• 375 hospitals across the country have been recognized as Wellbeing First Champions, representing a 400 percent increase from last year (75 hospitals).
• Jackson and Coker Locums Tenens and Envision Healthcare also verified their internal applications and forms.
• For the first time, an insurance company (PacificSource Health Plans) is recognized as a Wellbeing First Champion.

ACEP Tells Congress It Must Fix Flawed Medicare Payment System

Medicare cuts are looming unless Congress acts. That’s why ACEP and more than 100 organizations are urging Congress to provide clinicians with the financial stability needed to ensure access to high-quality care.

“Step one is ensuring that Medicare payments to clinicians in 2025 and beyond are adjusted each year with an inflationary update,” the group wrote in a letter to the four highest-ranking members of the Senate and House of Representatives. “Congress must act before the end of 2024 to provide clinicians with the financial stability needed to ensure beneficiaries continue to have access to high-quality care.

The Medicare Physician Fee Schedule is the only payment system within Medicare that lacks an inflationary update. Bipartisan legislation would add a permanent inflationary update, and two additional bills have been introduced to change budget neutrality requirements. The letter points out that “clinicians continue to face ongoing financial

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challenges operating their practices since the Medicare payment system has failed to keep pace with inflation. In 2025, the proposed 2.8 percent payment reduction will coincide with an expected 3.6 percent increase in medical practice cost inflation, as measured by the Medicare Economic Index. When adjusted for inflation, Medicare physician payments have decreased by 29 percent from 2001 to 2024. This is clearly not sustainable.”

Please voice your support for stabilizing Medicare physician payment by visiting the ACEP Advocacy Action Center.

Remembering Dr. Stewart

Longtime ACEP member and emergency medicine pioneer Ronald Stewart passed away on October 21 after a prolonged illness. He was 82.

Dr. Stewart

A 1986 winner of the prestigious James D. Mills Award for his outstanding contributions to the specialty, Dr. Stewart was widely known for his pioneering role as one of the first physician medical directors in EMS. His expertise and passion for pre-hospital care were highlighted in popular culture when he served as a medical consultant for the iconic TV show Emergency! The character Dr. Bracken, who worked alongside Johnny and Roy, was inspired by his work. This public recognition not only brought EMS into the spotlight but also highlighted the critical role physicians like Dr. Stewart played in shaping the future of emergency care.