New York ACEP Advocacy Efforts Continue

Hello, New York ACEP members. It’s an exciting moment to address you following our recent advocacy day in Albany. New York ACEP has been steadfastly engaged in committee work to enhance the landscape of emergency care in our state. Through productive dialogues with state legislators, we’ve gained a deeper understanding of their concerns, provided them with an understanding of ours and found a mutual eagerness to collaborate on effective solutions. We’ve identified the challenges within our practice environment and the barriers hindering our ability to provide top-tier, equitable care to all New Yorkers. Thanks to our preparedness, our efforts yielded significant success.

Several proposed bills hold considerable importance for New York ACEP. Firstly, there’s the bill addressing workplace violence, which mandates hospitals to implement violence prevention programs. Tackling emergency department (ED) violence has been a top priority for New York ACEP, as showcased by our recent collaboration with the New York State Council of Emergency Nurses Association (NYSCENA) and the American Nurses Association of New York (ANA-NY) in forming the Workplace Violence Prevention Alliance.
(www.nyacep.org/advocacy/workplace-violence-prevention-alliance) This legislation will fortify our ongoing efforts and ensure hospitals statewide are held accountable to this important initiative

Another pressing issue impacting emergency medicine pertains to the scope of practice for advanced practice providers. While we deeply value the physician-led team model and the collaborative relationships with our physician assistants and nurse practitioners, scope of practice concerns persist. In New York State, previous legislation has expanded the scope of practice for nurse practitioners. New York ACEP has concerns regarding quality of care, patient safety and the utilization and cost of care in the absence of appropriate supervision. We opposed legislation advocating for continued independent practice for nurse practitioners. Regrettably, the legislation passed, granting a two-year extension to the current rule. However, similar legislation for physician assistants did not advance in this session, a testament to our impactful advocacy. New York will persist in championing the physician-led team model with appropriate oversight of advanced practice providers and we’ll keep you informed on our progress in this regard.

Additionally, we advocated for increased Medicaid reimbursements, as New York lags behind other states in this aspect. We also pushed for cost control measures for EpiPens to enhance access to this critical medication for New Yorkers, the ability to dispense a three-day supply of buprenorphine in alignment with FDA regulations and against bills that could further compromise the malpractice climate in our state.

These advocacy efforts provided us with an invaluable platform to highlight the challenges impacting the delivery of emergency care in New York State to our legislators and explore alternative solutions. I am optimistic that our ongoing conversations will yield meaningful outcomes in the years ahead.