Rosenau Chosen as ACEP President-Elect

The ACEP Council chose Dr. Alex M. Rosenau was ACEP President-Elect on Oct. 7, the final day of its 2-day meeting. Rosenau, a member of the Board of Directors for 6 years, will serve as ACEP President from 2013-14. Rosenau is Senior Vice Chair and Assistant Medical Director for Emergency Medicine at Lehigh Valley Health Network/Lehigh Valley Physician Group in Allentown, Pa.

“I believe it’s important to have a confident face of the College to tell our stories,” he said in his campaign speech. “Our stories are what bind us together as one. …They remind us of the need to fight for fair reimbursement and work in collaboration with our partners.”

Dr. Rosenau is a former President of the Pennsylvania chapter and served two terms on its Board of Directors. He also served as ACEP Treasurer and Vice President. A former chair of the Emergency Medicine Foundation, he was awarded the 2012 NEMPAC 911 Member of the Year Award. He also has been the board liaison and advisor to EMRA, SEMPA, and the ACEP Emergency Ultrasound Section. Dr. Rosenau studied at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and received his DO in 1981. He was an intern at AOH in Allentown, Pa., and a resident at Botsford General Hospital in Farmington Hills, Mich.

Board Welcomes Two New Members, Retains Two Incumbents

The ACEP Council elected two new members to the Board of Directors and re-elected two incumbents. Board members serve 3-year terms. Dr. Vidor Friedman, Dr. William P. Jaquis will be first-time board members. Dr. Rebecca B. Parker and Dr. Jay A. Kaplan will serve second terms. On the final day of Scientific Assembly, the ACEP Board of Directors chose officers for the upcoming year. Dr. David Seaberg was elected Chair. Dr. Michael J. Girardi was elected Vice President and Dr. Robert E. O’Connor was named Secretary-Treasurer.

NEMPAC Donations Break Records

NEMPAC, ACEP’s Political Action Committee, has a goal of raising $1.1 million in 2012, and the Council Challenge at Scientific Assembly supplied a boost to reaching those marks. NEMPAC collected $164,000 and received an additional pledge of $50,000 from CEP America physicians who donated $50,000 earlier this year. EMP physicians are stepping up to the plate with a goal of $100,000 plus to NEMPAC before the elections in November. Other physician groups whose ACEP member physicians have made a strong commitment to NEMPAC this year include Eastside Emergency Physicians, Medical Emergency Professionals, Florida Emergency Physicians, Wake Emergency Physicians and MEMA.

NEMPAC is participating in more than 240 congressional races assisting candidates for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives who will best represent the interests of emergency physicians and patients in Congress next year. NEMPAC is one of the top four medical specialty PACs along with anesthesiology, orthopedic surgery, and radiology. Because only ACEP members can contribute to NEMPAC, this success is a direct result of the support of ACEP leaders and individual members who understand that political advocacy is a necessity for advancing the specialty.

EMF Reports Highly Successful Conference, ACEP Match

Boosted by a “Boot Scootin’ Party,” where attendees were treated to a concert by award-winning country artist Jack Ingram, the Emergency Medicine Foundation raised more than $250,000 over six days at the Council Meeting and Scientific Assembly. The Council Challenge yielded more than $158,000, easily surpassing its 2012 goal.

ACEP announced during the conference that it will match all individual donations to EMF – dollar for dollar. Dr. Andrew Sama, ACEP President, said in his induction speech during the Council Meeting that the Board of Directors recently made the decision to invest in the future of emergency medicine. “Research funded by EMF has been important to the growth and improvement of our specialty,” Dr. Sama said. “There are many important practice issues that need investigating for the future of emergency care. We also want to fund and develop young researchers to the extent possible.”

This year’s matching contribution program from ACEP, which will match up to $1 million in individual donations, is the first step in a plan to begin building an endowment for EMF.

Also at the 2012 Scientific Assembly, four members joined the Wiegenstein Legacy Society, a group whose members have agreed to give a portion of their estates to EMF. To celebrate EMF’s 40th anniversary, the foundation also pushed for membership into the 1972 Club. These are members who have agreed to give $1,972 to EMF, and 23 new members joined during the 4-day conference.

Virtual ACEP Offers The Entire Conference

For the first time, ACEP attendees took advantage of a new member benefit that brings the entire conference to their computer or mobile device. It’s called Virtual ACEP, and it includes access to full-motion video capture of the entire meeting with more than 270 hours of educational content.

Whether you couldn’t make it Denver or you just couldn’t attend all the courses you wanted to, Virtual ACEP will bridge the gaps. Watch presenters’ slides while listening to fully synchronized audio as if you were actually attending each session. It features secure online access from any standard browser and can be viewed on several devices, including iPad, iPhone, or Android 2.2 or better. Learn more at www.acep.org.

This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™

Opening Session Features Video of Aurora Response

A moving video about Colorado physicians and their response to the Aurora movie theater shooting on July 20 highlighted the ACEP Scientific Assembly’s Opening Session. When doctors from six hospitals were asked to stand and be recognized for their efforts, attendees at the Oct. 8 event gave them a standing ovation. A session on Tuesday broke down disaster response and how the two hospitals receiving the biggest number of victims handled the mass casualty event. The video can be seen at www.acep.org/sa/videos.

After the emergency physicians and their colleagues were recognized, the Opening Session moved into the future and business of health care. Michael L. Lovdal, a partner at Oliver Wyman with more than 25 years of experience in providing strategic planning and assistance to clients in health sciences, delivered the keynote. Lovdal said the scope of the health care problem today is phenomenal, pointing out that 18% of the U.S. GDP goes to health care now. He said that number will jump to 20% due to the expected increase in Type II diabetes alone.

A round-table discussion followed with Lovdal, ACEP President Dr. Andrew E. Sama, and Dr. Steven J. Stack, chair of the AMA Board of Trustees. They addressed questions regarding the impact of these changes on emergency physicians. Despite the major changes they anticipate coming, there was some consensus that, because of the nature of their jobs, emergency physicians are likely to be somewhat cushioned from some of the most dramatic changes, at least in the short term.

Save the Dates: Seattle 2013

The 2013 ACEP Scientific Assembly is set for Oct. 14-17 in Seattle, Wash. Know you plan to attend? The official 2013 ACEP Scientific Assembly hotel block is open for booking! There’s no upfront cost to reserve your room in advance. Find out more online at www.acep.org/seattle2013.