ACEP BOARD MEETS IN WASHINGTON, D.C,

The ACEP Board of Directors will hold its next regular meeting Thurs- day, November 7, in Washington, D.C. following the ACEPiEDNA Sci- entif ic Assembly. The meet ing is scheduled to begin at 8:00 AM in the Georgetown West room at the Wash- ington Hilton Hotel and adjourn at 5:00 PM. An Awards Luncheon has been planned for 12:(/0 noon and tick- ets to the luncheon will be available at the Scientific Assembly Informa- tion Booth. Agenda Reference Note- books for the Board Meeting will be prepared and copies may be ordered by members- from the, Headquarters at a cost of $17 pe;¢ notebook. Orders should be placed by October 28. Mem- bers ordering notebooks should pick tip t:he~r copy-at; th~ ACEP Ini'ori~a- tion Booth anytime during the Scien- tific Assembly..

WHITE HOUSE. APPOINTS EDNA MEMBERS-TO EMS COMMITTEE

Five public representatives to the Emei*geticy Medical Services Techni- cal Advisory Committee have been named by-the Whir5 House ificluding tw0meml~er.~ of the American College of Emergency Phys ic ians and~one Emergency Department Nurses As- sociation member.

David S. Nelson, MD, of Winston- Salem, North Carolina is on the staff of the Forsyth Memorial Hospital and p r e s i d e n t of the Nor th C a r o h n a ACEP Chapter. Kenneth F. Kimball, MD, of Kearney, Nebraska, practices surgery at the Good Samari tan Hos- pital, Omaha;and is an assistant pro- lessor of surgery at the University of Nebraska College of Medicine. Bar- bara Watts, RN, of Alexandria, Vir- ginia, is coordinator of Emergency Services for the Alexandria Hospital

and chai rs the EDNA I ,egis la t ive Committee. The other appointees to the Committee are John Waters, di- rector of Public Safety, .Jacksonville, Florida, and Peter Safar. MD, Pitts- burgh, Pennsylvania, a founder and past president of the Society for Crit- ical Care Medicine.

MANUAL TO ASSIST LOCAL EMS PROGRAM PLANNING

An Emergency Medical Services Implemen ta t ion Manual (EMSIM) has been designed by Michigan Chap- ter of ACEP and Michigan Associa- tion of Regional Medical Programs tbr EMS planners who want or must take ac t ion to ilrtprove the i r local emergency medical services (EMS}.

No special t ra ining is needed to use the, manual; therefore, the EMSIM can be used by any group or indi- vidual interested in improving EMS. All of the p l a n n i n g or problem-

Technique, Complications and In. terpretations of Diagnostic Pert. toneal Lavage

Kirk K. Kazarian, Ml), Chief of Surgery Met ropo l i t an Hospi ta l , Ne~ York Medical College

Current Concept.,; Regarding the Prtmary Care of Malor and M1nm. Burns

Phi l ip C. Bonanno, MD and Robert Bernard, MI) Northern Westches|er Hospital

STANDARDS COMMITTEE MEMBERS SOUGHT

The US Consumer Product Safety Comrmssion has invited all interested persons, but especmlly .technically trained consumers - - physicians, sci- entists, engineers - - to submit their names tbr a volunteer roster of indi-

fiOiving methodg d-e-scribed b~ve-beeir--'~ viduals_ ahd groups willing to serve on by,EMS-councils,- C0mp-/~ehefi - -standard~ development committee~.

sive Health Planning agencies (CHP), ' or EMS planners to sol\;e combaunity " problems.

NEW YORK MED SOCIETY TO HOLD EM SESSION

The second session on Emergency Medicine to be held by the Medical Society of the State of New York is scheduled for March i i , 1975.

-The program has been coordinated with the Emergency Health Services session and-will be under the chair- manship of David Kluge, MI).

The final fine up for the Emergen- cy Medicine session is:

Radiological Diagnosis of the Acute Abdomen

Bernard S. Wolf, MD and Harold Mitty. MD Mount Sinm School of Medicine, New York City

"While the Commission is eagm for all int&;esfed corisumers to become involved in standards development, we "particularly need consumers wtth technical t r a in ing , " said Commis- sioner Lawrence Kushner. "There are rnan~, scientists, engine/~rs and physi- cians across the country who have valuable experience and knowledge in a number of areas relating to pro- duct safety. Their input to standards development activities could be very useful. They are a previously untap- ped resource,"

All on the lists will recmve copies of Federal Register notices, news re- leases and other relevant materials regarding Commission standards de- velopment activities m areas of their expressed interest . Where approp- riate, the Commission may agree to contribute to the cost of a volunteer's participatmn.

Page 406 Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Nov/Dec 1974

I , The Commission also main ta ins a list of those who have expressed in- terest in offering to develop stand- ards.

Interested persons are invited to write the Office of the Secretary, Con- sumer Product Safety Commissmn, Washington 20207. An indication of

. background, experience and interest would enable s tandard developrnent groups to select appropr ia te me,n- ber~.

