AAEM believes that decisions about who is qualified to practice medicine in a hospital should be made through the appropriate medical staff processes, with physicians afforded the due process protections established in the medical staff bylaws. Those protections should not disappear simply because a hospital changes its emergency medicine staffing contract.
We are particularly concerned whenever physicians may face professional consequences after raising good-faith concerns about patient safety, staffing, or quality of care. Emergency physicians have an obligation to advocate for their patients, and they should be able to do so without fear that speaking up will cost them their jobs or their ability to practice.
More broadly, contract transitions should never be used as a mechanism to circumvent medical staff protections or silence physicians. Regardless of which company holds a staffing contract, decisions affecting clinical privileges and patient care should remain grounded in established medical staff processes, physician judgment, and the best interests of patients.
About the American Academy of Emergency Medicine
The American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) is the specialty society of emergency medicine and the champion of the emergency physician. Established in 1993, AAEM promotes fair and equitable practice environments necessary to allow emergency physicians to deliver the highest quality of patient care. Its guiding values are embodied in its mission and vision.
Originally Posted: October 22, 2026
Last Revised: October 22, 2026