Hurricane Katrina  

From Robert E. Suter, DO, MHA, FACEP
President
American College of Emergency Physicians

Hurricane Katrina exacted a terrible toll on the people of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced; their homes flooded, their livelihoods destroyed, their lives altered forever.

I was in Louisiana last week and witnessed the unbelievable devastation up close. I spoke to, and was inspired by, the numerous ACEP members who are providing much-needed care to thousands of victims. We can all be very proud of the selfless work our colleagues are doing.

As the rebuilding begins, ACEP anticipates that many of our members will need assistance. The College is reaching out to the emergency physicians in the affected areas and aiding this historic recovery effort. The Board is reviewing proposals to help those in the hardest hit areas, and, as a first step, waived the Scientific Assembly registration fee for those same individuals.

As part of our commitment to the rebuilding process, ACEP has created a web-based resource, http://www.acep.org/katrina, that includes information and links to help those affected by the storm as they start to rebuild their lives and careers. The site also includes a discussion forum so members can post offers of assistance, housing or other types of help.

Other organizations are also reaching out to the emergency medicine community, and we are supporting their efforts. CORD and SAEM are working to relocate the residents displaced by the disaster. The Florida College of Emergency Physicians is serving as a clearinghouse for those who can offer temporary placement, and the American Academy of Emergency Medicine is helping those in need of housing and employment. Their contact information is listed on our Web page.

The victims of this terrible catastrophe and the members of ACEP thank you for your support and offers of help. By working together, we can make a difference. Please go to http://www.acep.org/katrina and see how you can help.

 
Good News for NJ-ACEP Members  

On May 28, 2004, the Department of Health and Senior Services issued a memorandum to Hospital Chief Executive Officers, in response to emergency department overcrowding. In case you haven’t seen the memo, click on this link to view it.

The Department is expressly permitting placement of stabilized patients awaiting a bed and admitted from the ED on inpatient floors, as long as the hospital maintains compliance with the hospital licensing standards and has developed specific hospital board-approved policies and procedures outlined in the memorandum.

This is a significant decision -- and comes after many NJ-ACEP members discussed the problem and this solution with Commissioner Lacy and DHSS staff. If you attended the January emergency department directors meeting, you recall that the Commissioner agreed to review the problem and issue a recommendation. Thanks to the NJ-ACEP leadership -- and Commissioner Lacy and DHSS -- for moving forward with this important decision.

Beverly Lynch, NJ-ACEP

 
 
Resolving the medical malpractice crisis continues on the front burner for NJ-ACEP, working in a large coalition with other physician and hospital organizations. Since April, legislators have introduced over 65 bills. There have been hundreds of meetings with legislators, lobbyists, elected and appointed officials - many stakeholders at the table crafting legislation they all hope will resolve the problems. At this writing, it appears that Senate bill S-2174 (sponsored by Senate Committee Co-Chairs Joe Vitale and John Matheussen) will be the most likely vehicle for a comprehensive tort reform bill.
 
 
William B. Felegi, D.O., FACEP received a gubernatorial appointment to the Advisory Council for Basic & Intermediate Life Support Services as the NJ Medical Society’s President’s appointee as representative on behalf of NJ-ACEP. The Council meets quarterly and its function is to promote training, testing, certification, recertification, recruitment and retention of EMTs, based upon sound educational principles, current medical knowledge and practice, nationwide standards, guidelines and recommendations.
Full Story
 
Quickscan, October, 2008  

From the President ... Dennis McGill, MD, FACEP

September's board meeting in Atlantic City was well attended.  We reviewed our recent meetings with State legislators on the pediatric legislative initiatives.  Dr. Michael Gerardi's candidacy was discussed and our full support will be behind him in Chicago next month. The initial data compiled by NJHA on Psych holds is being collated and analyzed by the NJHA. They received over 1300 responses over the 4 week collection period that have documented Psych holds greater than 12hrs and close to 90% that involve placement taking 48hrs. The joint position paper is enclosed further in this newsletter.  It should open some eyes. 

