the real work—and the real battles—will occur as regulations are developed to implement the statutory changes.
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ACEP News: Vol 29 – No 01 – January 2010
In one of our largest public outreach efforts to date, ACEP brought emergency medicine to the public’s attention in a high-profile way with the September launch of our “Emergency Medicine Myths and Realities” campaign. Centered on an “Open Letter from America’s Emergency Physicians,” the campaign provided a public forum to dispel the myths surrounding emergency care and advocate for our positions on health care reform.
Targeting every key stakeholder in the health care reform debate, nearly 40,000 letters were mailed to Congress, the White House, pharmaceutical and insurance companies, medical societies, foundations, and influential grassroots organizations. Full-page, color ads ran in the print and online versions of Politico, Roll Call, Congressional Quarterly, and USA Today.
Also included was a public Web site, www.ACEP.org/realities, that continues to generate a steady stream of traffic.
The Myths and Realities campaign did raise ACEP’s public profile, and four days after it launched, Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) offered an amendment to the Senate Finance Committee health care bill asking for a 5% Medicare reimbursement bonus for services provided by emergency physicians or on-call specialist services performed in an emergency department for fiscal years 2010-2015.
Although the amendment was not included in the final legislation, it was an accomplishment for emergency medicine.
2009 was a busy year. 2010 promises to be even busier.
Whether you personally agree with the final product of health care reform legislation or not, it is important to remember that health care delivery will not change overnight. Most of the provisions of health care reform legislation will not be implemented until 2013.
The real work—and the real battles—will occur as regulations are developed to implement the statutory changes.
If true reform does happen, it will be a long term process. We will not wake up to a new reality the morning after a bill is signed. There will still be much work to be done.
Rest assured that ACEP will be vigilant and active, every step of the way.
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