From the Halls of the ED to the Halls of Congress

Overview

In this episode, guest hosts Drs. RJ Sontag and Andrew Meltzer interview a sitting Congressman, Dr. Raul Ruiz, to explore how students, residents, and recent grads can become advocates for their patients and their profession outside the emergency department. As EMRA’s 2019 Congressional Health Policy Fellow, Dr. Sontag worked with Dr. Ruiz on Capitol Hill to turn medical and policy research into legislative solutions on a wide range of topics, from firearm violence prevention to surprise billing to youth nicotine use.

Key Points

• Being an emergency physician provides a unique perspective on governing
• Our understanding of the needs of underserved and underinsured populations can influence policy decisions
• Patient health involves more than just the care we provide in the emergency department
• Social determinants of health, drug pricing, insurance status, and many other factors affect our patients’ health
• To truly improve our patients’ health, students, residents, and young physicians must learn the language of advocacy by getting involved at every level of policy creation: from hospital administration to local, state, and federal government
• Emergency physicians are better equipped than other specialties to advocate for our patients and our profession because of our experience standing up for our patients to guarantee they get the care they need every single shift
• Government can have a role in incentivizing technology and alternative payment models to improve healthcare access and affordability
  
  

References

Beyond Health Care: The Role of Social Determinants in Promoting Health and Health Equity

Biography, Congressman Raul Ruiz, MD

EMRA Advocacy Handbook

EMRA Congressional Health Policy Fellowship

Urgent Matters