April 20, 2024
The American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) supports the independent judgment of emergency physicians and their specialty societies, including AAEM, American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), and Society of Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM), to determine appropriate standards for emergency care. AAEM further supports emergency physicians and local physician and hospital groups to set clinical practice guidelines, determine continuing medical education (CME) requirements, and provide peer review of clinical cases.
The Academy is aware that payers have initiated their own clinical peer review of emergency physician practice, sometimes with physicians from other specialties. AAEM is further aware that payers have issued requirements to emergency physicians regarding CME. AAEM strongly opposes this practice and does not believe that clinical judgment or CME falls within the scope of a payer organization. While payers may negotiate reimbursements and utilization standards, they do not have a role in determination of appropriate clinical care.
AAEM stands in support of individual emergency physicians and their ability to provide their patients high-quality, personalized emergency care based on current clinical guidelines. The interference of payers in clinical practice creates conflicts of interest, risks violation of corporate practice of medicine laws, and places patients at risk.
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