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ACEP gives thumbs-up to Congress for ED bill

Emergency Management Alert, April 3, 2007

The American College of Emergency Physicians has "heralded" the introduction of the Access to Emergency Medical Services Act of 2007 (S. 1003) in the Senate by U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) in a statement released March 28. The Act is the companion bill to H.R. 882, which was introduced in the House on February 7, 2007,  by Reps. Bart Gordon (D-TN- 6th District) and Pete Sessions (R-TX, 32nd District).

"Senators Stabenow and Specter are showing great leadership on the critical issue of access to emergency care," said Brian F. Keaton, MD, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians, in an ACEP press release. "We must reduce the dangerous trends that are limiting the public's ability to receive high-quality, lifesaving medical care, and leaving emergency departments unable to respond to disasters."

Both bills call for the creation of a national bipartisan commission on access to emergency medical services to examine factors that affect and may impede the delivery of care in U.S. emergency departments. The bill also recognizes the need for additional resources in support of care delivery.  In addition, S. 1003 directs that a working group within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services be convened to develop boarding and diversion standards, as well as guidelines and incentives for implementation of those standards. 

"Our legislation addresses the dangerous trends outlined in reports from the Institute of Medicine in 2006, including the widespread lack of preparedness for disasters," said Senator Stabenow. "Most emergency departments report operating at or above capacity, chiefly due to overcrowding and patient boarding, and that drastically reduces the ability to handle a surge of patients in a crisis."

"Many of our nation's emergency departments are overcrowded, underfunded and stretched to the breaking point;" said Dr. Keaton. "Access to quality emergency care is not a luxury, it's a necessity, and this bill is a good first step forward in ensuring patients have access to emergency care. The nation's emergency physicians are dedicated to working with Senators Stabenow and Specter and their counterparts in the House, Reps. Gordon and Sessions, to mobilize public support for and promote passage of this legislation that will enhance our patients' care."

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