LAS VEGAS—The 2016 ACEP Council considered several resolutions during its annual meeting in October, including issues related to public policy, clinical issues, and emergency medicine practice trends.

This year’s 392-member Council represented all 53 chapters, 33 ACEP sections of membership, the Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association (EMRA), the Association of Academic Chairs in Emergency Medicine, the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors, and the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine.

The resolutions adopted by the Council became College policy after they are reviewed and approved by the ACEP Board of Directors.

The Council considered, but ultimately did not adopt, a resolution to support the establishment of a full-voting young physician position on the ACEP Board of Directors.

The Council was divided on this issue, with those in favor saying a designated position would bring generational diversity and a different energy, while engaging younger physicians. Those opposed stated that a particular demographic should not be singled out and that efforts could be made to get younger physicians on the slate of candidates.

The Council also considered a resolution to oppose “required high stakes secured examination(s) for Maintenance of Certification.” After spirited discussion on both sides of the resolution, the Council decided to refer it to the Board of Directors.

The Council adopted resolutions related to:

• Accreditation standards for freestanding emergency centers
• Assuring safe and effective care for patients by senior/late career physicians
• Best practices for harm reduction strategies
• Boading and overcrowding is a public health emeregency
• Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recognition of independently licensed freestanding emergency centers
• Court-ordered forensic evidence collection in the ED
• Development and application of dashboard quality clinical data related to the management of behavioral health patients in EDs
• Diversity in emergency medicine leadership
• Enactment of narrow networks requirements
• Freestanding emergency centers as a care model for maintaining access to emergency care in underserved and rural areas of the US
• Health care financing task force
• Legacy fellows (bylaws housekeeping)
• Medication-assisted therapy for patients with substance use disorders in the emergency department
• Mental health boarding solutions
• Military medics integration into civilian EMS
• Opposing the development of sublingual sufentanil
• Opposition of exclusive imaging contracts limiting clinical ultrasound use and billing by emergency physicians
• Opposition to CMS mandating treatment expectations
• Pediatric surgery centers
• Reimbursement for opioid counseling
• Support and advocacy for 24/7 hyperbaric medicine availability
• The opioid epidemic—a leadership role for ACEP

These items were referred to Board for additional consideration:

• Collaboration with non-medical entities on quality and standards
• Criminal justice reform—national decriminalization of possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use
• Insurance collection of beneficiary deductibles
• Treatment of marijuana intoxication in the emergency department

Next year’s Council meeting will take place Oct. 28–29 in Washington, D.C.