TCEP EMphasis Newsletter

FEBRUARY 2023

Sterling Overstreet, MD, FACEP
TCEP President

President's Message

Since the last time I wrote you, the 88th Legislative Session has convened, and numerous bills have been filed. Imperium PA and TCEP continue to be actively engaged at the Capitol to ensure our patients and our practice are protected. Meanwhile in the Texas’ courts we have learned of a threat to our practice. ...

New Legislative Advocacy Council to lead TCEP during session.

Seven members of TCEP have been named to serve on the newly created Legislative Advocacy Council (LAC).

The members include: Dr. Sandra Williams (President Elect), Dr. Doug Jeffrey (Treasurer), Dr. AJ Kirk (Secretary), Dr. Craig Meek (Past President), and three ad hoc members: Dr. Angela Gardner, Dr. Theresa Tran and Dr. Sarah Way.

The council will report to the Board of Directors, and work with TCEP lobbyists Michael Grimes, Marti Luparello and Sara Allen on issues pertaining to Emergency Medicine.

In addition to testifying and providing input on bills, they will share information with the members of the Government Relations Committee as well as the membership.

TCEP will be holding a Legislative Day in conjunction with Connect this year, April 18th in Austin. Attendees will get updates on all the bills affecting EM, as well as talking points and then all attendees will go to the Capitol to meet with legislators with pre-arranged appointments.

Interested in representing your profession and talking with your legislators in Austin? Register here for Connect 2023 and TCEP Legislative Day which will be April 17 and 18: https://www.texacep.org/connect-2023

Legislative Update

As the 2023 legislature continues to get organized, committees are being named and bills are being filed at a rate almost too rapid to count. With the legislature convening for only 140 days every other year to conduct the state’s business, each and every day seems critical the process. But with rules in place that delay the start of consideration of policymaking bills, it is a reminder that there is only one thing the legislature MUST accomplish ...

TCEP working to ensure you don’t have to pay PMP fees.

When the legislature created the Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) that required providers to check a patients prescribing history before issuing controlled substances, the fees that funded the database where included in the state budget. This expired last year and the state’s vendor has begun billing providers directly to use the database. Both the Texas House and Senate introduced budgets that include funding for the state to pay the cost of the PMP database, and TCEP will be working diligently to see that this funding is preserved through the entire appropriations process for the next two-year budget cycle.

TCEP supports Texas EM physician in lawsuit

TCEP continues to protect ER Physicians...this time in the Courts. Although our efforts to preserve Tort Reform protections in medical malpractice cases usually takes place at the Texas Legislature, TCEP has weighed in at the Texas Supreme Court in a pending medical malpractice case against an ER physician. In the case of Dunnick v. Marsillo, the trial court correctly dismissed the ER physician from the case after determining there was no evidence she was grossly negligent ...

JOIN OUR EMERGENCY MEDICINE TEAM

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ACEP Awards: Looking for Nominees!

Let’s brag on Texas and our members! There are so many amazing members and programs in Texas. ACEP has a large number of awards they give out each year. I have listed three here, but the master list is at the bottom. Deadline to submit is March 15 so nominate someone or yourself today!

ACEP Wellness Award

Community Emergency Medicine Excellence Award

Innovative Change in Practice Management Award

MORE INFO

Texas Physician Legislators

Senator Donna Campbell, MD
New Braunfels, TX

Senator Charles Schwertner, MD
Georgetown, TX

Representative Greg Bonnen, MD
Friendswood, TX

Representative Suleman Lalani, MD
Sugar Land, TX

Representative Tom Oliverson, MD
Cypress, TX

Emergency Physicians join other TMA physicians for First Tuesday Lobby Day

Fort Worth medical students in action – Narcan training hosted by Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine

by Katy Wyszynski

The United States has an overdose epidemic that appears to worsen every year. The CDC reports that in 2021 there were 50,943 total overdose deaths1, and even that potentially is an under-estimate. Yet the CDC also reports that 66.8% of these overdose deaths had the potential for an intervention to provide life-saving care at the time of the overdose. Naloxone is one of those life-saving interventions ...

Emergency medicine claims typically involve diagnostic errors. In this case study, a patient was improperly triaged. When a claim was filed, TMLT quickly went to work and won a clear, decisive victory at trial.

Join us in Austin on April 16-18, 2023!

Sunday, April 16: Medical Students and Resident Ol-EM-pics
Monday, April 17: Physician tracks/CME, Awards Luncheon, Advocacy training
Tuesday, April 18: Legislative Day Capitol visits until noon

Click here for more information and to register

IN MEMORIAM

Dr. Michael Wayne Cronholm

February 20, 1951 - January 15, 2023

Memorial page available here.

Calendar of Events

2023

March 7, 2023

TMA First Tuesdays

TMA Building, Austin

April 4, 2023

TMA First Tuesdays

TMA Building, Austin

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!

April 16-18, 2023

TCEP CONNECT Conference

Texas Medical Association, Austin
Registration information will be sent out in November! Mark your calendars!

MORE INFO

April 17, 2023

TCEP Annual Business Meeting

Austin, TX
The annual business meeting will be held at the Doubletree Hotel during the Connect meeting, Monday April 17 at 12:30. Elections for the Board of Directors as well as ACEP councillors will be held.

April 30 – May 4

ACEP Leadership & Advocacy Conference

Washington, D.C.

MORE INFO

May 2, 2023

TMA First Tuesdays

TMA Building, Austin

Make sure you're following all our TCEP social media accounts and website for updated information and resources

Medical Student Committee (MSC) pages

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Texas College of Emergency Physicians
401 West 15th Street, Suite 695, Austin, TX 78701
Phone: 512.306.0605
tcep@texacep.org