05/03/2026
I wanted to share Dr. Bond's farewell address to the college as he leave his final term as president and takes on the "Immediate Past President" position
Good afternoon, and thank you for coming out to the Maryland ACEP Education Conference and Annual Business Meeting. I apologize for not being able to be there today. For those who do not know, I was recently diagnosed with oral cancer and had surgery to remove it at the end of March. Things are improving quickly, but speaking and eating are still not back to normal, so I appreciate Dr. Forrestal being my voice today.
First, I want to say thank you for being a Maryland ACEP member. We cannot lobby for Emergency Medicine without your support. This has been a challenging year, with many attempts at scope expansion that our members and our lobbyist, Danna Kauffman, have worked hard to prevent. For instance:
Pharmacists want to be able to prescribe antibiotics and other medications. They already administer vaccinations, so their group feels they should be able to treat minor colds, urinary tract infections, etc.
Naturopaths are asking for prescribing authority that includes controlled substances.
Optometrists are asking for the ability to do more procedures and treat medical conditions like ophthalmologists.
The first two argue that there are not enough primary care physicians, so they are expanding access to care. However, as we all know, without proper training and education—which they have not received to date—this is not quality care and is likely to harm patients.
The big issue is that the House of Delegates passed many of these bills, but it was in the Senate that they died and did not become law. It is imperative that all of us start having conversations with our local representatives about how harmful this can be. Increasing access without quality control is going to hurt the public.
So my ask, as outgoing President, is for everybody to meet with their local representative this summer, when they are not in session, to advocate for:
Workplace Violence protections: We all know a colleague who has been injured at work, or we are that person. It is a felony to strike a bus driver or hit a police canine, but we get no extra protections. Are we not as valuable as a police dog?
Boarding: We need to advocate to stop the downsizing of hospital beds requested by the HSCRC and come up with financial incentives or penalties for hospitals to decompress the Emergency Department. The global budget is staying for at least the next several years, so what can we do to align the C-suite with our needs? Is it too much to ask to see a patient in a room? Are we really providing the best care when patients are being examined in chairs and fully dressed?
Fair Reimbursement: The No Surprises Act has made it very challenging for many physicians and groups to get contracts with insurance companies. Combine this with the fact that the Medicare payment system is designed to pay us less every single year. Our fees are about one-tenth of what hospitals charge and are not tied to the cost of living. Is it not fair that we should also get a cost-of-living increase, rather than a decrease each and every year?
It has been an absolute honor to be President of this great organization. Of course, the work could not be done without some great people working hard to improve our work lives. Thanks to:
Adriana Alvarez, for constantly keeping us on task and organized
Kerry Forrestal, for all of his support and dedication to growing this organization
Mike Silverman, for his wisdom, mentorship, and role modeling in leadership
The Education Committee, for all of the work that went into planning this event
Our Practice Management Committee, which is addressing issues that affect us all in the ED
And finally, all our exhibitors. Please stop by their tables and thank them for supporting Maryland ACEP.
Thank you all.
Dr. Michael Bond
