- Joined
- Apr 6, 2006
- Messages
- 10,622
- Reaction score
- 9
ACTION ALERT ON ACEP-SUPPORTED LIABILITY REFORM LEGISLATION
Please contact your U.S. Representative today to urge his/her co-sponsorship of ACEP-supported legislation, H.R. 157, the Health Care Safety Net Enhancement Act of 2011.
This legislation would extend the same legal protection that physicians employed under the Public Health Service Act have to physicians who care for patients in the ED. This safeguard does not prevent someone from taking legal action. Rather, the bill requires that any tort or medical liability case must be brought against the federal government, which, in turn, would defend qualifying (through a statutory credentialing and privileging system) physicians against any alleged wrongful action.
During the recent ACEP Leadership and Advocacy Conference (LAC), hundreds of ACEP members discussed this legislation with legislators and their staff during the Hill visits. While many legislators expressed interest and support for the bill, they need to hear from other physicians in their congressional districts how important this legislation is to ensuring access for their constituents to life-saving emergency care.
Please go to the ACEP Advocacy Site to send a letter to your U.S. Representative today urging co-sponsorship and support of H.R. 157. Please note that if your Representative is already a co-sponsor of the bill, you will be directed to a thank you letter after entering your home zip code.
Please contact Jeanne Slade in the ACEP Washington DC office if you have questions about sending the action alert or Brad Gruehn if you have questions about the bill.
Our DC staff is in the process of following up with congressional offices visited during LAC so it will extremely helpful if these offices are also receiving communications from ACEP members back home regarding the importance of H.R. 157.
Link to Website
