A Newsletter for the Members of the Utah Chapter - Fall 2020

Alison L Smith, MD, MPH, FACEP – President

Sean Slack, DO – Secretary/Treasurer

Paige DeMille

Executive Secretary

paige@utahmed.org

801.747.3500 | Website

In this edition:

Introducing Statewide Emergency Medicine Journal Club

The SUPPORT Act for e-Prescribing of Controlled Substances

National and International Media Requesting Info from Utah Emergency Physicians

ABEM Makes Changes to Continuing Certification

Utah Medical Association Financial Services (UMAFS) Podcast

Simulation Training (SIM) Finds a New Role: Planning for COVID

Welcome New UCEP Members

News from ACEP:

COVID-19 Resources including NEW Monoclonal Antibody Toolkit

Federal Regulatory News

Urge Your U.S. Senators to Take Action to Halt Impending Medicare Cuts

EMF Grant Available

Opioid Webinar Series Continues Dec. 3

Address Pressing EM Issues with the Theater of War

ACEP20 Access Continues, New Option Available for Non-Attendees

Podcast: COVID-19 and Stroke

ACEP Leadership and Excellence Awards

Why Publish in JACEP Open?

EMRA Opportunities for Residents and Medical Students

Introducing Statewide Emergency Medicine Journal Club

Intermountain Healthcare Emergency Medicine has taken the lead in developing a statewide emergency medicine journal club that should soon also be available to all UCEP members (stay tuned!). The focus is on high impact articles that may lead to improvements in patient care or that are “hot-topics” within the general public. Three articles will be presented each quarter by emergency physicians practicing in all environments throughout the state of Utah using a virtual conference platform. Category 1 CME credit is available for participation in the live event through the Intermountain Healthcare Office of Continuing Education. Check out the articles below from the first journal club, held on October 29th, to get started!

The SUPPORT Act for e-Prescribing of Controlled Substances

HHS/CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) has announced plans to implement the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities (SUPPORT) Act. The SUPPORT Act mandates that prescribing Schedule II, III, IV, or V controlled substances under Medicare Part D must be done electronically beginning in 2021.

CMS, in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule, is now proposing to delay this requirement to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ACEP supports the delay. CMS issued a separate request for information on how best to implement this requirement going forward. CMS specifically requested comments on three issues: 1) compliance with the requirement; 2) enforcement and penalties; and 3) exceptions.

Comments were solicited at the state and national level about what exclusions should apply for emergency physicians. Thanks to those of you who submitted comments, UCEP was able to provide valuable feedback to the Utah Medical Association and National ACEP. Concerns included how patients we see in the middle of the night would be able to pick up their prescriptions and how we could prevent duplicate prescriptions being sent and filled in case the preferred pharmacy was not up-to-date and we had to redo the prescription at discharge.

In ACEP’s letter to CMS, using input from UCEP and other State Chapters, it was requested that CMS build in an exception to this requirement for emergency physicians in certain cases where emergency physicians feel, in their clinical judgment, that issuing an electronic prescription for a controlled substance would be logistically challenging and/or decrease the likelihood that their patient will actually get their prescription filled.

We will keep you informed about developments on the SUPPORT Act as they unfold.

National and International Media Requesting Info from Utah Emergency Physicians

UCEP has been contacted by NBC News, Newsweek, and the Salt Lake Tribune requesting video diaries and/or email responses regarding your experience on the frontlines of COVID-19 as cases have risen dramatically in our state. If you are interested in being featured in a news story on COVID-19, please contact UCEP President Alison Smith at alisonsmith01@gmail.com as soon as possible so you can be connected with the reporters soliciting videos and comments.

ABEM Makes Changes to Continuing Certification

ABEM has announced new pathways for how physicians will stay certified. Below are the highlights.

Beginning in spring 2021, physicians will be able to use MyEMCert to stay board certified instead of taking the ConCert Exam.
- The ConCert exam will no longer be offered after 2022.
Starting in 2021, all ABEM-certified physicians will transition to a 5-year certification period after their current certification expires.
- Your current certification expiration date does NOT change.
Physicians will move to an annual fee structure when they begin a 5-year certification cycle rather than paying for each LLSA test or MyEMCert module.
- No increase in fees - the annual fee is the same as the current (annualized) rate over 10 years.
For more information click here.

Utah Medical Association Financial Services (UMAFS) Podcast

Most of the state has seen a return to baseline, if not above average, ED volumes. However, many emergency physicians were affected by lost or missed income earlier in the year due to COVID-19. UMAFS has released a podcast with specific, condensed, and actionable advice that may be useful to you or others in your group. Click here to listen to their podcast or others that have been compiled in their series.

Disclaimer: This was not paid for by UMAFS and is not distributed as financial or legal advice. Please contact your financial counselor with any questions

Simulation Training (SIM) Finds a New Role: Planning for COVID

One of the many challenges of caring for patients during the pandemic has been effectively running a cardiopulmonary arrest. New barriers to care have been encountered from the pre-hospital setting to transporting patients to the ICU post-ROSC. We have had to re-train our thinking from “jumping on the chest” of a pulseless patient to now first ensuring we have donned appropriate PPE. PAPR’s and N95’s diminish effective communication at a time when team-based care is critical. Is a negative-pressure room available? Is our airway equipment prepped with a viral filter in place?

The list goes on and while unique to each ED, a group of emergency physicians around the state have been using simulation-based training as a way to stress these new techniques in a controlled environment in hopes of optimizing patient outcomes when the time comes. To learn more about simulation training or ideas for managing a COVID cardiac arrest, check out this video. For more information or if you have interest in trying in-situ SIM in your ED, please contact Sean Slack at sslack@utahep.com.

Welcome New UCEP Members!

