In order to answer the challenge:

1. We need to provide solutions that show that emergency medicine residency training is cost-effective and improves medical outcomes.
2. We need to advocate for payment models that reward emergency physicians for their value through gainsharing models that reward physicians for providing cost-effective quality care. This must be a win-win-win for payers, physicians, and patients.
3. We need to advocate for further physician autonomy and resources, including interoperable EHRs that allow physicians to determine the best product for the job.
4. We need to further vet and develop medical-legal solutions that safeguard evidence-based practices and minimize defensive ordering.
5. We need to make sure, as health systems consolidate, that physicians, not administrators, are determining appropriate care.

The president of ACEP serves two crucial roles for the College. He or she is a spokesperson for the College and determines the direction by establishing objectives and assigning them to committees.

I have the proven spokesperson experience and skills to effectively communicate the message, whether that’s with policymakers, the public, our colleagues in the House of Medicine, or other emergency physicians. I have the background and vision to unify the specialty and fortify the College.

“Hospitals have forced inefficient EHRs on us, boarded patients in the emergency department, and then complained to us about throughput times.” —Paul Kivela, MD, MBA, FACEP

Robert E. O’Connor, MD, MPH, FACEP (Virginia)

Current Professional Positions: professor and chair, physician-in-chief, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Virginia Health System; emergency physician, Culpeper Regional Hospital

Internships and Residency: emergency medicine residency, Medical Center of Delaware

Medical Degree: MD, Medical College of Pennsylvania (1982)

Candidate Question Response:

I have been asked to define my “signature issue” for the next three years. I have served on the ACEP Board for six years, including this past year as chair of the Board. I have worked to formulate solutions to many of the problems that we all face every day. Fair payment, tort reform, practice management, and physician wellness are but a few of these issues. Two of our newest initiatives, the CEDR and the Emergency Department Information Exchange (EDIE), represent a significant way to improve emergency care.

Would you rather work harder or work smarter? Documentation requirements, clinical decision making, reimbursement, and quality reporting are converging on emergency medicine and will force us to choose—do we work harder or smarter?

During my time as chair of the Board, we have made major commitments to launching CEDR and EDIE. Implementation is only the first step, and the use of technology to enable greater efficiency will be my signature issue during the next three years. These systems will require a sustained commitment to reach as many ED patients as possible while undergoing continual refinement. Imagine working a shift where you have access to information from every ED visit in the country for every patient you see. No more faxing medical releases to outside hospitals for old records. Imagine having access to national-level practice-improvement data that can be used to satisfy pay-for-performance requirements for reimbursement but also can be used to improve quality of care and outcomes. Imagine an EHR that provides work-saving decision support, documentation assistance, and integration with clinical data from all sources. This is how we work smarter.