$9,950*
$10,880*
$11,480*
$12,106*
$12,680*
$13,375*
$13,770*
* Estimate is statistically different from estimate for the previous year shown (p<.05).
Source: Kaiser/HRET Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Benefits, 1999-2010.
ACA passed 2010
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Why Does ACEP Matter?
-- Health Care Reform
 The Health Care Reform law -- ACEP worked hard to
get specific items included:
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Prudent layperson language extended to group plans
No more “prior approval” needed
Expansion of research opportunities
Regionalization projects
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ACA being challenged in USSC
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Why Does ACEP Matter?
-- Health Care Reform
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Why Does ACEP Matter?
-- Health Care Reform
Under the new federal rules,
patients also can still pick their
primary doctors or pediatricians,
and prior approval requirements
for emergency care will be
prohibited
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Why Does ACEP Matter?
-- Health Care Reform
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Why Does ACEP Matter?
-- Health Care Reform
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Why Does ACEP Matter?
-- Letters to Regulatory Agencies
 Anesthesia guidelines revised (Jan. 2011)
 Quality measures (PQRI)
 Accountable care organizations
 Value-based purchasing
 Demonstrate the specialty's value
 Preserve EM practice models
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Why Does ACEP Matter?
-- Residency Slot Redistribution
 At least 75% of the redistributed residency
positions must go to primary care or
general surgery.
 It is even more imperative that CMS
provide as many of the remaining slots to
EM residency programs to meet the
expected increase in ED visits.
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Why Does ACEP Matter?
-- Loan Forgiveness Options
 ACEP understands
the incredible burden
of debt incurred to
become residency
trained in EM and
support the idea of
loan forgiveness if
graduates are willing
to work in
underserved areas.
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What are the issues that ACEP is working on?
The Perfect Storm: Health Care Braces for a Crisis
ED Volume Increases
 Operational Costs
 Revenue
Nurse Shortage
Technology
On-call
Liability
Inflation
Medicaid / Medicare
Managed care
Uncompensated care
Stock market
Foreign
Nationals
EMERGENCY
DEPARTMENT
On-Call Specialty
Physician Shortage
Inpatient
Bed Shortage
EMTALA
Balanced Budget
Act of 1997
Ambulance
Diversion
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What are the issues that ACEP is working on?
-- EMTALA
 In America,
We regard healthcare as a FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT
 But we fund healthcare
AS A PRIVILEGE
 Worse, we do so in a
“free enterprise system”
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What are the issues that ACEP is working on?
-- EMTALA
Specialty
Emergency Med
General Surgery
Anesthesiology
OB\GYN
Radiology
Internal Medicine
Gen \ Family Prac
Pediatrics
Pathology
Psychiatry
Other Specialties
All Physicians
Physicians
Affected
100%
76%
69%
52%
47%
34%
31%
23%
13%
11%
5%
42%
Source: American Medical Association
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Average Bad Debt
from EMTALA
$138,300
$25,600
$16,500
$4,100
$22,000
$7,000
$4,700
$2,400
$3,400
$1,200
$4,500
$12,300
What are the issues that ACEP is working on?
-- ED as the Safety Net
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Changing perceptions in D.C.
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What is your guess?
What is the value of access
to care 24 - 7 - 365
Protected under Federal law
And without any guaranteed
reimbursement?
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What are the issues that ACEP is working on?
-- Value of Emergency Medicine
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What are the issues that ACEP is working on?
-- Perception of “Unnecessary Visits”
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What are the issues that ACEP is working on?
-- Perception of “Unnecessary Visits”
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What are the issues that ACEP is working on?
-- Crowding & Diversion
 ED crowding has become a “national epidemic, says the
Institutes of Medicine.
 An ambulance is diverted away from a crowded ED
approximately once every minute nationwide.
 ED patients have faced increasingly long average wait
times and ED visit lengths over the past decade.
– Especially for those with the most acute illnesses.
 In 2006, the average wait time = 37 minutes.
Recommended maximum = 15 minutes.
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What are the issues that ACEP is working on?
-- Reimbursement
Even if you belong to ACEP for no other reason than to support
reimbursement efforts, your membership has more than paid for itself
ACEP has the only EM representative on the RUC
ACEP filed compliance disputes against Anthem/Wellpoint and Humana to
stop bundling separately billable services in the ED E/M codes.
After California prohibited balance billing, ACEP rapidly created model
legislation for states to fight balance billing prohibition laws. The fiscal impact
to you = about 30% of revenue comes from balance billing charges for noncontracted payers.
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What are the issues that ACEP is working on?
-- Reimbursement
 Replace the flawed Medicare payment formula
 Enact stable, annual physician payment updates
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What are the issues that ACEP is working on?
-- On-Call Issues
 On-call specialty
shortage resources on
www.acep.org
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What are the issues that ACEP is working on?
-- Medical Liability Reform
HR 157 -- Health Care Safety Net Enhancement Act
 Would amend the Public Health Service Act to deem ED
physicians as Public Health Service employees for purposes of
lawsuits stemming from EMTALA-related services.
 Specifically addresses the
unique environment of the
emergency department.
 ACEP is working with a
coalition of on-call
specialty societies to
achieve this goal.
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What more can ACEP due to make an
Impact?..........NEMPAC
 A voluntary, non-profit, unincorporated association
operating as a separate segregated fund of ACEP.
 Empowered to solicit, directly or indirectly, and
accept voluntary personal contributions from ACEP
members.
 Makes expenditures in connection with the election
of candidates for federal office.
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How does ACEP’s PAC rank?
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How can ACEP members make an
impact?
Join the 911 Network
 The 911 Network goes into action when there are
critical bills pending and support is needed.
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How else is ACEP Making an Impact?
-- EM Action Fund EMAF
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What is the EM Action Fund?
– A collective body that can pool limited resources and work to impact health care
