ACEP also launched the “Saving Millions” campaign to promote some of the RAND report’s key messages, including the role of emergency physicians in saving health care costs incurred through hospital admissions. The campaign featured ads published in Roll Call, Politico, CQ Weekly, and The Hill, and a YouTube video. Additional issues discussed included GME funding and creating a stable payment system for Medicare physician reimbursement.

The three bills that legislators were asked to co-sponsor are:

H.R. 36/S.961: “Health Care Safety Net Enhancement Act of 2013,” introduced by Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA) in the House and Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) in the Senate. The bill provides medical liability relief for physicians providing care under the EMTALA mandate;

H.R. 351/S.351: “Protecting Seniors’ Access to Medicare Act of 2013,” introduced by Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN) in the House and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) in the Senate. The bill would repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) created under the Affordable Care Act;

H.R.1179/S.569: “Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2013,” introduced by Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) in the House and Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in the Senate. The bill amends the Social Security Act to count a period of receipt of outpatient observation services in a hospital toward the three-day inpatient hospital requirement for coverage of skilled nursing facility (SNF) services under Medicare.

Other Highlights

Media Coverage: Reports about the RAND findings and the “Saving Millions” campaign included news stories in The New York Times, Health Leaders Media, and Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch. Radio stories aired in several major cities generated by a radio media tour with ACEP President-elect Dr. Alex Rosenau and Dr. Stephen Epstein. In addition, Drs. Jay Kaplan, Bob O’Connor, Wes Fields and Epstein met with reporters of Bloomberg News, The Los Angeles Times, and National Journal to discuss the RAND results.

Awards: Dr. Stephen Anderson, an emergency physician from Seattle, was named 2013 Spokesperson of the Year, and Dr. Epstein from Boston received the 2013 Communications Lifetime Achievement Award. Also recognized were Monica Navarro and Izidio Contreras of Univision. They received the 2013 Award of Excellence in Journalism. The 2013 Special Recognition of Excellence in Journalism went to Anna Matthews of The Wall Street Journal. The awards luncheon featured ACEP member Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-CA), who was elected in 2012. Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX), an OB-GYN, discussed the importance of physician advocacy during an advocacy training session to prepare the participants for the Capitol Hill Visits. In a luncheon before the visits, Dr. Andrew Bern received the 911 Network Member of the Year award. Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN), a family physician, gave the luncheon address.