Section members enjoyed a networking session sponsored by nPOD immediately following the meeting.

Cruise Ship Medicine

Dr. Grant Tarling, chief medical officer with Princess Cruises, was installed as Section Chair, and Dr. Carter Hill became Immediate Past Chair. For Chair-Elect, members chose Dr. William Heymann, Medical Director of MHG Medical Consulting Services and one of the section’s co-founders. Members of the section voted to approve updates to the ACEP Health Care Guidelines for Cruise Ship Medical Facilities. The changes – which include updates to pediatric medication and equipment, trauma training and tightening vague language – are pending approval from ACEP’s Board of Directors. There was a presentation of a study about cardiac arrest at sea, an update of the implementation of electronic health records system fleet-wide, and the approach of one cruise line to employee paramedics to bring a different skill set to the crew.

Democratic Group Practice

Section members discussed a number of strategies that will be developed over the coming year to share information about Democratic Groups. The Section elected new officers, including Dr. Savoy Brummer, Chair-Elect, Dr. Michael Becker; Secretary/

Newsletter Editor, Dr. William Dalsey, Councillor; and Dr. Gary Tamkin, Alternate Councillors.

Disaster Medicine

Dr. Andrew Bern, ACEP Liaison to the ACEP Board of Directors, gave a brief history and the evolution of the DMS and touched on federal preparedness. He recognized Disaster Medicine past and current leaders. He also reaffirmed the value and importance of the DMS.

A presentation by Dr. Sam Dychter of Halozyme Therapeutics covered the origin and evolution of Hylenex. He presented the results of several studies supporting the application of Hylenex. He fielded questions regarding availability of information for parents of pediatric patients, duration of effectiveness, and the cost of Hylenex. A call for new business included discussion of establishing a working group to plan for future agenda items and projects. Also, medical students, residents and fellows were encouraged to get involved with the DMS. Dr. Ira Nemeth introduced Dr. Emily Kidd to talk about the Texas Disaster Medical System, Medical Operations Centers and Interstate Disaster Medical Collaborative (ISDMC).

Emergency Medicine Informatics

Dr. Kevin Baumlin, Chair-Elect, provided the section with an update on meaningful use initiatives and the section’s joint grant with the Quality Improvement & Patient Safety. The White Paper on Emergency Department Information Systems is on track to be completed by late December and will be submitted to he Annals of Emergency Medicine for publication. Current Newsletter Editor Dr. Steven Horng will serve as the Section’s Secretary/Newsletter Editor for 2013-2015. Current Section Chair Dr. Jeffery Neilson will serve as the section’s Alternate Councillor.

Emergency Medicine Practice Management & Health Policy

Dr. Ahbi Mehrotra, Dr. John Proctor and Dr. Justin Schaper provided presentations on physician-driven patient satisfaction assessments. The section elected new officers, including Dr. Nicholas F. Vasquez, Chair-Elect; and Dr. Heather Heaton, Secretary/Newsletter Editor.

Emergency Medicine Research

The section elected Dr. James R. Miner as Chair-Elect. Dr. Hans House presented Immediate Past Chair Dr. Brent Gottesman with the Service to Section Award for his work on the Section and Research Committee’s handbook, “Emergency Care Research – A Primer.”

Emergency Medicine Workforce

The new Section objectives would broadly incorporate emergency medicine workforce issues and emergency physician rights to create resources for the benefit of both section members and the College. Section Chair-Elect Dr. Donald Lum announced in the annual meeting that Section leaders and ACEP staff will be working on an updated section microsite, new channels for communication, and a Section member survey.

Emergency Medicine/Internal Medicine Dual Training

The Section named Dr. Joe Romano as its new newsletter editor. Dr. Romano follows Dr. Dan Hess and Dr. David Marcus, who helped the section win the 2011-12 Newsletter of the Year award. Section past chair Dr. Chad Kessler announced that he is leading a team that was recently awarded a grant to study hospital patient flow. The Section voted unanimously to change its name to the Dual Training Section in an effort to reach out to other emergency physicians who train in a subspecialty. Section officers plan to send the request to the ACEP Board for a decision in its next meeting in February.

Emergency Telemedicine

Dr. Ricardo Martinez and Dr. Phil Johnson gave a web-based presentation showcasing use of Global Med’s technology to aid faster dx, avert expensive flights to Level I centers, etc. One case included a child thrown from a horse in rural Arizona whose CT was read by a neurosurgeon in Tucson within minutes, allowing the local hospital to watch the child without airlifting him.

Emergency Ultrasound

Members provided updates on exciting initiatives, including a clinical ultrasound accreditation program, grants for ultrasound research, a sonoguide and an ultrasound exam site.

EMS-Prehospital Care

The EMS Section lunch was sponsored by Medtronic Foundation, Heart Rescue Project. Dr. Douglas Kupas discussed the HeartRescue Project’s five-year goal to improve SCA survival rates in selected states and geographies by 50 percent. This involves five partnering states and AMR developing best practices in all phases of cardiac resuscitation. New business included discussions regarding Virtual ACEP, board certification fees, future of board certification, free standing ED’s and revisiting Section subscriptions, which members decided to remain closed. Dr. Andrew Sama presented the Outstanding Contribution in EMS Award to Dr. Ray Fowler.

Forensic Medicine

The Section elected new officers, including Dr. Ralph Riviello, Chair; Dr. Heather Rozzi, Vice Chair; Dr. Sally Awad and Dr. Kelly Katzburg, Co-Secretary/Content Editors. The Section Grant project, updating the Evaluation and Management of the Sexually Assaulted or Sexually Abused Patient handbook, is almost complete.

Geriatric Emergency Medicine

The Section introduced the first draft of the Geri-ED guidelines.

International Emergency Medicine

Section members congratulated the following people for their recent board appointments for the International Federation for Emergency Medicine: Dr. Jim Holliman, President-Elect; Dr. Robert Schafermeyer, Secretary; and Dr. Terry Mulligan, North America Regional Representative. The Section recognized award winners – Dr. Jim Holliman for the 2012 James D. Mills Award, and Dr. Terry Mulligan and Dr. V. Anantharaman for the Individual Achievement Award in International Emergency Medicine.