The VALUE of VACEP in 2019 and 2020
VACEP continues its rise as one of Virginia’s most influential voices in the house of medicine. Thanks to your support through EMPAC-VA and our STAT fund, we were able to advocate for our specialty and your patients, expand our communications, score victories, and defeat legislation that would be harmful to emergency physicians.
One of the top issues we monitored in 2019 and advocated a fix for, surprise billing, made its way not only through the Virginia legislature, but the halls of Congress.
In Virginia, VACEP and our partners successfully killed harmful insurer-driven legislation that would have threatened the viability of every Virginia emergency department. We narrowly missed passing a bill that would have stabilized out-of-network billing issues favorably for emergency physicians.
We continue to work with the Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources on our proposal to end surprise bills. Our goal is to use transparent rates from the General Assembly-created All Payers’ Claims Database for a balanced approach that will ensure fair payment for emergency services. In the absence of a contract, the transparent fee sets a maximum that can be charged. As we move into the 2020 session, we continue to work with lawmakers to end surprise bills, ensure quality care and fair reimbursement, and protect patients.
At the federal level, decisions on surprise billing have shifted to, at earliest, May 2020. ACEP pushed against a package that would have paid emergency physicians the median in-network rate, with dispute resolution for $1,200 or more. Emergency physicians rarely bill for that amount, so legislation would have been unfavorable. We thank everyone who reached out to their representatives, signed onto letters, and wrote their local papers.
We made headlines. There were numerous op-eds and letters from emergency physicians - and lawmakers who see the value in our position on surprise billing.
Check out this Roanoke Times piece from Sen. Glen Sturtevant, who carried our bill last year, another in support from Del. Luke Torian, and a letter from VACEP’s own Caroline Cox. Todd Parker, VACEP treasurer, also penned an op-ed in the Virginian Pilot.
VACEP President Scott Hickey was even recognized by the Richmond Times-Dispatch as "Correspondent of the Day" with a letter to the editor outlining the proposed federal fix for surprise billing.
As a way to get the faces of our members out in front of peers and the public, we launched “Voices of VACEP,” profiling both the professional and personal insights from Virginia’s emergency medicine community. Find their profiles here, and expect more over 2020.
We mobilized support to save the Virginia Trauma Fund. During the 2019 Virginia General Assembly, the legislature eliminated a law requiring the suspension of driver’s licenses due to unpaid court fines and fees.
This rule has required courts to make payment plans available to individuals prior to suspending their license for nonpayment. Of the $145 reinstatement fee, the Trauma Center Fund received $100. While Virginia has found funding for Fiscal Year 2020, there is no sustainable revenue source beyond then. VACEP members wrote numerous letters of support for future funding. We continue to monitor the situation.
This fall, we relaunched this very website, VACEP.org, to turn it into a tool you can use to advocate and care. In addition to mobile-friendly emergency medicine resources, it also includes online registration for the 2020 CME Conference at the Homestead, and much more. (By the way, registered yet?)
In October, we said “see you later” — never goodbye — to our Executive Director since 2013, Bob Ramsey. In Bob’s tenure, VACEP membership nearly doubled by focusing on what matters to emergency physicians. VACEP became an active voice in both Virginia and Congressional debates impacting the emergency medicine specialty. We also named Bob’s replacement, Sarah Marshall. She’s already hit the ground running. Bob remains a consultant for us as he enters retirement.
And we are already making moves in 2020.
Help us Make a Difference. Through financial support or your time, there’s a way to help VACEP.
Passionate about politics? Help us influence legislators. Give to EMPAC/VA.
Care more about helping advocate for and tell the story of Emergency Medicine? Give to STAT.
And if all you can offer is time, join us for White Coats on Call or email Sarah to get involved.
Thank you for your energy, time, and resources to help us make 2020 VACEP’s greatest year ever.
