VACEP secures state and federal protections
for EM and patient care
In Virginia, progress on scope of practice: A team effort successfully amended a bill that Nurse Practitioners are backing to decrease the number of years of clinical experience required, from five years to two, for their independent practice. VACEP and our allies have advocated to keep NP training to five years. Yesterday morning (Friday), a Senate subcommittee agreed and passed a strong 7-1 vote in favor of keeping training to five years. Those NPs who received a license during the pandemic (when the requirement was lowered to two years to address emergency needs) are allowed to keep their status under this new substitute bill. Still a few more miles to the finish line, but for now, you can thank the strong work of our lobbyist Aimee Perron Seibert, testimony and lobbying from several members, and emergency physicians statewide who sent more than 170 letters to legislators asking to keep the more stringent training requirements.
Nationwide, reimbursement relief: This week, a federal judge in Texas ruled in our favor as part of our argument that the process for resolving reimbursement disputes between insurers and physicians is unfair. The decision puts emergency medicine one step closer to ensuring a transparent and equal arbitration process as part of the federal No Surprises Act. Even if you're just getting caught up, we've broken down the complex legal maneuverings in this article.
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ACEP President Gillian Schmitz, MD, FACEP addresses a room of Virginia emergency physicians at The Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs on Feb. 12, 2022. |
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This month, VACEP held our Annual CME Conference at The Omni Homestead Resort. While the purpose was to obtain continuing education credits, several presentations offered updates on critical national and state-level issues impacting emergency medicine.
Here are two recaps of those sessions, which will get you up to speed on:
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State issues: Members of the VACEP Board provided an update on several key bills in the Virginia General Assembly, which passed its halfway mark last week. Get it here.
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For the latest updates on emergency medicine-related issues we're supporting and opposing in the Virginia General Assembly, plus a list of every bill we're monitoring, visit VACEP's new Advocacy Center. |
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If you are interested in joining Virginia emergency physicians and those from other states, put in for time off May 1-3 and come up to D.C. for the Leadership & Advocacy Conference. You'll earn a CME credit, too. There’s no schedule yet, but given past years, here's what you can expect:
May 1: discussions regarding ACEP Council 2022, orientation for new attendees
May 2: CME regarding health policy, opportunities to hear from other chapters
May 3: Preparatory information and lobbying, virtually and in-person, before heading home
If you’re new to LAC, here’s what you can expect:
- Getting to know VACEP leaders and finding out more about our state and federal level advocacy
- A group lunch and dinner and informal VACEP gatherings throughout
- Experienced VACEP volunteers to mentor you
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A pencil illustration of Dr. A-B by former VACEP member Dr. Jason Bavarian (now in Texas). He and Cat were colleagues in the emergency department at Bon Secours Mary Immaculate Hospital in Newport News. |
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Recognizing VACEP leaders |
Every year at the CME Conference, we give awards to emergency physicians who go above and beyond.
As part of this year's awards ceremony, our Rising Star award, which was created in 2020 to honor junior EM staff that exemplify excellence and dedication to service, was renamed the Catherine Agustiady-Becker Rising Star Award. We lost Dr. A-B in May, and the award honors her light and legacy.
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Items from ACEP
Call for Abstracts! If selected, your research will be published in ACEP's Annals of Emergency Medicine. Awards will be presented at ACEP22 in San Francisco for Excellence in Research, Best Presentation by a Young Investigator, Best Medical Student Paper and Best Resident Paper. Learn more.
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ACEP has collected resources from its education offerings and publication archives to provide insights into Black Health and Wellness from the emergency medicine perspective. It includes tools around sickle-cell disease and unconscious bias, podcasts, peer-reviewed research, and more. |
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Hotwash: a new story series from VACEP
The good, the bad, the ugly: We want your brief, anonymous, real-life stories from the emergency department. It's part of a new series we call Hotwash, which will offer quick after-incident reports to bring the public and friends of emergency physicians onto the frontline. Have a story you're willing to share? All submissions will remain anonymous and free of identifying information.
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If you read it, share it! If you read peer-reviewed EM literature, consider writing a brief review and get featured in this newsletter in front of your emergency medicine peers. Contact Sarah Marshall to get started. |
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Read! VACEP Executive Director Sarah Marshall has compiled a recommended reading list great for any leader, emergency medicine or otherwise. Check it out here.
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Virginia College of Emergency Physicians | (804) 297-3170 | E-mail | Website
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