Washington Emergency Physicians met with various members of the state’s congressional delegation Nov. 1 to discuss Prudent Layperson and liability coverage for EMTALA-related care in Emergency Departments.

The following WA-ACEP members were conferred Oct. 28:

Davis, Christopher W

Doten, Ian

Furtado, Marina

Johnson, Brian D

Macht, Marlow

Markel, David

Moy-Brown, Terry

Pheysey, David J

Sickle Cell Awareness Month is coming to a close, but there’s still more to learn and share. Did you know pain crisis (severe pain) is the #1 reason for emergency department (ED) visits among people with sickle cell disease (SCD)? Pain crises and other SCD-related health problems can happen at any time. People with SCD can prepare for ED visits by reading our Tips to receive better care in the ED and share with friends and family.

If you’re an emergency provider, learn how you can provide better care for patients with SCD.

For more sharable info on SCD, check out our suite of materials available at:
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/sicklecell/materials/index.html .

For information on SCD resources available in your state, visit the Sickle Cell Disease National Resource Directory

Concerned about safety in your emergency department? Take a look at ACEP’s collection of educational resources that are available for free. The page will be updated frequently as new resources become available.

Congratulations to Aaron J. Cronin, DSc PA-C and Michael Perreault, MD for being awarded a 2017-2018 EMF/SEMPA Team Grant for $20,000. Cronin and Perreault will be working on their project titled, “Accuracy of Physician Assistants in Diagnosing Lower Extremity Deep Vein Thrombosis after Focused Ultrasound Training” at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Wash. Cronin and Perreault expertly ran the 2017 WA-ACEP Summit to Sound Ultrasound lab during the April meeting in Seattle.

When asked how they hope their grant will change the practice of emergency medicine, they stated, “Emergency Medicine and student PAs are increasingly training and utilizing bedside ultrasound to expedite ED workflow, improve patient care, elevate provider satisfaction, and raise hospital revenues. Barriers still remain, specifically with PAs obtaining requisite hospital credentials and overall administrative acceptance of this rapidly growing PA skillset. Just as ED physicians had to prove their diagnostic accuracy with bedside ultrasound applications in order to justify charging patients for bedside scans, medico-legal mitigation, and intra-specialty confidence (especially from radiology colleagues), the EM PA profession should investigate research-based outcomes proving their diagnostic accuracy with this skillset.”

“Historic” Legislative Session

The 2017 Legislative Session was historic in many significant ways, most publicized is the length of time legislators spent in Olympia.  Rather than leaving on April 23 as scheduled, legislators did not depart until July 20, after three Special Sessions and 193 days of being at the State Capitol.  The 2017 “session” was the longest in history.  Significant work was accomplished, but a number of key issues were just left on the table. Learn more.