reform's regulatory implementation.
– Designed to allow our specialty to speak with one voice and one message
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Why should you get involved?
– The 2010 health care reform law could force you to make a choice – become a
hospital employee or end your practice.
– Proposed regulatory changes could reduce your reimbursements by 20 to 40%.
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Who is on the EM Action Fund Board?
– EMRA, ACEP, AAEM, ACOEP, SAEM
– Physician groups , companies, individual emergency physicians
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www.acep.org/EMActionFund
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How does ACEP decide what to do?
-- Democratic Representation
33,000 ACEP members
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Chapters
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Sections
EMRA
AACEM
CORD
338 members of ACEP Council
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SAEM
How does ACEP decide what to do?
-- Resolutions & Council Meeting
Board of
Directors
Council
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How does ACEP decide what to do?
-- The Board of Directors
Jay A. Kaplan, MD, FACEP
President-Elect
Rebecca B. Parker, MD, FACEP
Chair of the Board
Alexander Rosenau, DO, FACEP
Immediate Past President
Paul D. Kivela,, MD, FACEP
Vice President
John J. Rogers, MD, FACEP
Secretary-Treasurer
Michael J. Gerardi, MD, FAAP, FACEP
President
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Stephen Anderson, MD, FACEP
James J. Augustine, MD, FACEP
Vidor Friedman, MD, FACEP
Jon Mark Hirshon, MD, FACEP
Hans R. House, MD, FACEP
William Jaquis, MD, FACEP
Robert E.O’Connor, MD, MPH, FACEP
Debra G. Perina, MD, FACEP
How does ACEP decide what to do?
-- Actions Become Policy
ACEP Members
Committees
Sections
Council
ACEP Board of Directors
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How does ACEP decide what to do?
-- The “Alphabet Soup” of EM
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First EM physician to become AMA
leader
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Advocacy is OK,
but I just want to be a Great Doc…
In addition to advocacy, what is ACEP
doing to make it easier for me to practice
emergency medicine and provide the
highest quality care for my patients?
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What is ACEP doing for me?
-- Educational Opportunities
 Scientific Assembly
– Oct. 15-18, 2011 in San Francisco, CA
 Leadership and Advocacy Conference
 Teaching Fellowship
 EMBRS Workshop
– Emergency Medicine Basic Research Skills
 Advanced Pediatric Emergency Medicine Assembly
 ED Directors Academy
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What is ACEP doing for me?
-- Educational Opportunities
 Annals of Emergency Medicine
– The most respected & influential journal in EM
– One of the top 100 scientific journals
– Dr. Mike Callaham, Editor in Chief, encourages
residents are to get involved by writing articles
for the “Resident’s Perspective” section
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What is ACEP doing for me?
-- Educational Opportunities
 LLSA Resource Center (www.acep.org/LLSA)
– Four current reading lists (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012) in
one document
– List of LLSA prep resources developed by ACEP chapters
 ACEP Members also have FREE ACCESS to:
– All LLSA articles for the 2009 -- 2012 reading lists
– LLSA article summaries, originally published in Critical
Decisions in Emergency Medicine
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What is ACEP doing for me?
-- ACEP Bookstore
 Resident discounts on all items
 Even bigger discounts on group
purchases
 New mobile products available
 PEER VIII- JUST OUT!
–Remains the gold standard for
residents’ annual in-training exam and
the board certification qualifying exam.
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What is ACEP doing for me?
-- Practice Resources
 Clinical Policies
 Policy Statements
 Reimbursement
FAQs
 Contracts and
Job Searching
 Free webinars
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What is ACEP doing for me when I’m
sued?
-- Medical-Legal Support
 Litigation Stress Counseling
 Standard of Care Review Panel
 Online Resources
– “So You Have Been Sued!”
– Litigation Stress – a Primer
– Medical-Legal policy compendium
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The Cost of Med-Mal
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What is ACEP doing for me?
-- Ethics
 ACEP Code of Ethics
regularly reviewed for
updates
 Reaffirmation
Statement for use
during litigation
 Formal ethics complaint
process
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What is ACEP doing for me?
-- Personalized Service
 One call provides personal assistance on
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Reimbursement and billing
Contracts and salaries
Practice management issues
Wellness resources
CME tracking and requirements
Litigation and ethics concerns
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What is ACEP doing for me?
-- Research Support
 EMF Research Grants
 Research Forum
– Annual in conjunction with SA
 Emergency Medicine
Basic Research Skills
(EMBRS) Workshop
October 27-28, 2014 in Chicago, IL
www.acep.org/rf
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How does ACEP support my career?
-- Work/Life Balance
 Wellness Resources on ACEP.org
– Under Practice Resources, select Wellness
 Hagan Insurance Benefits (see acepinsurance.com)
– Guaranteed Issue Life and Disability; Disability Income
Protection; Long Term Care
– Term Life, Health, Liability, Home, Auto and Travel
Insurance
 Financial planning resources
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How does ACEP support my career?
-- Become a Fellow
 Earn a mark of prestigious distinction in your
specialty, become a FACEP
 Criteria include:
– ACEP membership for three years
after graduating residency
– Board certification ABEM or AOBEM
– Demonstrated leadership in
emergency medicine (chapters,
hospitals, committees)
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How does ACEP support my career?
-- Networking Opportunities
 Sections, Committees & Chapters
 Conferences
– Leadership and Advocacy
– Scientific Assembly- follows Annual council meeting
 ACEP’s Official Blog – TheCentralLine.org
 Social Media
– Facebook.com/ACEPfan
– @ACEPnews
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Benefits of Membership: ACEP
Benefit
ACEP Members
Annals of Emergency Medicine
ACEP News
FREE
FREE
NonMembers
$226
$150
Scientific Assembly registration discount
$635
$835
Discounts on all ACEP-sponsored meetings
and educational products
E-mail alerts and updates
Over $500 in savings
Not available
FREE
Not available
Members-only Section of the
ACEP LLSA Resource Center
Free Online Access to Not available
Every LLSA article:
$500 Value
FREE
Not available
Professional growth & networking
Discounts on car rentals,
insurance, technology and credit cards
Discounts in ACEP’s Bookstore
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$10 up to thousands
Not available
15% to 40%
Not available
Benefits of Membership: EMRA



