Election season is upon us and while this means being bombarded by a steady stream of political ads, this is also an excellent opportunity for us to reach out to candidates to visit our emergency departments and discuss the most valuable topics such as surprise billing, Medicaid reimbursement, and treatment for substance abuse disorders. Candidates are eager to hear from constituents and we have a unique opportunity to provide our expertise regarding healthcare policy. Several of our Iowa ACEP chapter members have hosted candidates in their departments in previous years and have had successful conversations about the practice of emergency medicine. It is up to us as emergency physicians to help our government understand what is happening on the front lines of healthcare and how their decisions directly affect the way we are able to practice emergency medicine. Please consider inviting a candidate to your department. If you would like assistance with learning who is available for a visit and how to schedule a site visit, please contact Harry Monroe with National ACEP. As an alternative, your hospital may have a government relations officer that may help facilitate that visit.
Physician Day on the Hill - DesMoines
It is with great pleasure that to announce that Iowa ACEP will be working with the Iowa Medical Society (IMS) to participate in Physician Day on the Hill on Wednesday, March 4, 2020 at the Capitol in Des Moines. We will be meeting with our state legislators to discuss tort reform. In the state of Iowa, there are currently no hard caps for noneconomic damages in medical malpractice cases. As a result, juries have awarded plaintiffs millions in non-economic damages. Iowa has seen a substantial increase in high-dollar medical malpractice awards against physicians and health care facilities during the past three years. 34 states have hard caps on noneconomic damages, including nearly every neighboring Midwest state. As trial lawyers exploit Iowa’s lack of hard-caps on noneconomic damages, these large judgements are placing small, rural facilities in financial danger and in some cases, causing facilities to close. In our rural state, there are already barriers to access to care and we must do what we can to ensure that our facilities remain open so that we may care for the people in our state. Our legislators rely on our professional expertise to vote of issues that affect patient care and the practice of medicine. Let’s make our voices heard!
The day will begin at 11:00 AM and conclude by approximately 2:30 PM. We would like to have as many physicians as possible representing Iowa ACEP and invite you to participate in this exciting event.
To register to participate in Physician Day on the Hill, follow the registration link. Please register as soon as possible. The agenda for the day is listed below.
Agenda
11:00 AM - 12:15 PM
Advocacy Training & Issue Briefing at the State Historical Museum Auditorium
12:15 PM - 12:30 PM
Shuttle Starts to the Capitol (meet at the base of the first floor grand staircase for group photo)
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Legislative Lunch in Round Table
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Meetings with Legislators
Upcoming Chapter Events
SAVE THE DATE - Iowa ACEP Chapter Annual Meeting
We will be hosting our annual chapter meeting on Tuesday, June 16th. The meeting will be held in Cedar Rapids at Cedar Ridge Winery & Distillery.
Special guest speaker will be John T. Finnell, MD, FACEP, FACMI who will present a National ACEP Update and the topic on well-being: Work/Life Balance. This topic affects all of us.
An election will be held during the annual meeting. The positions that are open are the following:
President-Elect, Treasurer, Elected Councillor, Resident Representative (UICCM), Resident Representative (DMU), Medical Student Representative (UICCM), and Medical Student Representative (DMU)
If you would like to run for any of these positions, please send an email with your bio, a headshot and an explanation as to why you think you would be a good candidate for the position. The deadline is Monday, April 27th.
If you would like more information about a specific position, please send an email to Adriana Alvarez, our Chapter Executive and she will be able to provide you with more details.
SAVE THE DATE - EM Mat Waiver Course
We will be hosting our 1st ever CME event in DesMoines. Tentative dates are May 19th or May 21st. Please pencil in the dates as we finalize the details of this amazing opportunity offered by National ACEP. We will be inviting neighboring chapters like Nebraska, Missouri, South Dakota to attend this course. The course will be free for Iowa ACEP Chapter Members with a nominal fee for non-members and APP's. You will be required to register online for this course to be able to get your CME. More details to follow.
Upcoming National ACEP Events
SAVE THE DATE - Leadership & Advocacy Conference - Washington, DC
Mark your calendars for the Leadership and Advocacy conference in Washington, D. C. on April 26-28, 2020. This is one of the most compelling conferences that ACEP offers. Whether or not you have any experience with political advocacy, this conference covers current healthcare policy issues and how they are affecting our specialty. Have you even been frustrated by policy changes that affect your patients and how you practice medicine? Have you ever wanted to speak directly to those policy makers and express your ideas? Then this is the conference for you!
For beginners, there are seminars that review topics all the way from basic healthcare policy to how to talk to your representatives. This conference provides learners with tools to advocate for legislation in emergency medicine on both local and national levels. As a grand finale, conference participants are scheduled to meet with their assigned member of congress on Capitol Hill to discuss the legislation affecting our specialty and how their votes can influence how we care for patients. This is the most empowering experience any provider can have! If we are not the voice of our patients, then others who have no healthcare background will vote on legislation. This conference will teach you how to be the voice of your patients and your specialty! Whether you are a first-year medical student or a seasoned attending physician, we hope to see you there!
Spotlight
Read the Spotlight article below about one of our own Iowa Chapter Board Members - Dr. Carreon. I am sure you will enjoy reading the article as much as I did!
Do you work with someone you would like to recognize? Send in your article.
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