Statement Type

The American Academy of Emergency Medicine opposes the emergency services reimbursement provisions outlined in the interim final rule of the Patient Protections and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) that sets insurer compensation rates for out-of-network providers of emergency services.  Emergency departments play an integral role in our healthcare system.  In addition to treating urgent and emergency […]

The American Academy of Emergency Medicine is aware that some emergency physicians (EPs) are being compelled to provide dual simultaneous coverage for both the ED and the inpatient hospitalist services. This dual-coverage requires EPs to leave the emergency department (ED) to manage routine and non-urgent medical problems of hospitalized patients. Emergency physicians should not provide […]

Use of Conducted Energy Weapons (CEW) such as the TASER includes delivery of a series of brief electrical pulses, which result in pain and muscular contractions. The pulses may be delivered via a pair of sharp metal probes fired from the device, commonly referred to as “probe mode”, or by direct contact with the front […]

The American Academy of Emergency Medicine discourages the practice of setting admission goals or admission rates for emergency department patients. The Academy further discourages inducements from hospitals or other interested parties meant to encourage or enforce these admission goals. Such inducements may include bonuses, penalties or linkage of admission rates to the rewarding or renewal […]

Parenteral opioids are the most common analgesics used in the Emergency Department for relief of acute pain. Gastrointestinal side effects such as nausea andvomiting are common following opioid analgesia in long-term therapy for malignant and chronic pain and are considered a limiting factor in effective pain therapy. (1) Despite clear and supporting evidence, it has […]

With the advent of more sophisticated CT scanners, imaging without contrast (unenhanced) is increasingly utilized in the evaluation of adults with suspectedacute appendicitis. Oral contrast presents a significant delay to imaging. Intravenous contrast presents the small, but real risks of allergic reaction andcontrast nephropathy. There is sufficient literature to support the use of unenhanced CT […]

Reviewed and approved by the AAEM Board of Directors 2/14/2010 Answer: Yes. Though adoption of EGDT has been slow and multiple barriers exist, it appears that EGDT improves mortality in adult patients with septic shock. Further study is needed, however, to quantify the exact effect size of each individual component and the protocol in its […]

Reviewed and approved by the AAEM Board of Directors 2/14/2010.

Reviewed and approved by the AAEM Board of Directors 2/14/2010.

Reviewed and approved by the AAEM Board of Directors 1/11/2010.

1) The American Academy of Emergency Medicine, believing that emergency department care is best provided by physicians properly board certified in emergency medicine, reiterates the relevant portions of its Mission Statement: 2) Organized hospital medical staffs have the primary responsibility of credentialing physicians to work in their emergency departments and may decide how to best […]

Freestanding emergency departments (FSED) have the potential to address several intractable problems in emergency medicine, especially overcrowding and lack of access to emergency care, a loss of autonomy for emergency physicians, and widespread violation of emergency physician practice rights at hospitals. FSEDs serve emergency medicine as an innovative practice model, expanding the reach of emergency […]

Reviewed and approved by the AAEM Board of Directors 3/1/2009.

SUMMARY DEVELOPMENT OF EMERGENCY CARE PSYCHIATRIC CLINICAL FRAMEWORK By default, the emergency department (ED) has become the "portal to the community" and the entry point where most patients are introduced to the health care system. It is also a logical place to expedite needed reform to ensure universal access to essential health care services. Historically, […]

AAEM WHITE PAPER ON RESTRICTIVE COVENANTS A Policy Paper of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine J Emerg Med 2006; 30:473-475 Larry D. Weiss, MD, JD, FAAEM Professor of Emergency Medicine University of Maryland School of Medicine Approved with revisions by the American Academy of Emergency Medicine Board of Directors at its July 16, 2007, […]

The immediate availability of interventions including procedural sedation is critical to serving the needs of our patients. Preserving life, restoring health, and alleviating suffering have been fundamental to the practice of nursing and medicine for centuries. We are challenged as health care professionals to provide this care in a manner that meets the Institute of […]

AAEM WHITE PAPER ON DUE PROCESS RIGHTS FOR PHYSICIANS J Emerg Med 2007; 33:439-440 Larry D. Weiss, MD, JD, FAAEM Professor of Emergency Medicine University of Maryland School of Medicine Approved with revisions by the American Academy of Emergency Medicine Board of Directors, May 15, 2007 INTRODUCTION The American Academy of Emergency Medicine (hereinafter AAEM) […]

The practice of boarding patients in the ED is defined as holding admitted patients in the ED until a staffed, in-patient bed becomes available and this period usually lasts several hours (and sometimes days). Boarding is not in the best interest of the patient being boarded as it compromises their comfort, privacy and medical care. […]

The American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM), a national professional society of board-certified emergency physicians, has serious concerns about the creation of the American Board of Disaster Medicine (ABDM) by the American Board of Physician Specialists (ABPS). We note that: A. The creation of any subspecialty board must follow a rigorous process as board certification […]

AAEM statements are not to be construed as dictating an exclusive course of action nor are they intended to replace the medical judgment of healthcare professionals. The unique circumstances of individual patients and environments are to be taken into account in any diagnosis and treatment plan. AAEM statements reflect clinical and scientific advances as of […]

January 2006 (endorsed 5/17/06) www.aamc.org/residentcompact The Compact Between Resident Physicians and Their Teachers is a declaration of the fundamental principles of graduate medical education (GME) and the major commitments of both residents and faculty to the educational process, to each other and to the patients they serve. The Compact’s purpose is to provide institutional GME […]

The American Academy of Emergency Medicine believes that a healthy physician-patient relationship is a core principle of the practice of emergency medicine. There is a growing trend to use patient satisfaction surveys as a tool to assess the quality of this interaction. As more organizations are using these questionnaires in their determinations of compensation and […]

DATE: May, 2006 SUBMITTED BY: Nancy Bonalumi, RN, MS, CEN; ENA President Tom Scaletta, MD FAAEM; AAEM President It is ideal for emergency nurses and physicians to practice in an optimal working environment where, working as a team, we can provide safe and excellent emergency patient care. Inappropriate behavior disrupts the operations of the emergency […]

(from White Paper on Improving Service Quality) On behalf the American Academy of Emergency Medicine, we proposed this position statement for consideration by the Board of Directors: It is the mission of emergency medicine to provide continuous access to board certified emergency physicians to provide high quality care for patients with emergent and urgent conditions. […]

The American Academy of Emergency Medicine believes the following principles to be essential to the ethical conduct of an expert offering opinions or testimony in medical legal matters. Violation of these principles constitutes a violation of the Academy’s Ethics policy and may be subject to sanctions as described there-in. Expert Testimony as Medical Practice Provision […]