State Chapters
FLAAEM
FLAAEM Donates $1000 in Support of Texas Legal Action
Dear FLAAEM Members,
The FLAAEM Board of Directors has approved a $1000.00 donation to the AAEM Foundation in support of the legal action in Texas, which is outlined in the press release below and has been sent to all AAEM members earlier this week. We feel it is very important for FLAAEM to support AAEM and our fellow state chapters.
We encourage all FLAAEM members to make personal donations to the AAEM Foundation in support of this effort.
To donate to the AAEM Foundation, click:
https://ssl18.pair.com/aaemorg/aaemfoundation/contribution.php
Thank you.
Sincerely,
FLAAEM Board of Directors
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 9, 2007
Contact:
Robert McNamara, MD FAAEM (Robert.McNamara@tuhs.temple.edu) AAEM Past President
Phone: 215-707-5030
Kay Whalen (kwhalen@aaem.org)
Executive Director, AAEM
Janet Wilson (jwilson@aaem.org)
Executive Director, AAEM/RSA
Phone: 800-884-2236
AAEM seeks support regarding the Corporate Practice of Medicine in Texas
MILWAUKEE — In what will be a pivotal case related to the professional control of the practice of emergency medicine, emergency physicians and interested parties are asked to donate to the AAEM Foundation to support the legal efforts of AAEM in Texas. On June 27, 2007, the American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) and its Texas Chapter filed an action for Declaratory Judgment in Harris County, TX District Court seeking to block the takeover of 8 ED contracts by a for profit corporation. TeamHealth, an ED contract management company headquartered in Knoxville, TN, and owned by the Blackstone Group, was recently awarded the exclusive contracts for emergency services by the Memorial Hermann Health System (MHHS) in Houston, TX.
The suit, also filed on behalf of Crystal Cassidy, MD FAAEM, and other Texas emergency physicians, contends that the awarding of these contracts by the administration of the Memorial Hermann Health System was improper. The filing states that the ownership by TeamHealth creates a situation where there is lay control over physician practice in violation of the existing Texas prohibition on the corporate practice of medicine and results in an illegal fee-splitting arrangement.
AAEM Past President Robert McNamara, MD FAAEM, stated, “In addition to the legal ramifications threatening the licensure of the physicians, it is central to AAEM’s involvement that the prohibition on the corporate practice of medicine exists to protect the physician-patient relationship. These laws simply state that it is not in the best interest of the patient to have a lay business influence on their physician. The danger of this influence is heightened in the emergency department where patients are vulnerable and often under or uninsured.”
AAEM and its Foundation have already committed substantial time and resources surrounding this matter. On behalf of Dr. Cassidy, the AAEM Foundation had provided funding for a legal action against Emergency Consultants Incorporated (ECI) of Traverse City, MI, the prior corporate owners of five of the MHHS ED contracts. Cassidy successfully pursued a “rule 202” action in Houston and, while in the course of depositions of ECI officials, MHHS issued a RFP for its ED contracts. AAEM and the Texas chapter sent a letter to MHHS requesting a dialogue on the corporate practice of medicine but the offer was flatly refused.
The AAEM Foundation will be supporting the full legal costs of this action on behalf of Cassidy and the specialty of emergency medicine in Texas. We ask for the support of the emergency medicine community on this important matter. Donations to the AAEM Foundation can be made on line at www.aaem.org or by mailing a check to: AAEM Foundation, 555 East Wells Street, Suite 1100, Milwaukee, WI 53202-3823.
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The American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) is the only true specialty society in emergency medicine today. As an organization, AAEM believes achievement of board certification represents the only acceptable method of attaining recognition as a specialist in emergency medicine. For more information, please visit www.aaem.org or call 800-884-2236.
The AAEM Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization established to enforce the CPOM laws and to protect the rights of physicians against corporations that violate CPOM laws.
American Academy of Emergency Medicine
555 E. Wells Street
Suite 1100
Milwaukee, WI 53202-3823
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