The Pulse of Emergency Medicine

Latest Episodes:

Leading Disaster Medicine Initiatives in the US and Beyond May 16, 2016

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD

Dr. Matt Birnholz sits down with Dr. Andrew Bern, an emergency physician and independent health care consultant in South Florida. They discuss the process of forming specialty sections in ACEP, and focus on Dr. Bern's role in the evolving Disaster Medicine subspecialty through his continuing work in Ecuador. Dr. Bern, a former member of ACEP's Board of Directors, is a founding member of the Disaster, Geriatric, Tactical, Telemedicine and Disaster medicine sections at ACEP.

#PatientsFirst: Utilizing Social Media to Enhance Patient Safety May 02, 2016

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD

Dr. Matt Birnholz speaks with Dr. Angela Garnder, past president of ACEP and Chief of Operations, Quality and Patient Safety at University of Texas Southwest. They discuss the importance of social media in the health care industry and ways to utilize this platform to enhance patients' experiences in hospitals and beyond.

When Disaster Strikes: Challenges in Securing Funds for Disaster Medicine Apr 26, 2016

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD

Dr. Matt Birnholz sits down with Dr. Carl Schultz, Research Director at the Center for Disaster Medical Sciences at University of California, Irvine. Dr. Schultz is a Professor of Emergency Medicine at the UC Irvine and recipient of the Disaster Medical Science Award at ACEP. He talks about the challenges of securing funding for disaster relief in the field and the integration of citizen volunteers in a disaster incident.

Engaging Younger Physicians in Emergency Medicine's Future Apr 20, 2016

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD

Joining Dr. Matt Birnholz to discuss the current landscape and future milestones for engaging ACEP's younger cohort of physicians is Dr. Paul Kivela, Vice President of ACEP. Dr. Kivela is managing partner of the Napa Valley Emergency Medical Group in California. Dr. Kivela has been actively involved in the ACEP council for more than 15 years and has worked with the Reimbursement Committee on fair payment issues and has been an ACEP councilor or alternate since 1994.

The Rise of Clinical Research in Emergency Medicine Mar 28, 2016

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD

Only a decade ago, emergency medicine was largely considered an afterthought in large-scale clinical trials. This oversight persisted for years despite the fact that a wide variety of time-sensitive clinical conditions under frequent study were diagnosed and treated predominantly in emergency departments. However, the last several years have witnessed a rapid evolution within this specialty, such that departments nationwide are now granted the means and resources to dedicate efforts exclusively toward advancing emergency medicine research.

From the floors of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) annual meeting in Boson, Dr. Matt Birnholz speaks with Dr. Philip Levy, Professor of Emergency Medicine & Physiology and Associate Chair for Research in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine. Dr. Levy is Chair of the ACEP Research Forum, whose efforts to date have helped put emergency medicine research in the limelight. The two discuss origins, present objectives, and future horizons for this forum and its impact on clinical research advancement in the field.

The Next Evolution of Medical Simulations: Updates from ACEP's InnovatED Mar 16, 2016

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD

Joining Dr. Matt Birnholz on the floors of the American College of Emergency Physicians annual meeting in Boston, MA is Dr. Matt Bitner, Vice Chair of Medical Staff Affairs and Quality at the Greenville Health System in Greenville, SC. Dr. Bitner co-chaired and directed ACEP's InnovatED, an interactive exhibitional platform that gained rapid acclaim for its next-level medical simulation demonstrations. He talks about the unique development processes and educational applications for these programs, such as the popular Code Black simulation.

Health Care in Financial Crisis: Are Emergency Medicine Models the Answer? Jan 25, 2016

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD

The model of emergency medicine enshrines the principles of universality, portability, freedom of choice, and equity in care for all those who walk through the door. Yet despite accounting for only 2% of healthcare costs nationwide, emergency departments receives criticism for contributing to the financial crisis of American health care. Are these criticisms justified, or does the ED coversely represent a potential solution?

Joining Dr. Matt Birnholz to discuss emergency medicine's current and future roles in healthcare policy, accounting, and quality improvement is Dr. James C. Mitchiner, attending emergency physician at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor and clinical assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School. He is also medical director at Michigan’s federally designated health care quality improvement organization. Dr. Mitchiner received the Colin C. Rorrie Jr., PhD Award for Excellence in Health Policy for a career dedicated to advocating for more efficient, affordable healthcare in America.

Envisioning the Emergency Department of Tomorrow: ACEP's InnovatED Jan 18, 2016

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD

Joining Dr. Matt Birnholz on the floors of the American College of Emergency Physicians annual meeting in Boston, MA is Dr. Sudave Mendiratta, Program Director of Emergency Medicine at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine and co-founder of InnovatED, an interactive exhibitional platform at ACEP featuring products and services vetted by a team of emergency physicians and showcased working together in a true-to-life environment. Dr. Mendiratta shares insights on InnovatED's mission to bolster future thinking, departmental design solutions, cutting-edge products and services, and best practices driving change in the ED.

Protecting the Brain After Cardiac Arrest: Research Discoveries from Past to Present Dec 21, 2015

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD

Dr. Matt Birnholz welcomes Dr. Clifton Callaway, Professor and Executive Vice Chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Pittsburg School of Medicine. Dr. Callaway received ACEP's Outstanding Contribution to Research Award for his more than two decades of research dedicated to improving brain resuscitation after cardiac arrest. He joins Dr. Birnholz to discuss a research-guided evolution in resuscitation protocols based on improved physiological understandings of secondary brain injuries, comas, and recoveries.

Priority Initiatives from the American College of Emergency Physicians: An Interview with Executive Director Dean Wilkerson Nov 19, 2015

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD

Dr. Matt Birnholz is joined by Dean Wilkerson, Executive Director for American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). Mr. Wilkerson provides an overview of ACEP's highest priority initiatives and ongoing efforts from the organization's leadership to help advance emergency medical care nationwide. Topics of discussion include the following:

Increasing awareness toward outcomes measures and reporting for improved quality of emergency care.
Defining emergency medicine's vital role in the 'Medical Neighborhood' models of patient care.
Understanding the controversies over balance billing in emergency departments, how this affects both patients and clinicians, and what can be done about it.

For more information about ACEP's strategic goals and activities, visit www.acep.org.