His path toward state legislative work was set. Dr. Morhaim ran for and won a seat in the Maryland House of Delegates. He campaigned with humor and creativity, handing out Band-Aid packs and likening himself to “George Clooney making a house call” when introducing himself as an ED doctor at voters’ doorsteps. He got to be known as “Dr. Dan.”

The effort paid off. Dr. Morhaim was elected for six terms, giving him 24 years to advocate for policy reforms that addressed the systemic issues he observed in the ED.

Citizen Legislator

Dan Morhaim, MD, FACEP, speaks at a meeting of the Maryland House of Delegates. Dr. Morhaim has been assigned to a state commission to address emergency department wait times. (Click to enlarge.)

Maryland, like most states, is a citizen legislature. Dr. Morhaim was a full-time legislator during the annual legislative session from January to early April, then returned to doing ED shifts for the rest of the year. What he saw in those ED months helped shape part of his legislative agenda for the upcoming session.

In his legislative role, Dr. Morhaim was a champion for drug treatment programs, health equity, and safety measures. He also worked on bills aimed at improving quality of life for seniors and environmental sustainability initiatives such as recycling. Dr. Morhaim has continued to write and advocate on health care issues, publishing books and articles on topics like end-of-life care. His clinical role continues as a medical director for ambulance companies, a volunteer physician with Remote Area Medical, and as faculty at George Washington University.

“People spend a lot of time paying attention to national politics, but it’s state legislatures that decide most health care policy, such as whether states participate in Medicaid expansion, for example,” Dr. Morhaim said. “Issues include scope of practice, payment, insurance, regulation, let alone education, traffic, public safety—states are really where the action is and where you can make a difference.”

Mr. Scheid is ACEP’s Communications Director.