FOUR RESOLUTIONS TO GET cOUNCIL CONSIDERATION

Plans tbr the ACEP Council Meet- ing, which will be held m Washing- ton, D.C. on November 3 are being completed. Wi th the 30-day dead- hne for s u b m i s s i o n of r e so lu t ions now past, four resolutions have been

r ece ived . They i n c l u d e two from Gerald A. Wyker, MD, East Lansing, Michigan. one regarding the compu-

I ter mterrogative textbook project and the other regardmg the geographic confluent, coverage project. The other

~ resolutions, submit ted by a group of California physicians, refer to the es- tablishment ot:a fellowship in emm'- gency medicine and resolutton of so- too-economic problems. Any member of ACEP still has an opportunlCv to present resolutions per t inent to the objectives of the College or in rela- tmn to any repor t .by an officer m" committee. They must be presented m wri t ing at the opening session of the Council.

CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP SETS FINAL LIST OF COUNCILLORS

The n u m b e r of members in each state chapter 30 days prior to the ('ouncil de t e rmines the n u m b e r of Councillors allotted each chapter. A hst has been prepared and some chap- ters are now e l ig ib le for a n o t h e r Counci l lor . Chap te rs that have not nfforrned the Headqua r t e r s of the names of thmr councillors have been requested to provMe additional fiwms indicat ing th is i n t b r m a t i o n to the Council secretary as soon as possible. Members may want. to check with their chapter president to see tha t they wtl l be a p p r o p r i a t e l y rep- resented at the Council Meeting.

WHITE HOUSE TOURS PLANNED

Arrangements have been made lbr two White House tours dur ing the Scientific Assembly The tours have been scheduled tin" 8:00 AM on Tues- day, November 5 qnd Wednesday, November 6. As both tours are lnn- ited to 50 persons each, check with the ACEP/EI)NA Registratmn Desk in the Washington Hilton to register for the tours.

MICHIGAN LEGISLATION ENLARGES EMT'S ROLE

M i c h i g a n g o v e r n o r W i l l i a m T. Milhken has togaed HB 5732 into law. Thin legislat ion will authorize advanced emergency medical techni- cians to perform certain procedures, such as in t ravenous therapy adminis- t rat ion and defibrillation, under the supervision of physicians or their re- gistered nurse delegates, by two-way radio communica t ions contact,. The law will requi re the Michigan De- pa r tmen t of Public Health to develop a certification procedure for advance EMTs and will regulate the quali ty of t r a in ing programs. It also provides for non -hab i l i t y under typical con- ditions, and marks a significant new

" phase in Michigan EMS. " -

EDNA BOARD ISSUES " SPECIAL REPORT -

The Emergency I)epartment Nur- ses Associat ion Board of l ) i rectors has ,just zssued a Stmcml Repor! tn its members on the status of the Asso- ciation and its activities and future plans. The report includes informa- tion about Board election candidates fi'o,n each of tbur regions. Also, pro- posed amendmen t s to the Constitu- l ion and Bylaws of EDNA are listed for consideration by members.

The election of Board members and voting on proposed Amendments will take place on Sunday, November 3, at the EDNA General Assembly to be he ld a t the S h o r e h a m Hotel m W a s h i n g t o n , D.C. p r m r to -the ACEP/EDNA Scientif ic Assembly. November 4. 5, and 6.

To obtain a copy of the EDNA Spe- eiul Report cmltact Gloma M Wester- back, EDNA, P.O. Box 1566. East Lansing, Michigan 48823.

PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY POLICIES INCREASING

A C E P profess ional l i a b i l i t y cover- sue is steadily increasing. Apphca- tions are now being received at a rate of fbur per (lay. The September report from Professional Economic Services, Inc., tim agen t offering the ACEP program, states that they have issued 35 policies covering 84 members. Ad- di t ional ly , over 100 members have requested quotations but have not yet made a de te rmina tmn Ibr coverage. You may request an application by writing: John T. Rogers, MI). (",hair- man, ACEP Insurance Committee, c,'o ACEP Headquarters .

AVOID FAILURES

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CALIACEP MEMBERS FEEL EFFECTS OF MEDI-CAL

A recent article in the California ACEP Chapter Newsletter points out that the tremendous increase in utili- zation of hospital emergency depart- ments the past several years has been partly due to Medicaid (Title XIX). Although a hospital may not turn away a patient on Medicaid, it must accept a schedule of reimbursement as established by Medicaid.

In California, the influx of Medi- Cat (California Medicaid Administra- tion) pa t ien ts has affected most ACEP members. Some years ago, Medi-Cal officials decided tha t emergency physicians should have Medi-Cal reimbursement reduced by 40%. Many California ACEP mem- bers feel this 40% reduction is arbi- trary and discriminatory. In some in- stances the payment schedule has ad- versely affected groups of emergency physicians: their work load has in- creased, their income has decreased.

According to Walter Edwards, MD, president of the California ACEP Chapter, this problem has apparently not surfaced in other states, or if it has, it has received little publicity. Emergency physicians in California feel that Title XIX may be adminis- tered differently in their state than throughout the rest of the cour/try. ACEP members are presently inves- tigating the problem to see what ac- tion can be taken.

