09/19/2014

September President's Message

As the summer of 2014 winds to a close, this would be a good time to reflect back on the year so far, while at the same time looking to events ahead of us. With the pillars of Ohio ACEP being Advocacy, Education, and Leadership, let’s look at the recent past and the near future in those areas.

A number of exciting events have occurred in the Education realm in 2014. We began the year with our first “on the road” Written Board Review course. The granddaddy of Board Review courses, we have considered the concept of going on the road for many years, and we took that leap this past winter. Partnering with Florida ACEP, we presented our course in Orlando. Attendance exceeded our expectations, and our appetites were whetted to offer another Board Review Course in the Sunshine State. So this coming year we will be back in Florida, January 26-30, 2015, this time in the beautiful city of Tampa! These out-of-state courses are meant to complement our in-state deliveries…which we will continue to do with the same vigor and excellence as in previous years.

This year also saw changes in our Residents’ Assembly, in a move that all would consider “smart, smart, smart”. Whereas previous residents’ assemblies had been coupled with our yearly membership meeting—the EM Leadership Forum, featuring advocacy sessions, annual awards, and Chapter elections—this year we decided to host two separate events…having the EM Leadership Forum in March while moving the Resident meeting to the much more logical month of August. This August, the Ohio EM Residents’ Assembly was attended by the largest number of residents ever, saw participation from nearly 100% of the residency programs in Ohio, and featured the first ever Ohio ACEP Poster Competition. Based on the success of the meeting, we will continue to keep the Residents’ Assembly and the Emergency Medicine Leadership Forum as two featured events.

Of note, the next big educational event will be National ACEP’s 2014 Scientific Assembly, being held in Chicago, October 27-30. These national assemblies are always wonderful events, with educational opportunities galore. Ohio ACEP will be well-represented at Scientific Assembly, as well as at the ACEP Council Meeting, where each year, the main governing body of ACEP meets to set policies for the College.

In the Leadership arena, we are so proud of our Leadership Development Academy class of 2013 who spent this past year becoming increasingly involved in Ohio ACEP activities. We have seen this class assume leadership roles with the Board, seek involvement in state and national efforts, participate in advocacy endeavors (most notably at the Legislative & Advocacy Conference in Washington, DC), and continually demonstrate their commitment to Ohio ACEP as the advocate for emergency medicine in the state. And congratulations to Nicole Veitinger in her new role as Co-Chair of the Leadership Committee. Mentoring under the sage guidance of Tom Lukens, she’s the perfect addition to this Leadership team.

In the Advocacy realm, the year—like many years—has been a mixture of highs and lows. We dodged some bullets, won some battles, and faced some challenges on a few issues. Most importantly, we made sure our members’ voices were heard.

One victory we were especially proud of was when we successfully encouraged lawmakers to amend a bill which would have required that any prescription for a narcotic be accompanied by a written report from the Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System (OARRS). As any emergency physician in Ohio knows, OARRS is a useful tool, but the nature of emergency medicine often means we don’t have time to check OARRS while also providing quick, compassionate, and appropriate treatment of acute pain. Through testimony to legislative committees and meetings with elected officials, we successfully explained to legislators why this requirement simply wouldn’t work in an emergency care setting.

Unfortunately, not all advocacy efforts are “wins”. Earlier this year, we partnered with other physician and healthcare groups to stop a bad policy which puts Ohio’s youth athletes at risk. The policy in question, which was quietly slipped into an unrelated budget bill, would allow non-physician healthcare professionals—like dental hygienists, chiropractors, and even dieticians—to clear youth athletes who have sustained concussions to return to return to play. Despite previous successes defeating this kind of dangerous policy, our coalition came up short in the face of determined efforts to push the provision through the legislature without appropriate committee oversight.

We continue to meet with public officials in all different levels of government. Our members continue to write letters to the editor, speak at Rotary and other service groups, and generally advance the principles of emergency care while educating the public.

On a more personal note, this summer also saw yours truly take a cross country train trip. Headed back to California, the state where I was born, raised, and initially-educated, Gail and I left Cincinnati early one morning for Chicago, Los Angeles, and eventually northern California. All the kids and their significant others joined us, and we all spent a wonderful week in the San Francisco region. Not a bad way to highlight the summer. And though the reason for the trip was a high school reunion, the number of years since graduation will remain “secret”.

I hope this newsletter finds everyone in good health and fine spirit. Let’s have a great year, as Ohio ACEP continues to serve you and—in turn—the patients you serve.

Best,

John
John L. Lyman, MD, FACEP
President, Ohio ACEP