We will host our ED directors dinner meeting on December 8th at the Heldrich Hotel in New Brunswick. We will be discussing the National ED report cards and  have invited Congressman Frank Pallone with be our lead speaker.  We invite anyone interested to join us Saturday at the ACEP Council Meeting in Chicago as we review the resolutions and attend the sessions.  Let Bev know if you plan to be in Chicago over the first weekend and we will work to get you credentials.  For all those heading to Chicago be sure the NJ - ACEP reception is on your calendar for Tuesday, October 28 at 8pm for a Jersey Rock n Roll good time!   We'll be in Continental Ballroom A at the HQ Hotel, the Chicago Hilton.

Statehouse News....Beverly J. Lynch

The Legislature is back in the swing of things - with committee hearings and voting sessions scheduled between now and mid-December.   Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic) has been named chairman of the powerful Assembly Financial Insitutions and Insurance Committee, replacing Neil Cohen who resigned in August.  

Top priority issues facing the New Jersey physician community include ambulatory surgery center referral legislation, Horizon conversion into a for-profit company, universal health care, legislation permitting assignment of benefits, and expansion of wrongful death.  

There is a physician-only fundraiser being held for Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts on Tuesday, December 9.  Please mark your calendar and plan to join your colleagues on this special evening.  Invitations and RSVP information coming out shortly. 

The Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee has released a new bill from Assemblyman Herb Conaway (D-District 7).   A-1380, which supplements the "Health Care Quality Act," is intended to reduce the administrative burden and delay, both for  providers and their patients.   It provides that a health insurance carrier which offers a managed care plan must permit a covered person to receive covered services from a health care provider in its provider network without obtaining a referral from the covered person's primary care physician.  The bill is scheduled to receive full Assembly consideration on September 25. 

I met on September 25, with new Deputy Commissioner Mary Sibley, who heads up the Medicaid office.   Mary was previously health policy director in the McGreevey Administration.  I was joined by Claudine Leone, who represents the family physicians, and Laurie Clark, representing the osteopathic physicians.  The purpose of our meeting was to reintroduce the physician organizations to her, and discuss the multitude of issues and problems with the Medicaid system.  Mary promised to reactivate the Physician's Advisory Group and open up the lines of dialogue between the physicians and the program. 

Dates to Remember
2008    
Oct. 15
6:30 pm
On the Road Series Frog and the Peach
New Brunswick
Oct. 28
8:00 pm
Annual NJ Chapter Reception
at the Scientific Assembly
Chicago
Nov. 11
8-3 pm
Women in Emergency Medicine
Conference
Forsgate Country Club
Jamesburg, NJ
Nov. 12
6:30 pm
On the Road Series Grand Cafe
Morristown
2009    
May 12 NJ-ACEP Scientific Assembly  

Register today for the
On the Road Series
sponsored by Sanofi-Aventis US

Guidelines for Antiplatelet and Antithrombin use in the ED and the transition to Cath and PCI

Presented by 
Marc Cohen, MD, FACC
Director, Division of Cardiology
Newark Beth Israel Med Center

Two dates/locations to choose from:

Wednesday, October 15, 2008 - 6:30 PM
Frog and the Peach
29 Dennis Street, New Brunswick, NJ
732-846-3216
or
Wednesday, November 12, 2008 - 6: 30 PM
Grand Cafe
42 Washington Street, Morristown, NJ
973-540-9444

Dinner and education are complimenatry.

RSVP to
ppassman@blynchassociates.com
or call
(609) 392-1213

The Chair of EM at Lutheran Medical Center (LMC), Brooklyn, NY is seeking full-time emergency medicine physicians. LMC is a Level I Trauma Center and a designated stroke center. With an annual volume of 63,000, LMC offers a wide range of major clinical programs, a cutting edge 30-bed rehab unit and 476 acute beds.  Candidates must be BC/BP EM and have current EM experience. Competitive compensation and bonus program offered.  Administrative duties also available. Contact: Bonnie Simmons DO FACEP, Chair, Emergency Medicine, at 718.630.8383.

