From the Halls of the ED to the Halls of Congress

Guest hosts:

RJ Sontag, MD
President-Elect, EMRA
Residency: UT Health San Antonio
Medical School: Wright State University
EM Resident Articles
Twitter: @RJSontagMD

Andrew Meltzer, MD, MS
Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, George Washington University
Director, Urgent Matters
Fellowship: Clinical Research, University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center
Residency: University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center
Medical School: SUNY Downstate School of Medicine
Twitter: @ACMeltzer

Guest:
Raul Ruiz, MD, MPH, MPP
United States Congressman (CA-36)
Fellowship: International Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Residency: University of Pittsburgh
Medical School: Harvard University
Twitter: @CongressmanRuiz

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