The 2015 ACEP Council considered several resolutions during its annual meeting this week, including issues related to public policy, clinical issues, and emergency medicine practice trends.

This year’s 373-member Council represents all 53 chapters, 33 ACEP sections of membership, the Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association (EMRA), the Association of Academic Chairs in Emergency Medicine, the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors, and the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine.

The resolutions adopted by the Council do not become College policy until they are reviewed and approved by the ACEP Board of Directors on Thursday.

On Sunday, the Council approved a resolution to increase the number of Councilors representing EMRA from the current four to eight seats. It was pointed out that EMRA was given its four Council seats in 1992 when it had about 2,500 members. Currently, EMRA has about 6,500 residents in its membership, in addition to several thousand medical students and alumni members.

The Council also adopted a resolution to address ethical violations by non-ACEP members. In an effort to address unethical expert witness testimony, this resolution will allow ACEP to admonish non-members and report the admonishment to the expert’s professional society, medical organizations, and state medical licensing board.

The Council also adopted resolutions related to:

• ACEP and the pharmaceutical industry
• American Board of Medical Specialties Maintenance of Certification and Maintenance of Licensure
• Critical communications for ED radiology findings
• Defining and transparency in urgent care centers
• Electronic nicotine delivery systems
• Electronic submission of resolution amendments
• Emergency department detox guidelines
• Enabling access to epinephrine for anaphylaxis
• Establishing state and national physician orders for life-sustaining treatment/end-of-life registries
• Fellowship status
• Graduate medical education funding
• Group purchasing effects on patient care
• Health care information exchanges
• Increasing use of advance directives
• Integrating emergency care into the greater health care system
• Intravenous ketamine for pain management in the ED
• Patient satisfaction scores and safe prescribing
• Procedural credentialing requirements
• Prolonged emergency department boarding
• Reimbursement for ultrasound performed by emergency physicians
• Required CME burden
• Searchable Council resolution database
• Support for drug “take-back” programs
• Telemedicine appropriate support and controls
• Transitioning out of medical practice

These items were referred to Board for additional consideration:

• ER is for emergencies (best practices campaign)
• Patient satisfaction surveys in emergency medicine
• Standards for fair payment of emergency physicians
• State medical board review of emergency medicine practice
• Use of body cameras worn by law enforcement in the emergency department

Next year’s Council meeting will take place Oct. 13–14 in Las Vegas.