ACEP Clinical Alert 

April 8, 2020

COVID-19 Video Update from ACEP President William Jaquis, MD, FACEP 

ACEP President Dr. Jaquis recorded a short video about the most recent developments on the front lines and what you need to know, including the latest on PPE, telehealth, patient volumes and liability.

New! ACEP COVID-19 Field Guide

As we face this unprecedented pandemic, ACEP assembled a Field Guide to COVID-19 Care in the Emergency Department to assist you on the front lines in this crisis. 

This resource is a compilation of what we know now on the evaluation and treatment of COVID-19. It is a living document that will be updated as new information, guidance, and best practices evolve. 

This field guide aims to provide the information emergency physicians need to assess the available resources in their community and determine their local applications. This document is not meant to set a standard of care and does not represent ACEP policy, unless explicitly stated.

ACEP4U: Fighting for Liability Protection

On behalf of every emergency physician who is risking his or her life combatting the COVID-19 pandemic and may be forced to make extremely difficult or impossible treatment decisions, ACEP is actively working to secure immunity from liability.  

Here are some of the specific actions we have taken:

  • Raised this issue on a call with Vice President Mike Pence
  • Actively worked with Congressional lawmakers to include liability protections in future COVID-19 legislation
  • Included this issue in our list of top policy priorities that has been distributed to every member of Congress
  • Provided a template letter to every state chapter asking for full immunity
  • Reached out to many state chapters offering to help individualize the letter to contact their governors asking for an emergency declaration on this issue. 

To date, New York, Illinois, and Connecticut have made declarations that have included strong liability protections for frontline health care practitioners. Several other states have indicated that they believe that statutes related to declared emergencies provide this protection. A couple of other states have indicated that the governors do not believe they have authority to do this. There is political momentum on this issue, and ACEP believes that we will see this addressed in many more states soon. It is important to note that our current efforts have been fully focused on work by working physicians, not Good Samaritans. 

Finally, please know that medical liability reform has always been always a priority for ACEP. After this crisis is over, we will make the case that liability protections appropriate for the crisis are also good policy during normal times.

We hope this guide will save lives and protect you and your family. This crisis will end. Until then, be safe.

Your Voice Will Be Still Heard on Virtual Hill Day!

The traditional Hill Day experience of ACEP Leadership and Advocacy Conference has been scuttled this year, but there has never been a more important time to talk to your Members of Congress.

With our Virtual Hill Day on April 28, state-specific advocacy teams will have telephone meetings with Members of Congress and their key staff to discuss the most pressing issues you are facing, and the life and death risks you are taking during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Limited to just 600 participants. The deadline to register is April 22.

Find out more here about the event, free for ACEP Members.

Webinar Alert: ACEP and SCCM Presents What Do We Not Yet Know, That We Need to Understand

This joint webinar with the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) will be moderated by the ACEP and SCCM Presidents along with invited experts from both societies to address difficult questions regarding managing COVID-19 patients.

The focus will be on minding the gap where current training and guidelines may no longer apply. More than ever, continuity of care is critical as the pandemic evolves and guidance from expert leadership is key.

Register here for the webinar, taking place from 11 am to 12 pm Eastern, Monday, April 13.

COVID-19 No Cost, Discount and Other Offers

You are risking your lives to care for patients from this unprecedented pandemic, and we all appreciate the additional stress on you and your families.

We want to help. And, so do a lot of companies out there.

So, thanks to you and thanks to the companies willing to support our healthcare heroes.

Here are just a few of the offers you can find on our website:

FREE Hotel Rooms:

  • Huge thank you to Marriott Bonvoy for providing free rooms to ACEP members in some of the hardest hit cities in the US through their Marriott Rooms for Responders program.
  • Beginning April 13, Hilton is also providing free hotel rooms to ACEP members in select US locations so you can have a safe and welcoming place to stay as you support those impacted by COVID-19.

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