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





2011 Antibiotic Guide, 14th Edition

25.95
Top Pediatric Clinical Problems, 1st Edition 
25.95
Pediatric Qwic Card, 1st Edition

12.00
Sepsis Card

12.00
Airway Card

12.00
Career Planning Guide for

Emergency Medicine, 2nd Edition

29.95
EM Resident Magazine
 Priceless
Subscription to EM:RAP/EMA

360.00
Evidenced Based Medicine:
628.00
(EM Practice, Pediatric EM Practice & EM Guidelines)
Critical Decisions in Emergency Medicine 
352.00
$1,457.85
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Benefits of Membership: EMRA
– Liberty Mutual Advantage Program: Save money
on car and home insurance
– PEPID: Resident and Student members save 50%
on a one-year subscription
– VisualDx (usually $99) available on emra.org for
$20
– Office Depot: Discounts on more than 6,000
products
– Sprint PCS: 10% off phones and service
– Nationwide Home Buying Program: Mortgage
loans from SunTrust Mortgage
– More Savings & Benefits at
www.emra.org/member_benefits.aspx
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ACEP National Emergency Medicine
Faculty Teaching Awards
National Emergency
National Emergency
Medicine Faculty
Medicine Junior
Teaching Award
Faculty Teaching
Recommended for
faculty >7 years postresidency who are
ACEP members, Board
certified, hold an
academic appointment at
a US allopathic or
osteopathic school and
are at the instructor,
assistant professor or
associate professor level.
Award
Applications can be
e-mailed to:
academic affairs@acep.org
Deadline: April 13, 2015
http://www.acep.org/teachingaward/
Recommended for faculty
between 3-7 years postresidency who are ACEP
members, Board certified,
hold an academic
appointment at a US
allopathic or osteopathic
school and are at the
instructor or assistant
professor level.
ACEP Medical Student Awards
National Medical
Medical Student
Student Award
Professionalism &
Service Award
This
This
award is intended to
award is intended to
recognize students who
recognize students who
intend to pursue a career in
excel in compassionate care of
emergency medicine, and who
patients, professional behavior,
have demonstrated outstanding
and service to the community and
patient care and involvement in
or specialty.
medical organizations or the
One
community.
school.
Up
Monetary
to 10 students selected
each year.
Deadline:
February 13, 2015
http://www.acep.org/msawards/
nominee per medical
award is decided at
the local level.
Deadline: October 21,
2013-August 4, 2014
ACEP Report Card 2014
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BE VOCAL! Make your opinion heard
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ACEP 14: Chicago-Events
ACEP 14 Kickoff Party
Monday, October 27
7:30-Midnight
Navy Pier-Grand Ballroom
EMF-Cocktails and Culture
Reception
Monday, October 27
6:30pm-8:30pm
Closing Celebration
Wednesday, October 29
7:00om-11:00pm
Museum of Science and Industry
Research Forum
October 27-28, 2014
McCormick Convention Center
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Congratulations! You’ve chosen the
best job there is…..but…
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What you should do next
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Q&A
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