New Jersey Hospital Association & NJ-ACEP

Lack of Access to Behavioral Health Care Forcing Unnecessary Emergency Department Gridlock

The Issue: New Jersey emergency departments are facing a critical breaking point. Providers are attempting to address overcrowding and excessive holds of the increased number of psychiatric patients who are being left to wait for days to access services.

o Recommendations from the Governor's Task Force on Mental Health in March 2005 focus on shifting care for patients to a least restrictive, community-based model, however those services are not yet available, nor is there a reasonable expectation that they will be on line in the near future. The recommendations date back almost four years, and plans addressing the system of acute care have just begun, absent any significant background information to help drive decision making. There has been no systematic approach to statewide planning based on data.

o There is no resolution on any of the assurances made over the past three years by the state's leadership to implement systems that will support patients who are being warehoused in emergency departments for excessive periods of time. An NJHA survey conducted in 2007 showed that both children and adults, on average, wait in the emergency departments for 24 to 48 hours awaiting transfer to an appropriate level of care, while some patients can wait as much as 8 to 10 days for transfer to another facility. More recently, NJHA conducted a 24/7 Fast Fax study to capture information relative to excessive emergency department holding of patients in need of behavioral health services. Key demographic information was gathered for psychiatric patients who remain in the emergency department at 12 hour intervals. In one four week period, participating hospitals reported that there were more than 1,300 episodes where a patient was made to wait more than 12 hours. Of those episodes, more than 93% waited at least 48 hours, with others waiting even longer.

o There is a lack of communication between state agencies responsible for coordinating services to the mentally ill, and the spillover effect impacts the acute care system. Providers are consistently receiving conflicting messages regarding policy, and patients suffer as a result. For example, while the Division of Mental Health Services has assured NJHA that there is no cap on admissions to the state psychiatric facilities, those responsible for admissions at AncoraPsychiatric Hospital have advised that there is a daily cap on admissions, and a "no admission" policy on the weekends. There continues to be inconsistent practices in medical clearance, and providers are deflected from one state facility to another during evening hours and on the weekends. Providers, although well intended, cannot provide quiet, stabilizing care for the mentally ill when they are forced to hold at times dozens of patients seeking care for their psychiatric or substance abuse issues.

o A very high percentage of those entering emergency departments in need of mental health services have a co-occurring need for substance abuse treatment. When a patient presents at the emergency room to detox and the patient does not meet the medical criteria for an inpatient bed, the patient has three options: (1) Go into a sub-acute care bed and pay out of pocket, (2) go into a sub-acute care bed that is subsidized by a county contract, or (3) detox in the emergency room. Because there are a limited number of subsidized sub-acute detox units in the state, many patients are presenting and remaining in the emergency departments for this care.

o The bifurcated system of care for the mentally ill does not provide for consistent policy and practices when addressing the needs of children, adolescents and adults. There is little training for screening professionals in the area of the needs of children, adolescents or the developmentally disabled, and the requirement to work with these populations is viewed as another unsupported, unfunded mandate.

o Hospitals have an ethical obligation to treat patients with dignity. Providers are unable to meet that responsibility when they are forced to hold patients in an emergency department for days at a time, when an individual should be cared for in a different setting.

New Jersey's behavioral health patients and the state's hospitals seek legislative support for the following priorities:

1.      Require DMHS to develop standardized admission processes and medical clearance criteria for admissions to state psychiatric facilities, county facilities, and those specifically earmarked for the forensic population, which is part of a centralized admissions function that operates 24/7, including weekends.

2.      Establish a time frame in which DMHS is responsible for implementing a mechanism to map behavioral health needs throughout the state, taking into consideration projected patient care level needs and availability of services. This mapping will facilitate the development of systems that will help move patients through the system of care to address their needs most appropriately. This mechanism should have measurable goals, timeframes for implementation and defined outcomes based on clinically recognized best practice.

3.      Require DHSS, in conjunction with DMHS, to release calls for psychiatric beds, based on a nationally benchmarked methodology, according to a standing calendar, no less than every six months.

4.      Commission a panel of mental health leaders, led by experts outside of state government, that will identify the issues that consistently plague the acute care system for mental health and, based on clinical best practices, provide oversight to assure that the priorities identified are tied to realistic plans of action with measurable goals, outcomes and timeframes for implementation.

5.      Establish child screening legislation that sets forth requirements for consistent, appropriate screening and assessment supported by meaningful education and training for specialists in this field. 

ED Directors Dinner Monday, December 8, 2008 at 6 PM

The Heldrich Hotel
10 Livingston Avenue
New Brunswick, New Jersey

The New Jersey Chapter of AmericanCollege of Emergency Physicians (NJ-ACEP) is sponsoring a dinner for all New Jersey Emergency Department Directors.

