Due Process
Due process is one of the most critical issue facing emergency physicians today. By agreeing to waive their rights to due process when signing contracts with some contract management companies, emergency physicians can unwittingly give their employers the power to terminate them without cause and without notice.
AAEM Mission Statement Principle #5:
The Academy supports fair and equitable practice environments necessary to allow the specialist in emergency medicine to deliver the highest quality of patient care. Such an environment includes provisions for due process and the absence of restrictive covenants.
Position Statements
AAEM believes so strongly in the importance of emergency physicians retaining their due process rights that both the original AAEM Mission Statement and a recently adopted Position Statement address this sensitive issue.
- AAEM Mission Statement
- Position Statement on Due Process (10/2/00)
- Position Statement on Due Process Reaffirmed (9/01/05)
- Due Process White Paper (5/15/07)
Sign Due Process Petition
We, the undersigned emergency physicians of this country, believe that due process is fundamental to our ethical mandate to care for our patients without being pressured by administrative or other external influences. We serve as direct advocates for our patients, many of whom go to emergency departments because they are vulnerable due to medical, social or financial issues outside of their control. In some cases, such advocacy may conflict with profit-driven or other non-patient-oriented forces. Therefore, we strongly oppose the contractual trend that allows hospitals or contract holders to terminate physicians without a fair hearing, since this hinders our ability to act at all times in the best interest of our patients.
Podcast Resources
Visit the EM Advocates Podcast series for episodes related to due process issues.