ACEP Launches ‘Saving Millions’ Campaign to Demonstrate Value of EM

Emergency departments are the hub for medical issues that come up suddenly and urgently, whether it’s the aftermath of a mass casualty event like the bombings in Boston, or a growing number of patients being referred by primary care doctors.

In an effort to help the public and lawmakers understand the unique role of the emergency department team and to bolster support to overcome the many challenges we face, ACEP launched a campaign in May 2013 called “Saving Millions” with a series of print ads, radio messages and a coordinated editorials in influential communications nationwide.

Based largely on the results of a 2013 study from RAND, which was supported by the EM Action Fund, the campaign is bringing awareness to specific health care issues and urges:

• Passage of legislation to provide liability protections for emergency and on-call physicians (who provide EMTALA-related services) by classifying them as federal employees under the Public Health Safety Act
• Passage of legislation to repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board
• Passage of legislation to modify the Medicare 3-day hospital inpatient requirement

Read the RAND report summary here or the full report online.

Visit ACEP.org/savingmillions to download resources to share with your group, hospital, local media outlets, and community groups.