State Chapters
CAL/AAEM Update
Chapter To Hold Events in
Conjunction with AAEM Scientific Assembly
by Antoine Kazzi, MD, FAAEM
CAL/AAEM Events at the Scientific Assembly
Being the AAEM chapter of the state that is hosting AAEM's 2002 Annual
Scientific Assembly, CAL/AAEM will hold the following events in conjunction
with the Assembly in San Francisco, and in the same hotel.
The "Fifth CAL/AAEM Business Forum"
"Selling EP Groups to Hospital Corporations: the Outcome of the CHW-ACHP
lawsuit! What AAEM & CAL/AAEM have done with your dues?"
Speaker: John Christiansen, MD, FAAEM, CAL/AAEM and ACHP Board of Directors
Date: Friday March 15, 2002 - Time: 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Location: at the Headquarter Hotel (Hyatt Regency) -
Room: Track B
CAL/AAEM Board of Directors Meeting
Date: Friday March 15, 2002 - Time: 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
This will then follow the CAL/AAEM Business Forum and will
be held in the same room (Track B). Please plan to attend. The meeting
is open to all interested Emergency Physicians, residents and students.
CAL/AAEM-ACHP Welcoming Reception
Date: Saturday March 16th - at the Headquarter Hotel (Hyatt Regency)
Time: 6.30 pm - 9.00 pm
Sponsored by: CAL/AAEM and ACHP (Affiliated Catholic Healthcare West)
Why?
-
To celebrate the favorable outcome of the ACHP-CHW-Meriten
Lawsuit and the failure of "Vertical Integration" - the
corporate hospital theft of our professional fees and of our control
of our practice standards and settings.
-
To welcome all AAEM members to our state of California.
CAL/AAEM is proud to welcome all of our AAEM Colleagues from across
the nation!
Complimentary food/buffet and drinks will be provided.
Last but not least, CAL/AAEM welcomes the participation
of 14 California speakers including seven CAL/AAEM members, two CAL/ACEP
Past-Presidents and seven current or past board members: Dianne Birnbaumer,
Michael Burns, Gus Garmel, Ramon Johnson, Antoine Kazzi, William Mallon,
Maureen McCollough, Peter Rosen, Ed Panacek, Mike Ritter, Patricia Salber,
Peter Sokolove, Jeffrey Tabas and Joanne Williams-Lozoya.
We ask our AAEM members to invite all their CAL/ACEP colleagues
who do not belong to AAEM to join us in San Francisco. Invite them to
take advantage of the reciprocal AAEM-CAL/ACEP deal that provides a registration
fee of $150 - discounted by $225 - for the full three days of outstanding
educational CME activities that AAEM is providing.
We remind our AAEM and CAL/AAEM members that they should
also take advantage of the discounted registration CAL/ACEP is providing
ALL AAEM members if they attend the June 2002 CAL/ACEP 4-day Annual Scientific
Assembly for a nominal fee of $150 (in lieu of the standard $300). For
non-California AAEM members who maintain an ACEP membership, the fee is
further reduced to $100. This Assembly will be held on June 13-15, 2002,
at the Westin Hotel in Long Beach, California. It will include a "CAL/AAEM
Business Forum" on Collective Bargaining and unionization in EM on
June 13 at 3 pm, and will be followed by an official CAL/AAEM Board of
Directors meeting.
Legislative Update
On the legislative front, budget problems continue to impact EM. Governor
Davis called for $2.2B Budget Reduction, by ordering state agencies to
"freeze spending" in more than 80 programs, until the Legislature
can vote on his budget cuts. These include cuts in trauma care and delays
in the planned expansion of the "Healthy Families Program."
Cuts would freeze the 30 million dollars that Governor Davis had allocated
last year to the funding of trauma centers. The governor made the decision
only hours after a "bleak" report predicted a $12.4 billion
deficit for the state by June 30, 2003, due to the "economic recession
and declining stock values."
In other news, positive this time, the CMA Board of Trustees
has voted overwhelmingly in favor of sponsoring an Emergency and Trauma
Services statewide "initiative." A recent statewide poll demonstrated
strong support for EPs by the public. A strong majority expressed their
willingness to support the ED safety net crisis through a surcharge on
moving violations. Current estimates of this revenue source predict this
could reach $300M/year. This would include $100 for EP and on-call physician
reimbursement, $150M for hospitals to expand ED capacity and prevent ED
closures, and $50M for EMS and firefighters. In addition to statewide
EMS planning and oversight, the initiative, if passed, would declare emergency
care to be an "essential public service" (legal definition)
and require no reduction in MediCal rates or the EMS fund.
In order to make such a moving violation surcharge a reality,
the CMA, CAL/AAEM and CAL/ACEP, will need to raise the funds - a million
dollars - is necessary to pay for the initiative. It is estimated that
every EP will need to send $500 to our state EMPAC. We will need to come
together and support this effort. Additional information can be provided
to you through Dr. Windham, our chair of our Legislative Committee and
official representative to the Government Affairs committee. He can be
reached via email at pcwindham@elite.net
CAL/AAEM Election Update
Plans are underway for our CAL/AAEM elections. As you read this, CAL/AAEM
members should be receiving the ballots. Please vote! CAL/AAEM is proud
it has already received nominations for all available positions in the
Executive Committee and board of directors. Results will be announced
at the end of the CAL/AAEM Business Forum in March 2002 at the AAEM Scientific
Assembly in San Francisco. Since I am not running for CAL/AAEM President,
I wish to thank you all for your support over the last two years. I will
continue managing and publishing our California Journal of EM,
our journal and newsletter. I will make sure it continues to grow and
to be distributed freely to 2,100 Board-certified EPs in California and
to be available to everyone else on the AAEM website. I promise you to
continue serving CAL/AAEM with the same attention and commitment that
I have been privileged to have the opportunity to provide. Thank you.
A. Antione Kazzi, MD FAAEM
CAL/AAEM is the California State Chapter of the American
Academy of Emergency Medicine, 26500 West Agoura Road, Suite 680, Calabasas,
CA 91302, Toll Free: (877) 422-2236; Fax (414) 276-3349. Their president,
Antoine Kazzi, MD FAAEM FACEP, can be reached by e-mail at akazzi@attglobal.net
|
About AAEM