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| Wilson Announces Support of Legislation to Strengthen Emergency Medicine |
February 01, 2006 |
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Rep. Says New Mexico`s No. 43 Ranking Must Be Improved
Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Heather Wilson announced her support for legislation to strengthen emergency medicine in New Mexico. New Mexico recently received a “D ” for access to emergency medicine, ranking 43rd out of 50 states and the District of Columbia.
“Emergency departments are an essential component in responding to terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and potential public health crises like the bird flu,” said Wilson. “This legislation will strengthen emergency medicine in New Mexico.”
Introduced by Reps. Bart Gordon (D-Tennessee) and Pete Sessions (R-Texas), the Access to Emergency Medical Services Act, H.R. 3875, would provide an alternate medical liability system for physicians who provide uncompensated care in an emergency room. Patients who have legitimate malpractice claims could still seek restitution, and would be compensated through a federal compensation fund. The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), enacted in 1986, requires physicians and hospitals to care for everyone in need of emergency care regardless of ability to pay, but also leaves them exposed to malpractice claims.
“The medical liability system, with its escalating malpractice insurance premiums and runaway jury awards, is broken and needs fixed,” said Wilson. “Leaving physicians open to multi-million dollar malpractice awards on cases where they are otherwise uncompensated for the care they provide is a significant disincentive for physicians to practice in the ER or go into medicine altogether. While I support a wholesale overhaul of our nation’s medical liability system, this would be a step in the right direction.”
“Congresswoman Wilson has taken an important step for protecting access to emergency medicine in New Mexico,” said Dr. Glen Delaney, M.D., emergency physician at Presbyterian Hospital. "As emergency physicians we see firsthand the challenges facing emergency departments today.
This legislation would help reduce overcrowding and attract specialists, which will save lives."
The legislation also authorizes additional payments to physicians performing services in emergency rooms. The lack of specialists willing to see patients in emergency rooms has been identified as a weakness in Albuquerque area emergency departments. This additional payment would provide an incentive for doctors to staff hospital ERs.
The legislation authorizes a similar incentive for hospitals to transfer patients out of the ER and into inpatient beds in a timely manner. Overcrowding in the ER due to low staff levels and slow transfers and discharges contributes to the emergency medicine crisis.
The American College of Emergency Physicians released the first National Report Card on the State of Emergency Medicine earlier this month. New Mexico received a C- in emergency medicine quality and patient safety, D in public health and injury prevention, and D- for our medical liability environment.
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