A Newsletter for the Members of the Nebraska Chapter - Fall 2019 

Renee Engler, MD, FACEP

President

 

Adriana Alvarez

Chapter Executive

 

Website

 

Table of Contents

 

President's Letter

Adriana's Corner

Welcome New Members!

NEWS FROM ACEP -

Take Action to Prevent Reimbursement Cut

CMS Releases Final 2020 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule

Do You Give-A-Shift?

New Member Benefit for Physician Wellness & Assistance

ACEP Introduces Citizen First Responder Program

New Resources to Help Small Groups

ACEP and ENA Team Up to Tackle Violence in the ED

Nominate an Outstanding Medical Student

New online course on opioid use disorder is approved by ABEM for “Part IV”—and it’s free

ACEP seeks task force members for a new Point of Care App: emPOC 

Now is your chance to get involved!

EMF Announces 2020/2021 Grant Opportunities

Psych Coalition to Host Behavioral Emergencies Workshops 

Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation: Delivering Geriatric Care Standardization

Is your ED Pediatric Ready?

 

President's Letter

Renee Engler, MD, FACEP

 

Nebraska Chapter Members,

 

The 2019 ACEP Council Meeting was productive for our chapter. We successfully co­ sponsored three resolutions supporting research in telemedicine and advancing emergency medicine care in in rural facilities. The summary of the council's resolutions can be found by clicking here.

 

In October, there was a public hearing proposing changes in the statewide trauma system regulation. The proposed requirements would require ATLS certification for all providers caring for trauma patients. Secondly, the proposed regulations would require emergency physicians to complete 32 hours of trauma CME every 4 years for advanced trauma centers and 16 hours of CME for general and basic trauma centers. A joint letter, with National ACEP, was sent in opposition of these proposed changes. To see a copy of the letter, click here. Thank you to Dr. Muelleman and Dr. Zeger for their testimony at this town hall meeting.

 

The House recently introduced the CONNECT for Health Act of 2019. This legislation is to promote the use of telehealth services in Medicare.The bill also includes provisions which requires CMS' process to add telehealth services. ACEP continues regulatory efforts to add emergency services to the list of approved telehealth services.

 

The Nebraska Chapter Reception at ACEP19 in Denver was again sponsored by Nebraska Medicine. There was over 20 people in attendance. We had a great time. We thank Nebraska Medicine for their continued support of our chapter!

 

We look forward to our spring meeting. There will be an election for the position of President-Elect. Please contact me if you are interested.

 

Adriana's Corner

 

Recently, a Chapter Exes Leadership Summit was held at the national office. Many chapter executives from small and large chapters attended. This summit was a great opportunity for the staff at the national office to see the different roles of a chapter executive. In addition, during this summit many chapter executives, like me, realized that we have many common goals for the chapters we support, can lean on each other to collaborate on chapter events and copy existing ideas rather than try to invent the wheel. I for one felt like I took away many helpful tips of which I think can be implemented in the chapter. I look forward to sharing those tips with you in the coming months!

 

Welcome New Members!

 

A special welcome to the new members of the Nebraska Chapter. We are excited to have you.

 

Victoria L. Wadman

Katelyn Christine Jelden

 

You may wonder if you should get involved with Nebraska ACEP or EMRA or the national office? We encourage you to please get involved!

 

If you are unsure about how to get involved, feel free to contact the chapter directlyl.

 

FROM NATIONAL ACEP

Take Action to Prevent Reimbursement Cut

Your Medicare reimbursements will be cut unless Congress acts before the end of the year. Help us urge Congress to take action to improve MACRA and to stop the upcoming cuts to ensure Medicare patients continue to have access to high quality emergency care. Click here to learn more and send a message to Congress today.

 

CMS Releases Final 2020 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule

Recently, CMS released its final 2020 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) rule that includes changes that will affect Medicare physician payments and MIPS starting Jan. 1. The Regs & Eggs blog breaks down the final rule, emphasizing policies that apply to EM.

 

Do You Give-A-Shift?

The number one issue facing emergency medicine in Congress today is surprise medical billing. ACEP is working hard to make sure that your voice is heard in this debate and that Congress finds the right solution that takes patients out of the middle and levels the playing field between physicians and insurers. In this critical time in emergency medicine, political action is more important than ever. You can make a difference on this issue by joining the fight with NEMPAC. Help ACEP fix surprise billing the right way by supporting NEMPAC today.

