Common Sense
Common Sense is a bi-monthly member magazine that reports on all AAEM activities and news from the world of emergency medicine. It is delivered to the AAEM membership* six times a year, which currently stands at over 8,000 emergency physicians, residents, and others with an interest in emergency medicine. * International members receive an online subscription only.
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President's Message
March/April 2022
Lessons Learned in a Term of Presidency of AAEM
Author:
Writing my last President’s Message is a bittersweet experience. As I approach the end of my term, I realize that being the President of AAEM was in many ways exactly what I expected and, in many ways, not at all what I expected. I expected to work long and hard. I did not expect to contend with the novel Coronavirus and the difficulties and contentions that it brought with it. I expected to learn and grow, but I did not expect to learn and grow to the extent that I did.
January/February 2022
The Impact of Corporate Groups on Your Medical Practice…and What AAEM is Doing About it!
Author:
As I write this message, we are scarcely into the New Year, and yet the hopes we voiced for 2022 as 2021 was coming to an end are all but vanquished, just as the hopes we had for 2021 when we were in December 2020 were similarly vanquished. We try to be positive. We try to be optimistic. We know that our mental health depends on our ability to generate positive energy and see the best in every situation.
From the Editor's Desk
March/April 2022
You Are the Plaintiff
Author:
This lawsuit, if successfully litigated, could eventually benefit every emergency physician in America. The prospect of turning back corporate management groups (CMGs) including the negative role played by private equity in the business of emergency medicine could receive a significant boost by this lawsuit. This is a case which I think is vital for you to know about and advocate for in as many ways as possible.
January/February 2022
Are Emergency Physicians’ Brains Different?
Author:
Emergency physicians are used to not knowing all of the facts. Our professional brain is trained to gather all of the immediately available data which can reasonably be obtained within the time constraints of the emergency department and then decide and act. This timeframe can be seconds or minutes but not usually more than a couple of hours. We do not have the luxury of expansive history gathering, data collection, discussion, and reflection.
Dollars & Sense
July/August 2020
Disability and Life...Another Option!
Author:
Young doctors are the ripest of "low hanging fruit" for insurance sales agents. You will have, early in your training, friendly, affectionate, insurance sales people tracking you like a pack of slobbering hounds.
May/June 2019
Three Questions
Author:
As I progress in my career, I find myself getting busier and busier. Some of it is my own doing...
Featured Articles
March/April 2022
An Interview with Congressman Dr. Michael Burgess (R-TX)
Author:
After spending nearly three decades practicing medicine in North Texas Dr. Michael Burgess has served the constituents of the 26th District since 2003 in the United States House of Representatives. He currently serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, House Rules Committee, and House Budget Committee.
January/February 2022
An Interview with Dr. Rich McCormick
Author:
Dr. Rich McCormick is an emergency physician from Georgia who is running for Congress from Georgia's 6th Congressional District. Dr. McCormick took an active role in AAEM's recent Health Policy in Emergency Medicine (HPEM) meeting in Washington, D.C. and he is a member of the Academy. His position on the corporate practice of medicine is aligned with AAEM's clearly stated position and AAEM board members and HPEM attendees really enjoyed discussing these issues with him in person in October.
Additional Articles
As the editor of AAEM's bi-monthly newsletter Common Sense, Dr. Mayer welcomes your comments and suggestions. You can easily reach Dr. Mayer by submitting letters to the editor using the online form.

The Master of AAEM Series
- Achieving Great Outcomes in Your Discharged ED Patients - Tom Scaletta, MD MAAEM FAAEM
- AAEM: Now More Than Ever! - Larry Weiss, MD JD MAAEM FAAEM
- Welcome to the Tribe: Thoughts on Starting Out in EM - Joe Lex, MD MAAEM FAAEM
- Where Would EM be Without AAEM? - Robert McNamara, MD MAAEM FAAEM
Medical Liability - State by State
- Part 1: Alabama-Florida
- Part 2: Georgia-Maine
- Part 3: Maryland-North Dakota
- Part 4: Ohio-Rhode Island
- Part 5: South Carolina-Wyoming
- The Final Summary
Cracking the Code: Fixing the Crowded Emergency Department
- Part 1: Building the Burning Platform
- Part 2: Creating the Analytic Model
- Part 3: Implementing the Solution