Newsletters

POSTED: June 17th, 2022
POSTED IN: EM Pulse - The Official Newsletter of MOCEP, May/June 2022,

I am honored that today I write to you as the newly elected President of the Missouri College of Emergency Physicians. I must first thank our incredible board for their continued voluntary hard work to make practicing Emergency Medicine a little better each year in the state of Missouri. I also want to acknowledge Dr. Christopher Sampson for his two long years of dedicated service through (what we hope) is a once-in-a-lifetime healthcare crisis in the COVID-19 pandemic. Chris, you have been a rock during these trying times and have led MOCEP well in ensuring that our state continues to do what is right for its Emergency Departments and their patients.

Having served at two great medical centers in the state (University of Missouri-Columbia and Washington University in St. Louis), I have been able to witness the struggles of Emergency Medicine physicians in every type of practice possible. Whether you practice at a Critical Access Hospital with solo coverage and a 24-hour shift, work at a busy suburban community hospital, or see patients at a tertiary/academic referral center, I know you all work hard for your patients. The most admirable part is that you provide excellent patient care in the most resource-limited settings and continue to return to work shift after shift because that is who you are. I am honored in some small way to represent you, your hard work, and the passion you have for taking care of patients at their sickest hour.

I, and the MOCEP board I will help lead, pledge to work each month on improving the environment in which you practice and your patients receive care, help gather resources to continue your ever-growing fund of medical knowledge, and help defend the core of our specialty which we all know is so vital to the acute care of Missourians and all those visiting our state.

I, like my predecessors, want to appeal to you to get involved. We live in unprecedented times during which our dwindling reimbursements, creep on our scope of practice, and governmental unfunded mandates all continue to threaten the very foundation of what it means to be an Emergency Medicine physician in Missouri. Join with me and the rest of those active in MOCEP. Together, we can accomplish great things. I will continue to serve as your leader, but only through participation can you ensure that your voice is heard, and action is taken.

Thank you for all you do day in and day out and the sacrifices you have made for your patients, your families, and each other. Inspired by those sacrifices, I look forward to the next two years of service to you, my fellow MOCEP members!

Sincerely,

Brian J. Bausano, MD, MBA, FACEP