 

New Member Benefit for Physician Wellness & Assistance

The ACEP Wellness & Assistance Program was rolled out during ACEP19. It offers ACEP members exclusive access to 3 FREE confidential counseling or wellness sessions. Support is available 24/7, and sessions can be face-to-face, over the phone, or via text and online messaging. Includes 30-minute consultations for individual legal/financial matters. Learn more.

 

ACEP Introduces Citizen First Responder Program

ACEP’s new first responder training program, Until Help Arrives, was officially unveiled during ACEP19 in Denver with a series of events to highlight how emergency physicians can positively impact their communities by conducting training sessions to teach the public basic life-saving skills. Read more.

 

 

New Resources to Help Small Groups

ACEP has developed new resources specifically to benefit small groups. A new Small Group Advisory Group is a team of seasoned small group members who have volunteered to support the small group practice model by sharing their expertise with other small group members who are looking for guidance or wanting to tap into the experience of others as they face various challenges unique to small groups. If your small group is dealing with an issue that you’d like to ask the advisory group about, just send us an email at smallgroups@acep.org. ACEP has also developed an online community for small group members to share ideas and discuss issues. To joint that group and see the other small group resources available, go to www.acep.org/smallgroups

 

ACEP and ENA Team Up to Tackle Violence in the ED

ACEP and ENA have joined forces to combat violence in the emergency department through a new campaign entitled “No Silence on ED Violence.”  The campaign is aimed at raising public awareness of the frequency and severity of assaults against emergency physicians and nurses, and to advocate for action by stakeholders and policymakers to meaningfully address this crisis. Learn more about the campaign and help us demonstrate how widespread this problem is by sharing your story at www.stopEDviolence.org. 

 

Nominate an Outstanding Medical Student

The ACEP/EMRA National Outstanding Medical Student Award recognizes 4th-year EM-bound medical students who excel in professionalism, leadership, service, research and academic excellence. Nominate a deserving student by Jan. 1.

 

New online course on opioid use disorder is approved by ABEM for “Part IV”—and it’s free

You already know that opioid-related deaths have risen to epidemic proportions. And that your emergency department is the only point of access many at-risk patients have to lifesaving interventions. A new ACEP course—free, thanks to a SAMHSA grant—can teach you how to provide better care, make an immediate impact, save lives, and satisfy your ABEM PI requirement. Learn more about the ABEM-approved pathway and the optional education module now. Approved for AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM

 

ACEP seeks task force members for a new Point of Care App: emPOC 

Now is your chance to get involved!  

Working with no network? Are you offline? This FREE, native app with helpful bedside tools can be accessed even with the absence of an internet connection. emPOC is available exclusively to ACEP Members as a benefit to membership. All tools can be accessed on our website. If you are interested in helping steer the direction of emPOC and giving expert advice on how ACEP’s new and exciting app can be an even greater asset to our membership, please email Riane Gay at rgay@acep.org to receive more information on how you can get involved.

 

EMF Announces 2020/2021 Grant Opportunities

The Emergency Medicine Foundation (EMF) has announced its 2020/2021 research grant opportunities. Review the request for proposals and apply for funding by the February 7, 2020 deadline. Four new directed research grants are available on Nasal High Flow Therapy for Respiratory Compromised Patients in the ED, Reducing Burnout through ED Design, Better Prescribing Better Treatment Program, and Diagnostics Research, in addition to EMF partnered grants. 

 

Psych Coalition to Host Behavioral Emergencies Workshops

The Coalition on Psychiatric Emergencies is hosting an interactive pre-conference workshop Dec. 11 in Scottsdale, AZ in advance of the National Update on Behavioral Emergencies. The early bird rate ($179) expires Dec. 1.

 

Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation: Delivering Geriatric Care Standardization

Older adults account for 46 percent of all emergency department visits resulting in hospitalization. Approximately one out of every 10 hospital admissions are potentially avoidable, and the majority (60 percent) of those admissions are for patients 65 and older. Read More about GEDA in the latest SAEM Pulse issue.  

 

Nebraska Chapter

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Irving, Texas 75063-2524

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