Join us for a complimentary dinner with your fellow ED Directors at the new Heldrich Hotel in New Brunswick.  We have invited Congressman Frank Pallone as our guest.  Congressman Pallone (D-NJ 6), chairs the powerful Congressional Subcommittee on Health, and will discuss the emerging healthcare issues that will affect your ED. 

You will also receive the State of Emergency Medicine Report Card, prepared by ACEP, which will be released on Tuesday, December 9, 2008.  We will have a great PR professional, Liz Thomas from Thomas/Boyd Communications, who will guide you through the public/media relations component as it will impact you and your hospital.

Don't miss out on this great opportunity to network with your Director colleagues.

Register today - click here

NJ Office of the Attorney General
Division of Consumer Affairs

Changes to NJ Prescription Blanks   

In March 2008, the Division of Consumer Affairs notified you of recent changes to the format of NJ prescription blanks.  The regulation was amended to require that prescription blanks be numbered consecutively and that the blanks include the prescriber's or healthcare facility's National Provider Identifier (NPI).  By prior notification, these requirements were to be met by October 1, 2008.

The Division has been alerted to the fact that the supply of prescription blanks preprinted to conform to the new requirements may be inadequate to meet the October 1, 2008 deadline.  As this may affect a patient's ability to receive reimbursement, the Division is extending the deadline for preprinting until regulations are adopted to address this issue. All prescription blanks are still required to include consecutive numbers, however, you will be permitted to write in or stamp these numbers onto the blanks until regulations are adopted, provided you maintain a system for tracking the consecutive numbers.

For the full memo from the Division of Consumer Affairs, please visit www.njconsumer affairs.gov/drug/dchome.htm.

New Jersey Association of Health Plans

The New Jersey Association of Health Plans has put together an updated list of contact information for each of their member's credentialing units

Carrier Contact Information to Check on
the Status of Provider Credentialing Applications

Aetna: 
Call 800-353-1232 for Aetna's national toll free customer service line direct to its Credentialing Customer Service staff. 

AmeriChoice of New Jersey:   
Providers can first call the National Credentialing Center ("NCC") to see if their application has been received and where it stands in the verification process, that number is 877-842-3210, after which, they can also call the plan to see if the application has been approved by the NCC and/or PAS.  NOTE:  Please have your tax identification number available.  The providers also can contact either the NCC, or Credentialing in regards to missing or expired documents that need to be submitted in order to complete the credentialing process. 

AmeriGroup:
Call 732-452-6000 and ask for the Provider Relations or your provider Representative by name.

AmeriHealth:
Call the Credentialing Support Hotline at 866-227-2186 or on the web at: credentialingsupport@amerihealth.com

CIGNA:
Call 1.800-88CIGNA  (1-800-882-4462) to check on your credentialing status with the Customer Support Center.

HealthNet:
Call Network Operator at 203-225-3921 or visit the web at www.healthnet.com. Click on Provider Tab.

Horizon: 
Call 888-345-1235 at Horizon to check on application status and to request an application.

UnitedHealthcare/Oxford Health Plans:
After initiating the credentialing process with the National Credentialing Center (NCC) providers may call the United Voice Portal (UVP) number to hear an automated update regarding the credentialing status.  To access this information:  call 877-842-3210; select Other Professional Services, then Credentialing, then Get Status.  NOTE:  Please have your tax identification number. The caller will be prompted to enter the provider's SSN to obtain status.

Providers may also use the UVP line to contact the NCC Customer Service Team to obtain credentialing status updates. 

University Health Plans: 
Call the Credentialing Department at 732-476-1121

REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
Women in Emergency Medicine

Tuesday, November 11, 2008
8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Forsgate Country Club
Monroe Township, New Jersey

Keynote presentations from

Joanne Conroy, MD
Executive Vice President
Atlantic Health System

And

Amy Mansue
President and CEO
Children's Specialized Hospital
Robert Wood Johnson Health System

Breakout workshops will include discussions on

Financial Planning
Medical Liability
Stress and Time management
Legal Issues
Self Defense

For more information on registation,
contact NJ-ACEP at (609) 392-1213.

Application for CME has been made.

