AAEM and FLAAEM Concerned Over Florida Supreme Court Ruling Removing Cap on Non-Economic Damages for Medical Malpractice

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2014

Contact: Laura Burns
Communications Manager
lburns@aaem.org
800-884-2236

MILWAUKEE — The American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) and the Florida state chapter of AAEM (FLAAEM) are concerned about the effect of Thursday’s ruling by the Florida Supreme Court and its implications for the emergency medicine community.

The court’s 5-2 ruling will remove caps of $500,000 on non-economic damages and $1 million on damages on wrongful death claims, originally set in place in 2003. In response to the ruling, the president of the Florida Medical Association, Alan Harmon, MD, noted that the caps were originally enacted “to counter the out-of-control litigation that was driving physicians out of the state and discouraging new physicians to locate in Florida. The caps have helped begin to stabilize the medical liability climate in Florida. Insurance premiums, while still high compared to other states, have started to level off since the caps were put into place.”[1]

David A. Farcy, MD FAAEM FCCM FACEP, president of FLAAEM, echoes concerns that the ruling may increase costs and limit access to care stating, “Physicians will return to practicing a more defensive type medicine by ordering more tests to protect themselves, resulting in increased health care costs, longer wait times and length of stay in the emergency department.” Dr. Farcy also noted that the decision may discourage new medical graduates and other specialists, such as OB-GYNs and General Surgeons, from remaining in Florida due to the high cost of medical malpractice premiums.

Mark Reiter, MD MBA FAAEM, president of AAEM, added that "AAEM is committed to a future where all patients presenting to our emergency departments are cared for by emergency medicine specialists. This ruling is a major step back as many emergency physicians in Florida may now choose to leave what has now become one of the worst medicolegal environments in the country."

New Emergency Physician Advocates Podcast: The ACA, Medicaid, and the ED - What's the Bottom Line?

http://www.aaem.org/publications/podcasts/emergency-physician-advocates

Emergency Physician Advocates: The ACA, Medicaid, and the ED - What's the Bottom Line? 
In this Policy Prescriptions® edition of the podcast, Cedric Dark, MD MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Emergency Medicine Residency Program at Baylor College of Medicine, speaks with Jesse Pines, MD MBA FAAEM, Director of the Office of Clinical Practice Innovation at George Washington University. The discussion points include: how will the ACA and Medicaid interact with emergency departments? What will this mean for the bottom line for emergency departments around the country.

Or listen on the AAEM website. 

Leave your comments below!

Election Results: AAEM 2014-2015 Board of Directors

MILWAUKEE – The American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) announces the 2014 election results for the AAEM board of directors.

The American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) announces that Mark Reiter, MD MBA FAAEM, was elected as president; Kevin Rodgers, MD FAAEM, was elected as vice president; Joel Schofer, MD RDMS FAAEM, was elected as secretary-treasurer. They will serve for two-year terms on the board.

John B. Christensen, MD FAAEM; David Lawhorn, MD FAAEM; and Andrew P. Mayer, MD FAAEM, were elected to two-year terms as at-large board members, and Michael Ybarra, MD FAAEM, was elected to serve as the Young Physicians Section (YPS) director. The YPS director position is a one-year term.

20th Annual Scientific Assembly Competition Winners

MILWAUKEE — The American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) announces the competition winners from the 20th Annual Scientific Assembly, in New York City, NY, February 11-15, 2014.

AAEM/JEM Resident & Student Abstract Competition Winners —
This competition is designed to recognize outstanding research achievements by residents and students in emergency medicine. Out of a total 57 submissions, eight were selected for oral presentation. The top oral presentations are as follows:

1st Place: Matt Gaffigan, MD, “Haldol/Benadryl vs. Reglan/Benadryl for Treatment of Acute Headache in the ED — An RCT”

2nd Place: Shannon Toohey, MD, “Reasons for Visit: Comparing Patient Perceptions to Emergency Screening Index (ESI)”

3rd Place: Brenton Taggart, MD, “Lactate Levels in the Acutely Ill Patient: Does the Tourniquet Falsely Elevate the Result?”

Stephen Hayden, MD FAAEM, Editor, Journal of Emergency Medicine,
presents the awards to Matt Gaffigan, MD, Shannon Toohey, MD, and Brenton Taggart, MD.

2014 AAEM Award Winners

MILWAUKEE — The American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) and the AAEM Resident and Student Association (AAEM/RSA) announce the 2014 Award Recipients.

Master of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine (MAAEM) —

Anthony DeMond, MD MAAEM FAAEM 
Tom Scaletta, MD MAAEM FAAEM
James Keaney, MD MAAEM FAAEM

This award recognizes senior AAEM fellows who demonstrated a long career of extraordinary service to AAEM, service as an exemplary clinician and/or teacher of emergency medicine, service to emergency medicine in the area of research and/or published works, service as a leader in the hospital, the community or organized medicine, service in the areas of health policy and advocacy, volunteerism, and other activities or high honors that distinguished the physician as preeminent in the field of emergency medicine.

Anthony DeMond, MD MAAEM FAAEM receives the
award from William T. Durkin, Jr., MD MBA FAAEM

Tom Scaletta, MD MAAEM FAAEM receives the award
from William T. Durkin, Jr., MD MBA FAAEM

New Emergency Physician Advocates Podcast: EMTALA - What Every EP Must Know

http://www.aaem.org/publications/podcasts/emergency-physician-advocates

Emergency Physician Advocates: EMTALA - What Every Emergency Physician Must Know
Larry Weiss, MD JD FAAEM, Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and past-president of AAEM, discusses EMTALA (Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act) and what every emergency physician must know. In part 1 of this 2 part series he will discuss EMTALA obligations related to screening exams and stabilization. Discussion points include: a review of landmark EMTALA cases, EMTALA legally mandated obligations, and EMTALA rules & regulations.

Or listen on the AAEM website. 

Leave your comments below!

Dr. Weiss's objectives in this podcast:
1. Understand important EMTALA case law & review of landmark cases

2. Understand legally mandated obligations under EMTALA

3. Understand the EMTALA rules & regulations: "What is a regulation?" "What is the difference between a regulation and a statue?" "How does this effect you?"

EMTALA created three major duties under federal law for hospitals to appropriately screen, stabilize & transfer patients. Dr. Weiss will discuss these duties in detail. This episode covers screening & stabilization. Episode 13 (to be released in February 2014) will cover the transfer duties.

AAEM Opposes Turkish Medical Bill Criminalizing Emergency First Aid Care

January 28, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Laura Burns
               lburns@aaem.org
               800-884-2236

MILWAUKEE — The American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) is the specialty society of board certified emergency physicians. AAEM is a democratic organization committed to the principle of fair and equitable practice environments to allow emergency physicians to provide the highest quality of patient care.

It is the firm opinion of AAEM that the medical bill newly signed by Turkish President Abdullah Gul, making it a crime to administer emergency first aid without government authorization, unjustly and negatively affects both patients and providers.