Top Events at the 12th Annual SEMPA 360 Emergency Medicine Conference

The 12th Annual SEMPA 360 Emergency Medicine Conference kicks off next week in San Diego, CA. What events are planned that you won't want to miss?

Taking Shape: Inova Mount Vernon Hospital ED Promises More Room for Treatment

Every year, more than 40,000 patients receive their care through the Inova Mount Vernon Hospital (IMVH) Emergency Department (ED). To better meet these needs, the hospital broke ground last fall on the new Veatch Family Emergency Department.

Top Picks: Best Restaurants on the Las Vegas Strip

Both the American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) and the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) are holding their annual scientific assemblies in "Sin City" this year. While you're in Las Vegas, be sure to take advantage of some of the best cuisine that you'll find in the world.

Superior Emergency Care in the Community, Inova HealthPlex – Lorton

Serving the Lorton/Woodbridge/Mount Vernon area, Inova HealthPlex – Lorton features a 19-bed Emergency Department (ED) and offers a full complement of ED services for adult and pediatric patients. The HealthPlex is conveniently located just off the Lorton exit of I-95 and just a mile west of U.S. Route 1 and Lorton Road. The facility, which opened in 2013, combines easy accessibility and superior patient care with a friendly staff and a hometown atmosphere.

Affiliated with Inova Mount Vernon Hospital (IMVH), the Lorton HealthPlex is staffed by a team of highly skilled physicians, nurses, and laboratory and X-ray technicians who are board-certified or board-eligible. The medical staff is trained and equipped to stabilize every type of emergency, with transfer to a higher level of care at IMVH when needed.

Newly Formed AAEM Partnership Expands Network of Democratic Practices

Being a voice of advocacy for equitable, democratic, physician-owned practices has been one of the many focuses for the American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) since its inception. However despite their efforts, physician-owned practices are under significant threat. 

Small practices often have difficulty developing and maintaining the infrastructure needed to be successful given the new reality of health care reform, accountable care organizations and value-based purchasing. As a result, large for-profit emergency physician contract management groups have been increasingly using their financial clout to acquire smaller practices.

AAEM President, Mark Reiter, MD, MBA, has long felt a solution was needed to help local, democratic practices prosper in the current healthcare environment. His concept is now becoming a reality, as this week AAEM announced a new initiative that strives to make ownership a realistic option for more emergency physicians.