Feature Article from the
New Jersey Poison Information & Education System

The case of Missed opportunity to Treat:
Asymptomatic Acetaminophen Toxicity

by Steven M Marcus, MD
Executive Director
New Jersey Poison Information & Education System

A 32 yo female was admitted through the ED for altered mental status.  Her initial laboratory workup revealed no significant abnormalities.  She became progressively obtunded and developed a metabolic acidosis and a urine analysis revealed the presence of many crystals.  The poison center was called to discuss the management of a possible toxic alcohol but when the hospital staff reported abnormal liver function studies, with transaminases in the thousands and a normal BUN, suggested that as well as 'covering' for any toxic alcohol that a missed acetaminophen ingestion should be considered and antidotal therapy be immediately commenced although the usually considered "window of effectiveness" had passed[1].  An acetaminophen level drawn 24 hours into her hospital stayed showed a level of over 200 mcg/ml.  The patient deteriorated despite all efforts and expired.

This case represents the worst outcome of a missed overdose as seen recently.  The New Jersey Poison Information and Education System has documented several cases, this year, in which the first question about a possible acetaminophen overdose arose when the patient developed clinical symptoms and or signs of hepatic damage.  In the other cases, luckily, the patients rallied and recovered.  We are puzzled by this lack of sensitivity to the possibility and caution all ED staff to look carefully for this possible "silent" killer. 

Although controversial, many believe that it is not cost effective to screen everyone for an acetaminophen or aspirin overdoses[2][3][4][5].  We believe this case represents the counterpointal evidence that this is not the case.  The cost of such testing is infinitesimal when compared to the increased cost of care required once hepatic insult is produced or the potential risk of litigation.  Although there is evidence that the use of antidotal therapy (n-acetyl cysteine) in a patient with fulminant hepatitis increases the patient's chance for survival, such a situation still carries a significant mortality of over 20%[1].

The presence of hepatitis without detectable acetaminophen does not rule out the involvement of the medication nor eliminate the possible advantage of antidotal therapy.  A recent abstract presented at the North American Congress of Clinical Toxicology reported the inability to detect acetaminophen in 21% of cases of apparent repeated supratherapeutic ingestions[2].  In fact, the absence of detectable levels seemed to be a predictor of poor outcome.  The lack of suicidal ideation also does not eliminate the possibility of a "hidden" acetaminophen overdose since a recent prospective study suggested that 48%, and possibly as many as 56% of patients with acetaminophen-induced acute liver failure did not intend to hurt themselves[3].  We believe that all patients who present with poisonings or with evidence of hepatitis should have acetaminophen levels and consideration for antidotal therapy, the case of patient-centered and tailored therapy[4][5].

We suggest that an acetaminophen and salicylate level be obtained on any individual presenting with an overdose.  Further, we believe that the antidotal therapy is relatively inexpensive, effective and safe.  The choice to begin therapy early should be made whenever possible in order to prevent the development of hepatic dysfunction.  The specialists and toxicologists at NJPIES are available to help you make the decision to treat or withhold therapy.  Help is a phone call away - 800-222-1222.

[1] Keays R, Harrison PM, Wendon JA et al.  intravenous acetylcysteine in paracetamol induced fulminant hepatic failure: a prospective controlled trial.  BMJ (1991) 303:1026-1029
[2] Alhelial MA, Hoppe JA, Rhyee Sh , Heard KJ. Clincal Course of Repeated Supratherapeutic Ingestion (RSTI) of Acetaminophen (APAP) Clin Tox (2008)46(7)627.
[3] Larson AM, Polson J, Fontana RJ et al.  Acetaminophen-induced acute liver failure: results of a United States multi-center, prospective study. Hepatology (2005)42:1364-1372..
[4] Tsai C, Chang W, Weng T et al.  A Patient-Tailored N-acetylcysteine Protocol for Acute Acetaminophen Intoxication.  Clin Therap (2005)27(3):336-341.
[5] Patient-Tailored Acetylcycteine Administration. Ann Emrg Med. (2007)50(3)280-281.

