A Unified Voice for EM
Anne Scheck · Emergency Medicine News · 2005
In a move supporters say will create new unity in emergency medicine, the American Academy of Emergency Medicine has proposed an unprecedented partnership with the American College of Emergency Physicians in an effort to build more strength on Capitol Hill. It remains to be seen whether the plan, which calls for a certain amount of restructuring by the academy, will mean a greater force in advocacy for the specialty. Rivalries between the two groups have yet to simmer down among some members, according to physicians from both organizations. Antoine Kazzi, MD, the president of AAEM, said he is optimistic about the prospect of combining efforts for future legislative frays that inevitably lie ahead. If the concept goes forward as expected, this would be “a major step forward toward an alliance,” he said. “We believe we can serve emergency medicine more effectively this way.” Dubbed the unity proposal, the resolution passed by AAEM includes a provision for renaming chapters as well as a mandate “that will require national membership in at least one of the organizations.” But such a shared vision is not groundwork for a merger, Dr. Kazzi stressed, though it is likely to mean changes in the bylaws of both organizations. Any revisions or amendments that reflect a unifying effort seem unlikely to mend key differences between the two organizations.Figure“Our primary goal as an organization is to change the nature of emergency medicine practice and restore physician control,” said Robert McNamara, MD, a former AAEM president. “The larger the membership, the more resources and clout we have. And we do have overlapping potential members, so [we] do compete,” he added. However, AAEM seeks to serve “practicing clinicians,” not all members of the specialty. Robert Suter, DO, the president of ACEP, said combining efforts makes sense but only up to a point, He said he favors the two groups working together, but he isn't convinced there are substantial reasons to justify having two different groups. “We believe that the specialty of emergency medicine is best represented by a single specialty society that is strong enough to tolerate divergent opinions voiced internally and within a democratic structure while serving the unified external voice of the specialty. We would welcome any efforts that further unify the specialty back into one society.”Figure: Dr. Robert Suter ACEP PresidentAs Dr. Kazzi stated, Dr. Suter said ACEP did not “read any mention of consolidation or merger in this proposal. If that is the intent of this resolution, we would applaud that intent,” he added. “It is not what is being communicated by a careful reading of the resolution.” “Our read of the proposal is that it is a call for the two organizations to work together, sharing both our D.C. office and the chapter network that ACEP has built over the past 37 years,” he said. The Future of EM The resolution approved by AAEM calls for working with ACEP on a joint task force for the future of emergency medicine, and calls for AAEM to be “open to all possibilities that will secure the future welfare of the individual specialist in emergency medicine and his/her patients.” The push for the change came from the membership itself, Dr. Kazzi noted. “Every time someone leaves ACEP to join AAEM, ACEP and a number of emergency physicians see this as negatively shorting the legislative and state efforts, depriving it of a financial contribution that is vital to secure essential presence and activity. “We believe there is some value in this concern, and wish to address this through our proactive proposal,” Dr. Kazzi observed. “We believe we can serve emergency medicine more effectively this way.” Dr. Antoine Kazzi, AAEM President AAEM's financial resources are more limited than ACEP's, Dr. Kazzi said, but the academy has had “rapid and consistent growth,” traditionally three to five percent each year, which has been continuously increasing and is now exceeding a rate of 10 percent a year, he said. The task force will work in tandem on sociopolitical issues. This is a model that could be followed on other issues, such as reimbursement, Dr. Kazzi suggested. “The D.C. lobbyist then can represent 28,000 emergency physicians and not only 23,000,” he noted. The Right Direction Dr. Suter said he is pleased about the AAEM resolution, and sees it as a step in the right direction. “The longest journey begins with the first step,” he said. “We wish to see one unified specialty society in emergency medicine,” he said. Pairing up with AAEM is quite a switch from recent history, however, and he said he is concerned that it has a better chance of success if it is done outside public view. “We believe that the way to get there is by a small group discussing and working through the issues with each other, rather than in a large public forum,” Dr. Suter said. “There are very good people on the task force. They should be given a chance to make that process work,” he said. The combined task force between AAEM and ACEP is only the latest such union of its kind in a series of medical marriages that have taken place over the past decade, often to create a stronger voice with congressional leaders. Dermatologists have joined forces with cosmetic surgeons; podiatrists have done the same with orthopedic surgeons. Seven years ago, the two largest internal medicine organizations, the American College of Physicians and the American Society of Internal Medicine, merged, becoming ACP-ASIM, although it is simply called ACP now. The college, which was founded in 1915, had about 100,000 members at the time, while the society had about 20,000. Members of both organizations have expressed the view at medical conferences that the merger has proven valuable in striving for legislative reforms that help internists and their patients. Comments about this article? Write to EMN at www.EM-News.com