News & Announcements

My President’s Message this month revolves around advocacy, and I am happy to share some good news and some opportunities for our members.

In November 2017 – almost 8 years ago – our NAEMSP Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act (PPAEMA) unanimously passed Congress and was signed into law. While we are still awaiting the promulgation of the corresponding regulations for this Act, there has just been some important progress.

NAEMSP® represents thousands of EMS clinicians who are committed to ensuring that the citizens in their communities have professional, quality, fair, and equal access to needed emergency medical care.

This year, in honor of NAEMSP 2026 being in Tampa and the city’s famous Gasparilla celebration, we’re launching Captain’s Bounty: The NAEMSP PAC Challenge. Our mission is to raise $100,000 for the NAEMSP PAC by January 31, 2026.

Washington D.C. (May 19, 2025)  – The National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP) supports the Modernizing EMS Delivery and Sustainability (MEDS) Bill − legislation that aims to address critical issues faced by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) professionals and their patients.

The MEDS Bill focuses on three main areas to ensure high-quality and available care delivered by EMS systems: Assessment of the value of EMS physician medical direction; Availability of essential medications and blood products for EMS patients; and Transparency of wall times at hospitals during transfer of care.

I must start with exciting news. Our MEDS (Modernizing EMS Delivery and Sustainability) Bill has been introduced as H.R. 3443. This bill was described in detail in the April 2025 newsletter and calls for 1) a MedPAC study of the value of EMS medical direction, 2) a CMMI study to prevent shortages of essential EMS medications by paying for these medications and also paying for blood products, and 3) an approach to clarify hospital responsibilities for patients on arrival by EMS to eliminate excessive “wall time” before patient handoff. I urge each of you to reach out to your U.S. representative and ask that they join in supporting the future of EMS care by cosponsoring H.R. 3443.

Now to my newsletter topic for this month…

NAEMSP is excited to share three newly released EMS model guidelines, developed in collaboration with ACOG and shaped by feedback from EMS physicians, paramedics, EMTs, EMRs, and ob-gyns. These guidelines are designed to support the care of obstetric emergencies in the prehospital setting….

We are on the cusp of our long-awaited House Bill becoming reality. The draft language has been completed, and we hope that our bill, “Modernizing EMS Delivery and Sustainability (MEDS)”, will be introduced in Congress soon. With this newsletter message, I would like to begin familiarizing our members with the concepts in this proposed bill.

Mark your calendars now for our NAEMSP Government Relations Academy and NAEMSP Hill Days! – May 14-15, 2025

Registration is FREE and OPEN NOW – more information here!

NAEMSP is proud to announce the 2024 class of Fellows of the Academy of Emergency Medical Services (FAEMS). This prestigious designation honors members’ exceptional contributions to the EMS profession and their commitment to advancing EMS medicine. Congratulations to the 67 newly inducted fellows who join a distinguished group of 535 previous honorees.

NAEMSP is profoundly affected by the news of Dr. Ron Stewart’s death last evening after a prolonged illness. Ron was legendary in emergency medicine and a founding member of NAEMSP, serving as its very first president after its inception in 1984. Throughout his storied career, Ron was a guiding light for the organization, and even after passing his innumerable contributions to emergency medicine will continue to inspire and inform the work of the organization and the advancement of EMS as a whole.

Registration has officially opened for NAEMSP’s 2025 Annual Meeting, taking place January 6-11 in San Diego, CA. Learn more about what’s in store for #NAEMSP2025 and register to attend the Annual Meeting today!

Submission Deadline: August 31

From opioid overdose to alcohol-related emergencies, prehospital clinicians are often the first point of contact for individuals in crisis. Despite this, there remains a significant gap in understanding and effectively managing prehospital care for patients with SUD. Therefore, this special issue of Prehospital Emergency Care aims to explore innovative approaches, best practices, and evidence-based strategies for improving care and patient outcomes for patients with SUD.