[1] Smilkstein MJ, Knapp GL, Kulig KW et al. Efficacy of oral N-acetylcysteine in the treatment of acetaminophen overdose:analysis of the national multi-center study (1976-1985) NEJM (1988)319:1557-62.
[2] Dargan PI, Ladhani S, Jones AL.  Measuring plasma paracetamol in all patients with drug overdose or altered consciousness: does it change outcome? Emerg Med J. (2001) 18(3):178-82
[3] Sporer KA, Khayam-Bashi H.  Acetaminophen and salicylate serum levels in patients with suicidal ingestion or altered mental status. Am j Emerg Med (1996) 14(5):443-6.
[4] Chan TY, Chan AY, Ho CS, Critchley JA. The clinical value of screening for paracetamol in patients with acute popisoning.  Hum Exp Toxicol (1995) 14(2):187-9
[5] Chan TY, Critchley JA, Ho CS, Chan AY. Unrestricted availability of a plasma paracetamol assay service resulting in an increased number of inappropriate requests.  Postgrad Med (1995) 71(841):678-80.

For further information, contact 
Steve M. Marcus, MD
Executive Director, New Jersey Poison Information & Education SystemProfessor, Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health and Associate Professor of Pediatrics
New JerseyMedicalSchool
University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey
PO Box 1709
140 Bergen Street, Suite G-1600
Newark, NJ07101-1709

A Day of Fun for a Good Cause

The Medical Society of New Jersey would like to invite you all to join us in supporting a very good cause while having some tax deductible fun.  Please join us on Monday, October 20, 2008, for a relaxing day of golf, food, drinks, conversation, and fabulous gifts and prizes at the beautiful Spring Lake Golf Club. The cost is $385 and includes lunch, greens fees, cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, and dinner. The cause is the Institute for Medicine and Public Health of New Jersey (IOMPHNJ), which is a 501(c)(3) charitable  organization, which makes a chunk of the cost tax deductible. IOMPHNJ's mission is to improve the health status of New Jersey residents through innovative public health practice and high quality medical care by developing solutions to New Jersey's public health and healthcare challenges through continuing medical education, partnerships, policy development, research, and the law. For more information, please contact Judith Martin Waterman at waterman@msnj.org, or 609.896.1766, ext. 259. She will be delighted to answer any questions you might have.

R. Prasad Gupta, MD, President

NJ Department of Health & Senior Services
 
The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services has just released its fifth annual report on health quality, the New Jersey 2008 Hospital Performance Report.  The report contains comparative information on the quality of treatment provided by all New Jersey acute care hospitals, using nationally accepted measures.  This year's report has expanded the number of measures reported for pneumonia and prevention of surgical infections.  The measures reported for treating hear attack and heart failure patients remain the same.

Check out the Department's interactive website, www.nj.gov/health/hpr, which contains the full report and additional quality information and resources not found in the hard copy report.  The web site also allows the user to compare hospitals by county, region or medical condition.

Fulfill Your Cultural Competency Requirements

New Jersey Physicians licensed on or before June 29, 2007 are required to comply with the cultural competency training requirement by the next license renewal after March 24, 2008.  Physicians licensed on or after June 30, 2007 are required to comply with the requirement by the end of the next complete renewal cycle after licensure.   The cultural competency training requirement can not be included in the 100 hour CME requirement for licensure renewal. The law specifically required that physicians complete this training in addition to the usual CME required for relicensure.

Licensees must complete at least 6 hours of CME training in cultural competency in the following six topics:

1.      A context for the training, common definitions of cultural competence, race, ethnicity and culture and tools for self assessment.

2.      An appreciation for the traditions and beliefs of diverse patient populations, at multiple levels- as individuals, in families and as part of a larger community.

3.      An understanding of the impact that stereotyping can have on medical decision making.

4.      Strategies for recognizing patterns of health care disparities and eliminating factors influencing them.

5.      Approaches to enhance cross-cultural skills, such as those relating to history-taking, problem solving and promoting patient compliance.

6.      Techniques to deal with language barriers and other communication needs, including working with interpreters.

Licensees should maintain certificates documenting CME attendance for a minimum of 6 years. Additionally, in order to demonstrate compliance with each of the topic areas required in the cultural competence regulation you should keep evidence of the specific curriculum covered in the course(s) along with your certificates of completion. (e.g. brochures, course outlines, materials distributed in the course etc.).  Any properly accredited CME course that meets the requirements is acceptable regardless of its format.  For more information on these requirements, go to

http://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/bme/press/cultural.htm

Here's information on a free CME course that will satisfy the new NJ regulation: The US Department of Health & Human Services has a FREE 9-hour CME course online for cultural competency.  The CME course has 3 modules of 3 hours each:

https://cccm.thinkculturalhealth.org

 

