Annual Report 2011 - ACEM

COUNCIL COMMITTEE
REPORTS
Constitution and
Regulations Committee
During the past year, the Committee
has reviewed faculty regulations and
special interest group regulations,
along with regulations relating to
the Board of Education and the
non-specialist training program, the
minimum paediatric requirement and
the interruption of training.
Special Considerations and
Discretionary Powers of Board of
Education policies have been added,
along with a new regulation for
establishment of a Gift Fund.
Internal and external communication
processes have been reviewed.
To fully establish the role of Deputy
Censor-in-Chief, a number of
clauses of the Constitution and the
Regulations have been amended.
Regulations relating to quorums
for committees and subcommittees
as well as voting rights for trainee
representatives on Council
committees have been clarifi ed.
The structure and numbering of
the Regulations are currently being
reviewed.
A draft proposal for review of the
Terms of Reference is to be forwarded
to Council Executive for consideration
and advice, with a view to updating
the role of the Constitution and
Regulations Committee.
I am indebted to Liv Cameron and the
other Committee members for their
continuing support and advice.
Alan Tankel, Chair
Private Practice
Committee
In the previous 12 months, there have
been signifi cant developments within
the Private Practice Committee.
Yusuf Nagree ended his tenure as
Chair of the Committee. Kate Porges
and Greg McDonald were elected as
co-chairs, with Kate Porges remaining
the Council representative.
Other new members include Aled
Williams, Pankaj Arora, Pip Wills and
Michael Ben-Meir.
A major funding stream became
available through the federal
Department of Health and Ageing
(DOHA) to enhance supervision
of trainees in private emergency
departments, including registrars
and career medical offi cers. Several
departments made successful
applications for this funding, most
receiving between $1-2 million over
three years. This will allow the
appointment of emergency physician
supervisors of training, as well as
infrastructure and clerical/support
staff.
In conjunction with this program, the
College and DOHA have negotiated
additional funded registrar positions
in private emergency departments
under the Specialist Training Program.
Those emergency departments who
successfully received funding for
enhanced supervision have committed
to increasing the number of
emergency medicine training positions
within their departments or their
hospitals.
The problem with adequate
remuneration of private emergency
physicians and the fl awed funding
model for private emergency
departments continues. Put simply,
private emergency departments
cannot be self-funding under the
current fi nancial model and require
signifi cant out-of-pocket expenses
for patients and cross subsidies from
the parent hospital. The Committee
has considered ways of enhancing
emergency physician remuneration
and will discuss these with the College
and present them to DOHA in the
next 12 months.
There are also some anomalies
regarding the Medicare reimbursement
rates for trainee emergency physicians
in private departments. Again, the
Committee will negotiate these
anomalies with DOHA.
It has been noted that knowledge
of the general scope and activities
of private emergency departments
throughout Australia is not adequate.
The Committee will survey all private
emergency departments so that it can
know more about their activities and
better advocate for private emergency
medicine.
Other issues considered by the
Committee are: private practice
emergency department role
delineation; accreditation standards;
and establishing a Moodle page on the
College website for private emergency
physicians.
The Committee thanks Corinne
Millane for her contribution as
Committee administrator, and
welcomes Bec McPhee as its new
administrator.
Greg McDonald, Chair
Public Health
Committee
Many Fellows and trainees may be
unaware of the role and actions of
the Public Health Committee (PHC)
and uncertain of why a college for
emergency medicine even has one.
It may seem far from important to
busy emergency doctors just trying
to do their best for their patients.
The challenges that face us may risk
us becoming inwardly focused, with
almost a siege mentality. The curious
emergency physician may ask: why
do I keep seeing the same types of
injury or illness? Why am I working in
ACEM Annual Report 2011
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