EM Lifestyle Series Kicks Off with Career Content

ACEP’s Young Physicians Section and Online Education Committee are collaborating on EM L.I.F.E.R.S., a new content series focused on EM lifestyle concerns including career advancement, finances, life balance, parenthood, and more. Hosted by YPS Chair John Corker, MD, FACEP, and Chair-Elect Puneet Gupta, MD, FACEP, in collaboration with Simone Lawson, MD, the first episode provided tips for job hunting during a pandemic. The second episode was a deep dive into EM employment contracts that focused on how to identify red flags and deal breakers. View the series at acep.org/EM-life.

EMPC Tackles Compensation, Staff Safety

The EM Practice Committee, led by Chair Daniel Freess, MD, FACEP, has been reviewing, revising, and drafting policy statements. The following were approved by the Board at its April 2021 meeting and are available at acep.org/policystatements.

• The revised Compensation Arrangements for Emergency Physicians statement now includes a bullet addressing emergency physicians being provided detailed itemized reports of billing and collections in their name, reflecting the language in Amended Resolution 29(20) Billing and Collections Transparency in Emergency Medicine, among other edits.
• The revised Cultural Awareness and Emergency Care statement now references the role of implicit bias.
• The revised Transition of Care for ED Patients statement includes new language emphasizing physician autonomy as defined by the prudent layperson standard.
• The revised Emergency Department Planning and Resource Guidelines statement now references the role of the emergency physician as the leader of the emergency department team. Language was added to address the level of patient literacy for understanding discharge instructions and family transport in private vehicles, to name a few.
• The revised Emergency Physician Contractual Relationships statement adds language to state emergency physicians are entitled to detailed itemized reports on a semiannual basis for what is billed and collected for their services. Language was added that emergency physicians shall not be asked to waive access to billing and collection reports. An existing section concerning the honoring of contractual agreements was expanded to include honoring contracts prior to the initiation of employment or in cases of deferred/delayed employment, such as that of a graduating resident.
• The revised Emergency Physician Rights and Responsibilities statement now includes addressing the provision of detailed itemized reports of billings and collections on a semiannual basis and more specific language related to due process before adverse action is taken related to employment or contract status, among other edits related to contract negotiations and restrictive covenant agreements.
• The revised Non-Discrimination and Harassment statement includes the role of implicit bias and the potential impact of cognitive load on bias.
• The new policy statement Safer Working Conditions for Emergency Department Staff addresses the importance of leadership promotion of safety, interior and exterior facility infrastructure, safety planning, reporting and training, written and posted behavioral standards, and the availability of equipment to prevent workplace injury.
• The revised Patient-Centered Medical Home Model statement emphasizes the importance of the patient-centered medical home providing timely care, integration of acute care services for patients to receive efficient evaluation, and recognition of the safety-net role of emergency medicine.

Diversity Section Addresses Vaccine Hesitancy

Vaccine hesitancy has been front of mind this spring, so the ACEP Diversity, Inclusion & Health Equity (DIHE) Section produced both a webinar and a toolkit to equip clinicians with historical context and strategies to counsel patients on this important decision. The webinar “This Is Our Shot: How EM Docs Can Empower Patients to End the Pandemic,” moderated by Tracy MacIntosh, MD, MPH, FACEP, and including panelists Ugo Ezenkwele, MD, MPH; Pilar Ortega, MD; and Robert Rodriguez, MD, is now available to watch on demand at ecme.acep.org. View the toolkit, led by DIHE Chair Andrea Green, MD, FACEP, and Merle Carter, MD, FACEP, at acep.org/covid-19-alert.