 

 
 
Quickscan, September 2008  

From the President ... Dennis McGill, MD, FACEP

NJ-ACEP did not have a quiet August.   Dr. Bob Sweeney, Rob Clawson, Bev Lynch and I met with Senator Vitale on August 5 to discuss his pending Peds EM "report card" legislation.  We got our points across and felt good leaving the meeting.  The following week, Bob Sweeney, Russ Harris, Rob and Bev met with Senator Tom Kean, Jr., who co-sponsored the "report card" bill.  Sen. Kean is eager to continue discussions with us on how to improve pediatric emergency care.   Bev, Rob and I also met with the NJ Hospital Association to discuss the Psychiatric hold problems we are having in the State.  NJHA will be issuing a daily data registry which will be collected on a daily basis to give a better snapshot of the problem.  NJHA is asking that a data form be faxed every 12 hour period a psych patient is being held in the ED.  They would like to accumulate some real numbers to share with our legislators and gain some momentum to get some changes made.

Our Mini-Internship Program has received a positive response.  Dr. Michael Gerardi is just finishing the "curriculum" and we should be starting some ER visits in September.   Our next board meeting will be September 15 in Atlantic City @ 4pm. This coincides with the 6th annual Advance Emergency and Acute Care Medicine and Technology Conference September 14-17 at the Trump Taj Mahal.  If you are attending the conference please stop by.  

On the Road Series
sponsored by Sanofi-Aventis US

Guidelines for Antiplatelet and Antithrombin use in the ED and the transition to Cath and PCI

Presented by 
Marc Cohen, MD, FACC
Director, Division of Cardiology
Newark Beth Israel Med Center

Two dates/locations to choose from:

Wednesday, October 15, 2008 - 6:30 PM
Frog and the Peach
29 Dennis Street, New Brunswick, NJ
732-846-3216
or
Wednesday, November 12, 2008 - 6: 30 PM
Grand Cafe
42 Washington Street, Morristown, NJ
973-540-9444

CME's have been applied for.  Dinner and education are complimenatry.

RSVP to
ppassman@blynchassociates.com
or call
(609) 392-1213

A Day of Fun for a Good Cause

The Medical Society of New Jersey would like to invite you all to join us in supporting a very good cause while having some tax deductible fun.  Please join us on Monday, October 20, 2008, for a relaxing day of golf, food, drinks, conversation, and fabulous gifts and prizes at the beautiful Spring Lake Golf Club. The cost is $385 and includes lunch, greens fees, cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, and dinner. The cause is the Institute for Medicine and Public Health of New Jersey (IOMPHNJ), which is a 501(c)(3) charitable  organization, which makes a chunk of the cost tax deductible. IOMPHNJ's mission is to improve the health status of New Jersey residents through innovative public health practice and high quality medical care by developing solutions to New Jersey's public health and healthcare challenges through continuing medical education, partnerships, policy development, research, and the law. For more information, please contact Judith Martin Waterman at waterman@msnj.org, or 609.896.1766, ext. 259. She will be delighted to answer any questions you might have.

R. Prasad Gupta, MD, President

Women in Emergency Medicine
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Forsgate Country Club
Monroe Township, New Jersey

Keynote presentations from

Joanne Conroy, MD
Executive Vice President
Atlantic Health System

And

Amy Mansue
President and CEO
Children's Specialized Hospital
Robert Wood Johnson Health System

Breakout workshops will include discussions on

Financial Planning
Medical Liability
Stress and Time management
Legal Issues
Self Defense

Look for our brochure in September!
For more information, contact (609) 392-1213
CME's have been applied for.

Dates to Remember
2008    
Sept. 15
4:00 pm
Board and Membership Meeting Trump Taj Mahal
Atlantic City, NJ
Oct. 15
6:30 pm
On the Road Series Frog and the Peach
New Brunswick
Oct. 28
8:00 pm
Annual NJ Chapter Reception
at the Scientific Assembly
Chicago
Nov. 11
8-3 pm
Women in Emergency Medicine
Conference
Forsgate Country Club
Jamesburg, NJ
Nov. 12
6:30 pm
On the Road Series Grand Cafe
Morristown
2009    
May 12 NJ-ACEP Scientific Assembly  

 

 
 
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