Legislative Initiatives

HB 1, the Appropriations Bill, contains a flat-rate triage fee for some services in hospital emergency rooms. This triage fee translates into a cut to hospital ERs! The LHA strongly opposes this fee, which is a very narrow approach to a much larger problem with Louisiana’s healthcare system. Hospitals are required under the federal EMTALA law to provide a medical screening examination to all patients who present to the ER for a condition perceived by the patient as an emergency. To meet these obligations, resources are required, and the proposed triage fee is significantly less than the actual cost of providing that care. With this additional cut to hospitals and their ERs, all Louisianians may face longer ER wait times and less access to emergency services. Contact members of the House Appropriations Committee, and ask them to OPPOSE the cuts to hospital ERs in HB 1! Click on the link below to send a message to the members of the House Appropriations Committee.  Click the link below to log in and send your message: https://www.votervoice.net/link/target/lha/4zEQ3zg99.aspx

Other Legislative Initiatives

We are in partnership with the following agencies to monitor and support legislation affecting health care in Louisiana:

• Louisiana State Medical Society (LSMS)
• Louisiana Hospital Association (LHA)
• Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH)
• Louisiana Ambulance Alliance (LAA)
• Louisiana Association of Nationally Registered EMTs (LANREMT)
• Emergency Nurses Association (ENA)

Areas of particular concern include to our chapter include, but are not limited to the following:

• Medical malpractice
• Appropriations to health care and budget reform and flexibility
• Insurance issues and balanced billing
• Motor vehicles and helmet safety
• Reimbursement for Medicare and Medicaid
• Immunity

Our chapter also participates in the ACEP legislative online monitoring program through CQ State Tracking Legislative Reporting and chapter representatives attend the annual Congressional visits and educational seminar at ACEP’s Leadership and Advocacy Conference in Washington, DC.

The State Legislative Session begins in late April and runs until the last week in June. Information regarding upcoming sessions, legislators or individual bills can be found at the State of Louisiana Legislative Session Website.

Partnerships and Networking Opportunities Abound in Louisiana

We have sound partnerships with the three emergency medicine residency programs in Louisiana that are part of the LSU Health Sciences Centers in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Shreveport.  Several of our members are on the faculty of these programs and we have a voting resident from each program as a member of our board of directors.

We have successfully included the residents in our annual trip to Leadership and Advocacy in Washington, D.C. for the past several years and we award these residents a stipend to offset travel costs. While in D.C., the residents enjoyed interacting with our Louisiana Congressmen and their key legislative staff. We are the only state at present to have three Congressmen who are physicians and we make the most of our chance to discuss our state and federal legislative priorities with them. It is a great opportunity to utilize the excellent advocacy materials and information prepared for us by the ACEP Washington staff.

Our relationship with the Emergency Nurses Association state chapter is also positive and productive. We have a member of ENA as a liaison position on our board.  Several of our members are lecturers at the annual ENA meeting and there is a reciprocation of attendance at local events, as well as a partnership for legislative advocacy and lobbying.