NEMPAC Reports

In response to the turbulent political environment, ACEP members are supporting NEMPAC, ACEP’s Political Action Committee, at record levels to ensure that emergency medicine has a strong voice in Washington DC. Implementation of the new health care law continues to present challenges to the specialty, along with Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement and liability issues, making it more important than ever for emergency physicians to stay active and engaged in the process.

During the ACEP Council meeting, NEMPAC collected $156,000 and received an additional pledge of $50,000 from CEP America’s physicians. Coupled with the $800,000 donated by ACEP members across the country prior to the meeting, NEMPAC is well on its way to reaching $1.1 million in 2013.

This year, ACEP physicians in seven emergency medicine group practices were recognized with the NEMPAC 2013 Leadership Award.

• CEP America physicians pledged $100,000 in 2013.
• Emergency Medicine Physicians (EMP) introduced a monthly payroll deduction option for NEMPAC donations from their ACEP Members, with a target of $150,000 for 2013. NEMPAC and EMP PAc sponsored a reception on Sunday evening for ACEP member Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.).The event was held to help Dr. Ruiz in his re-election bid for Congress. A similar event was planned for ACEP member Representative Joe Heck (R-Nev.) but was canceled because of the Congressional schedule.
• TeamHealth introduced a payroll deduction option for their ACEP members and has collected $100,000 in 2013.
• Eastside Emergency Physicians have 100% Give-a-Shift ($1,000) participation in NEMPAC from their ACEP physician members, with $27,000 donated in 2013.
• Florida Emergency Physicians (FEP) donated $42,000 from 42 “Give-a-Shift” donors.
• Medical Emergency Professionals (MEP) introduced a monthly payroll deduction option for NEMPAC donations, with more than $20,000 donated in 2013.
• Wake Emergency Physicians, Pa., pledged $10,000 through an installment giving program.

innovatED Makes Debut

ACEP13 attendees experienced the debut of innovatED in the Exhibit Hall. This interactive, hands-on, realistic view of an emergency department was broken into zones: Pre-Hospital, Patient Access, Patient Treatment, Innovation, and Communication. ACEP is already planning to make innovatED twice as big next year in Chicago, allowing even more chances to exchange ideas and see how technology will drive emergency department design, patient care, and flow. In addition to some of the latest products and design, innovatED featured ED Talks, where 10-minute talks from industry experts allowed for collabora-tion and updates on what’s next for health care and the emergency departments.