ACEP LAC26 Highlights
In late April, more than 400 physicians 
descended on Washington, DC to advocate for 
emergency medicine during ACEP’s Leadership 
and Advocacy Conference (LAC).  In total, 204 
House meetings and 83 Senate meetings were 
held covering 42 states and DC.  Pennsylvania 
was represented by more than 20 physicians, 
residents and students who met with 
Pennsylvania’s elected Senators, Representatives 
and staffers on Capitol Hill to advocate for issues 
important to you and your patients.
Issues discussed on Capitol Hill included:
• ED Boarding via the “Addressing Boarding 
and Crowding in the Emergency Department 
(ABC-ED) Act (H.R. 2936 / S. 1974)” which aims 
to address the boarding crisis by utilizing 
existing federal grant programs to expand real-
time statewide and regional bed-tracking and 
capacity management systems; authorizing the 
CMS Innovation Center to pilot improved care 
transitions for older adults and patients with 
acute behavioral health needs; and directing 
the GAO to study best practices in hospital 
capacity tracking. The bill is led by Rep. John 
Joyce, MD (R-PA) and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-
MI), and Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) and Sen. Dave 
McCormick (R-PA).
• Protect the EM Workforce, including banning 
non-compete clauses, establishing federal 
criminal penalties for violence against 
healthcare workers, and ensuring emergency 
physicians have the same due process rights as 
other specialists. Corporate overreach, violence 
in emergency departments and a lack of basic 
employment protections are driving physicians 
out of the workforce. These issues are addressed 
via the “Bipartisan Workforce Mobility Act (S. 
2031)”, the “Save Healthcare Workers Act (H.R. 
3178 / S. 1600)” and the “Physician and Patient 
Safety Act (H.R. 3413 / S. 1767)”, respectively. 
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