Articles

Methamphetamine (meth) is the number one killer in San Diego County among those using drugs, and a significant driver of violence in the community. Nationwide, meth is the fastest growing drug of abuse, representing over 798,000 annual emergency department (ED) visits, with deaths increasing 14-fold since 2015 (32,856 deaths in 2021 alone), yet no therapeutics are available. There is an … Read More

IEPC is proud to present the 2022 Speaker Series! This free speaker series welcomes leaders in the field to cover timely and engaging topics that are important to independent emergency physicians. The sessions will precede each monthly conference call and are open to all IEPC members and those who may be interested in joining. In May, IEPC welcomed Sheree Lowe … Read More

Andrew Fenton, MD, FACEP was elected Chief of Staff at Queen of the Valley Medical Center serving nearly 400 medical staff members. Queen of the Valley is a full-service diagnostic and therapeutic hospital with 191 licensed acute care medical beds that employs over 1,200 people. Dr. Fenton is a partner of Napa Valley Emergency Medical Group which has provided acute … Read More

Presented by the Independent Emergency Physicians ConsortiumTime & Date: 9:00AM – 9:30AM PT on the fourth Monday each month. Membership in IEPC is not required to attend. Advance registration for the meeting is required. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing a link to join the call. This free speaker series welcomes leaders in the field to cover … Read More

By John Wallace, MDPresident of IEPC The No Surprises Act (NSA) was signed into law Dec. 27, 2020, by the President, as part of the $1.4 trillion Consolidated Appropriations Act, after years of negotiations. The surprise after NSA was passed was legal action against NSA as well as a surprise attack in cutting physician reimbursement. When the NSA was passed, … Read More

By John Wallace, MDPresident of IEPC Anthem Health plan initiated a practice of “no pay” for ER diagnostic E and M code 99285 for discharged ER patients sometime in 2020. That the Health Plan’s new Dirty Trick, simply not pay anything. Ironically, while the health plans are committing fraud, they are accusing the doctors of fraud. Anthem has referred Emergency … Read More

By John G. Holstein, Director of Business Development, Zotec Partners As emergency medicine recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, the specialty cannot overlook all the changes that occurred over the last two and a half years. What emergency medicine practices can do is move forward with a greater sense of stability about their futures and financial standing with the right processes, … Read More

Written by Valerie Norton, IEPC Member and President-Elect, California ACEPand Elena Lopez-Gusman, Executive Director – California ACEP California ACEP had a busy year with critical issues of pandemic, workforce, payment threats, and mental health boarding. Here is a summary of some of the legislative activity that was Valerie Norton IEPC Member and President-Elect, California ACEP Elena Lopez-Gusman Executive Director – … Read More