ACEP Board Candidate

We are facing a looming crisis of our workforce.

The ACEP Workforce Study is projecting a surplus of Emergency Physicians.
We have new residency grads, who can’t find a job.
The number of residency programs keeps growing, some backed by private equity.
ED coverage by non-physician providers (NPPs) keeps increasing.
Staffing in many Emergency Departments does not allow Emergency Physicians to see their own patients and adequately supervise NPPs.
Stress, burnout, and mental health are real issues that have been ignored for too long.
Physicians have been terminated for speaking out for patient safety.

We need to prioritize.

To solve these problems, we must have our priorities in order.
First, we need to do what’s best for our patients. Emergency Medicine has always served as the healthcare safety net.
Second, we must advocate for emergency physicians. We are the American College of Emergency Physicians. Without emergency physicians, there is no ACEP.
We clearly need to define and promote Physician-Led Teams. There should be enough physician coverage to see all of the sick patients and properly supervise NPPs.
It will be important to create disincentives in this race to the bottom for the lowest staffing costs in order to maximize profits.
Let’s level the playing field. Responsible physician groups, that staff their EDs with the right number and mix of physicians and NPPs, should not be undercut by entities that only care about the bottom line.

Why me?

I bring a business background. These workforce issues are a systems-based, business problem. Solving them will take an analytic business approach, with quality patient care as its foundation.
As a consultant, I identify and help solve problems. I don’t hesitate to question the status quo to help turn vision into reality.
Like the Farmers insurance commercial, I know a lot because I’ve seen a lot. I’ve worked in virtually every practice setting, from high-volume tertiary care centers to rural access community hospitals, and in a variety of employment models.
I can independently represent the emergency physician. None of my income comes from the work of other physicians or NPPs.
I have a proven track record of service to emergency medicine with the Michigan ACEP board, the Maryland ACEP board (including serving as president), as a member on the ACEP EM Practice committee, and with AAEM Operations Management Committee and ED Management Solutions course.

Experience & Background

Over 30 years as practicing, board-certified emergency physician
20 years of experience as a medical director and department chair
Worked as both an independent contractor and employee in multiple settings:
- Multiple different contract management groups
- One independent, physician-owned practice
- Faculty at University of Maryland School of Medicine
- Hospital employee
- Locums tenens
Practiced in virtually every clinical setting:
- Urban, suburban, and rural
- High volume, trauma centers to rural critical access hospitals
- Academic centers and community hospitals
President and Founder of Queue Management, a consulting firm specializing in patient flow and throughput

Service to Emergency Medicine

Michigan ACEP Board of Directors, 1991 – 1994
Maryland ACEP
- Board of Directors, 2002 – 2012
  - Secretary, 2004 – 2007
  - Vice President, 2007 – 2009
  - President, 2009 – 2011
  - Immediate Past President, 2011 – 2012
- Started and chaired the Practice Management Committee, 2002 – 2009
- Legislative Committee, 1995 – 2009
ACEP
- Alternate councilor, 2002 – 2012
- EM Practice Committee, 2011 – 2018
AAEM
- Chair Operations Management Committee, 2016 – 2018
- Course Director, ED Management Solutions Conference, 2017 – present