A M A SPONSORS LEADERSHIP P R O G R A M

A speakers' training seminar spon-

sored by the American Medical As- sociation will be held November 15 through 17 at the American Man- agement Associat ion building, O'Hare Airport, Chicago. Doctors of medicine, medical executives, or aux- iliary members who are interested in improving their communications skills for leadership roles within the profession or for outside organiza- tions are eligible. Skills covered in- clude: speaking to inform and per- suade audiences of physicians and laymen; and techniques for spokes- persons during news interviews or while guests on radio or television.

For information contact Mortimer T. Enright, director. AMA Speakers & Leadership Programs, 535 North Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois 60610 (312) 751-6484.

NY-PENN EMS APPROVES C O M M U N I C A T I O N S OBJECTIVES

The Emergency Medical Services Committee of the NY-Penn Health Management Corporation has ap- proved a series of comprehensive emergency medical communications objectives.

The communications objectives are_ included in the NY-Penn Heal th Planning Council 's comprehensive health care plan for the five-county NY-Penr~ area. Other components of the pian involve env i ronmen ta l health, primary and long term care, and mental health.

The objectives approved are: 1) To support inter-county cooperation and coordination of EMS communications

through the county communications centers. 2) To encourage and support the es tab l i shment of a single emergency telephone number in each NY-Penn county. 3) To encourage and support the improvement of the EMS communications capabilities of each hospital and ambulance service in the NY-Penn region so a complete hospital-to-ambulance network can be established and maintained. 4) To encourage those involved in EMS communications dispatching to re- ceive dispatch training to meet state and federal standards for EMS dis- patchers. 5)To encourage and support the development of an organized, coordinated biomedical telemetry system in the NY-Penn region. 6) To support the efforts of the Federal Communicat ions Commission, the New York State Bureau of Emergen- cy Health Services. and other agen- cies involved in creating organized, coordinated EMS communications systems in New York and Pennsyl- vania.

GROUP PRACTICE BOARD VOTES N A M E CHANGE

Delegates to the 25th Annual Meet -= ing of the national association repre- senting group practice physicians and dent is ts voted overwhelming ap- proval to a recommendation of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee that the name of the Association be changed from the American Associa- tion of Medical Clinics to the Ameri- can Group Practice Association. Cit- ing the frequent confusion surround ?' ing the use of the term cnmc, L, general lack of a precise definition,

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Page 408 J o u r n a l of the A m e r i c a n Co l l ege of Emergency Phys i c ians Nov/Dec 197~-

'and the lack of associat ion iden t i ty arising from the use of the in i t ia l s ,'AAMC," the delegates voted to "call us what we are - - an associat ion of group practices."

TOP STAFF CHANGES IANNOUNCED BY AMA

A n u m b e r of changes have been announced by the AMAs Office of the Executive Vice Pres ident . Wha len M. iStrobhar, former director of the Divi- ision o f P u b l i c A f f a i r s , h a s b e e n named as s i s t an t executive vice presi- dent, and W a y n e W. Bradley , who

!was a s s i s t a n t d i rec tor of the A M A Washington office, is now director of the Division of Pubtic Affairs. Wil- liam R. Barclay, MD, and Joe D. Mil- ler, who were a s s i s t an t executive vice p r e s i d e n t s , we re n a m e d d e p u t y execu t ive v i ce p r e s i d e n t s , Mrs ,

~Eleanor Bar ry was appointed special

a s s i s t a n t to the E V P for Board of Trus tees act ivi t ies .

Re t i r ing ea r ly next year will be Leo E. Brown, a member of the AMA staff since 1950 and ass i s t an t to the EVP since 1961. Brown joined the staff as the f i rs t execut ive sec re t a ry of the S tudent Amer ican MedicaI Associa- tion. Before being appointed ass i s t an t to the EVP, Brown was director of the Communica t ions Division. For sev- e ra l years he has directed s ta f f ac- t iv i t ies for mee t ings of the House of Delegates. He previously was a s taff member of the Pennsy lvan i a Medical Society. Leo Brown offered impor t an t suppor t to ACEP i n its ea r ly years .

The new office of a s s i s t an t EVP, headed by St robhar , will provide staff services for the House of Delegates and its special committees, addi t ional s taff services for the Board of Trus- tees, admin i s t r a t ion of EVP offices,

p r o g r a m a s s i s t a n c e to the depu ty EVPs, and admin i s t r a t ion of AMA- ERF.

NEW FILM DRAMATIZES EMS

I Love You, Frank, is a new AMA film depict ing what can go wrong in a medical emergency. Based on a t rue story, the f i lm dramat izes some in- adequacies of emergency medical ser- vices sys tems in communit ies across the country. The in tent of the f i lm is to mot iva te the public physic ians in- t e res ted in emergency medicine and the p u n i c to find out how they can help organize, develop and improve the i r communi ty ' s emergency medi- cal se rv ices sys tem. It is ava i l ab l e free of charge to organiza t ions and ind iv idua ls from the AMA F i lm LI- brary , AMA Headquar te r s , or may be purchased for $200 from the Radio, TV a n d F i l m D e p a r t m e n t , A M A Headquar te r s .

Nov/Dec 1974 Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Page 409