Christopher Badger

Colton Beck

Jacob Burch

Lucas Chandra

Steven Paul Gawrys, Jr

Brent Hunter

Crystal Lafleur

Angela MacFarlane

Christine Marie Meacham Felling

James Lee Morgan

Tanner David Nielsen

Andrew Blair Pressman, MD

Robert Carson Russell

Mick'l Scadden

Jacquelyn M Simonis, MD

Trient Boyd Spires

Rhett Thomson

Luisa E Todd, MD

Lucy Unger, MD

Douglas C Vogel, MD

FROM NATIONAL ACEP

ACEP continues to update its COVID resources regularly to reflect the latest information. Visit the COVID-19 Center for access to all COVID content, including the following most popular tools from the past few months:

NEW Resource: Monoclonal Antibody Toolkit

Federal Regulatory News

Catch up on the latest federal regulatory news with Regs & Eggs. Latest blog post: The Holiday Gift-giving Season (of Regulations) is Here!
On November 17, the FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization to Lucira Health for its COVID-19 All-In-One Test Kit for prescription home use.
On November 10 and 11, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) held a public meeting covering a variety of pertinent Medicare policy topics, including the advanced use of telehealth and access to care in rural areas.
For more information on ACEP’s recent advocacy efforts, watch the Capital (30) Minutes video from November 18. It looks at election results and what they mean for emergency medicine. Other topics include the latest legislative and regulatory updates, potential COVID-19 relief package and more.

Urge Your U.S. Senators to Take Action to Halt Impending Medicare Cuts

Negotiations continue in Congress on how to address the impending Medicare cuts that many physicians will face in 2021. Emergency physicians will face a 6% cut unless Congress acts. Although you may have already contacted your U.S. House member on this issue, your two U.S. Senators need to hear from you now about the importance of halting the cuts and the impact they would have on access for patients to emergency care. Please click here to urge your U.S. Senators to take action that will ensure that any year-end legislation includes language to halt these harmful cuts.

EMF Grant Available

The EMF/NIDA Mentor-Facilitated Training Award in Substance Use Disorders Science Dissemination Solicitation is due November 30, 2020. The purpose of the award is to enhance a resident/trainee’s knowledge of SUD treatment research and the dissemination and adoption of evidence-based SUD treatment practices. Apply here.

Opioid Webinar Series Continues Dec. 3

Part five of the six-part webinar series on opioid use disorder and federal, state and regulatory considerations examines New York’s I-Stop program and other state initiatives to curb the opioid epidemic. Led by Dr. Keith Grams, this free webinar is 2 p.m. EST on Dec. 3. Register today.

Address Pressing EM Issues with the Theater of War

After rave reviews of the Theater of War event at ACEP20, another FREE performance has been scheduled for the EM community on 12/2 from 7-9pm. The actors will present scenes from Sophocles' Ajax to create a vocabulary for discussing themes such as burnout, betrayal, personal risk, loss, moral distress, suicide, depression, shame, and working in a complex hierarchy. It's free, but registration is required.

ACEP20 Access Continues, New Option Available for Non-Attendees

If you participated in ACEP20, remember that you continue to have access to the education, Research Forum, exhibit showcase and more. This content will remain on the ACEP20 platform for 90 days post-conference before moving to the ACEP Online Learning Collaborative for the remainder of your three-year access period. This is how you claim CME.

Those who were unable to attend can still can still get the education you missed from ACEP20 Unconventional and earn up to 276 CME hours for three years with the Virtual ACEP20 component. One new element of Virtual ACEP20 compared to previous years is that it includes highlights from Research Forum, including State of the Art and Plenary presentations.

Podcast: COVID-19 and Stroke

With stroke being one of the top three causes of death in the nation, timing is everything. Join the conversation between host Dr. Ryan Stanton and Dr. Aisha Terry as they discuss the different factors that affect the presentations of stroke in the emergency department due to COVID-19 and how you can advocate for improved care for stroke patients. Listen now.

ACEP Leadership and Excellence Awards

The program provides an opportunity to recognize all members for significant professional contributions as well as service to the College. Nominations will open in December and be accepted until March 1, 2021. Some of the newest awards include the Community Emergency Medicine Excellence Awward, the Innovative Change in Practice Management Award, the Pamela P. Bensen Trailblazer Award and the Policy Pioneer Award. Check out all Leadership and Excellence Awards.

JACEP Open is the official Open Access journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). Complementing ACEP’s flagship journal, Annals of Emergency Medicine, JACEP Open welcomes high quality reports representing the full spectrum of emergency care.

Why publish in JACEP Open?

Open access – free to read for everyone
PubMed Central indexed
Fast turnaround times: 17 days to decision, < 30 days to publication
CME for reviewers
Podcasts
Visual abstracts

Submit at www.editorialmanager.com/jacep

JACEP Open is always looking for qualified reviewers. Please send your CV to Stephanie Wauson, Managing Editor, swauson@acep.org.

Follow JACEP Open on Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

EMRA Opportunities for Residents and Medical Students

EMRA Committee Leadership applications are due December 1 for Chair Elect and Vice Chair positions for EMRA’s 19 Committees.

EMRA Medical Student Council applications are due December 1 to lead our medical student efforts.

Applications are due for the Class of 2022 for the EMRA/ACEP Leadership Academy on December 31. The EMRA and ACEP Leadership Academy is a leadership/professional development program and virtual community for emerging leaders in emergency medicine.

EMRA Winter Awards Deadline: January 10. Awards and scholarships include a travel scholarship for ACEP21, Resident of the Year, Fellow of the Year, Medical Student of the Year, Chair of the Year, Residency Director of the Year, APD of the Year, Residency Coordinator of the Year and more.

Utah Chapter ACEP

310 E 4500 South #500

Salt Lake City, UT 84107

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