American Academy of Emergency Medicine

What American Academy of Emergency Medicine does

The American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) is a 501(c)-style professional medical association founded in 1993 and headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its stated mission is to promote fair and equitable practice environments for emergency physicians, advocate for board certification (ABEM/AOBEM), and combat the Corporate Practice of Medicine (CPOM). AAEM serves an addressable market of approximately 30,000 U.S. emergency physicians and operates through four affiliated entities: AAEM/RSA (residents and students), AAEM-PG (physician group), the AAEM Foundation (donor-funded advocacy), and AAEM PAC (political action). The organization is governed by an elected Board of Directors and offers membership tiers across YPS-AAEM (young physicians, free) and WiEMS-AAEM (women in EM, $50 full voting), supplemented by regional chapter divisions (CAL/AAEM, FLAAEM, USAAEM).

AAEM's product portfolio centers on continuing medical education and certification preparation, including the annual Scientific Assembly, Certifying Exam Review Course (launched December 2025 for the new 2026 ABEM format), Qualifying Exam Review Course, ED Operations Certificate Course (EDOCC), and Leadership Academy. It publishes the Journal of Emergency Medicine, Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, Common Sense magazine, and AAEM Action Report, and produces podcasts including Women's Wisdom and the AAEM/RSA Podcast. Revenue is generated through five streams: membership dues, Scientific Assembly registration (e.g., $825 non-member physician), $2,500 joint CME providership application fees for external organizations, merchandise sales via aaemstore.com, and advertising in Common Sense, Insights, and WestJEM. Distribution is primarily through the aaem.org website, regional chapter events, residency visits, and multi-platform social media. There is no proprietary technology platform; the tech stack relies on EventsCloud (registration), cdmcd.co (streaming), Gaumard Scientific (simulation manikins), and standard podcast platforms.

The strategic differentiator is AAEM's 30+ year role as the leading voice against corporate ownership of emergency departments, providing legal support to physician groups (e.g., EEP in Oregon, TeamHealth challenges in Texas and California) and achieving policy wins such as Oregon's SB 951 (June 2026), the first-in-nation law curbing corporate ownership of physician practices. The Certificate of Workplace Fairness program and anti-CPOM lawsuit infrastructure represent durable positioning against larger rivals including ACEP, though AAEM remains a small organization with 1-10 employees and no disclosed revenue or external funding.

Name

American Academy of Emergency Medicine

Legal name

American Academy of Emergency Medicine

Website

https://aaem.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

American Academy of Emergency Medicine is a nonprofit professional association founded in 1993 that advocates for board-certified emergency physicians against corporate practice of medicine, offering CME courses, exam preparation, publications, and legal support to its U.S. physician membership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Medical Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Disaster Response Coordination & Incident Command (EOC/ICS) (HLAJAGAB)

Keywords

• Emergency medicine education
• Continuing medical education
• Physician advocacy services
• Professional medical association
• Emergency physician certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from AAEM, AAEM/RSA, YPS-AAEM, and WiEMS-AAEM members. Membership categories include free tiers for various physician levels and paid tiers for full voting members ($50/year for WiEMS-AAEM).
2. Scientific Assembly Registration: Revenue from annual conference registration, including CME credits. Non-member physician registration is $825, with discounted rates for residents ($250) and medical students ($225). Members receive free admission with refundable deposits.
3. Joint CME Providership Fees: Third-party organizations pay $2,500 CME application fee for AAEM to provide AMA PRA Category 1 Credits for their educational events.
4. Merchandise Sales: Sale of AAEM-branded merchandise, swag, and apparel through the AAEM Store and section-specific stores (WiEMS-AAEM apparel store).
5. Advertising Revenue: Revenue from advertising placements in publications including Common Sense magazine, newsletter advertising (Insights), and WestJEM advertising.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels13 records

Core offering

The American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) is a nonprofit professional medical association that provides education, advocacy, board certification support, and practice resources to emergency physicians. Its core offerings include continuing medical education (CME) courses, review courses for emergency medicine board exams, an annual Scientific Assembly, publications, podcasts, and policy/legal advocacy work on behalf of practicing emergency physicians.

Product overview

The American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) is a professional medical association for emergency physicians offering a comprehensive portfolio of educational products and membership services. The core offerings include simulation-based exam preparation courses (Certifying Exam Review Course, Qualifying Exam Review Course), operational training programs (ED Operations Certificate Course, Leadership Academy), and annual conferences (Scientific Assembly, EM Advocacy Summit). The association publishes two peer-reviewed journals (Journal of Emergency Medicine, Western Journal of Emergency Medicine), produces the Common Sense magazine and AAEM Action Report, and hosts the Women's Wisdom podcast. AAEM supports its members through specialized sections including YPS-AAEM for young physicians and WiEMS-AAEM for women in emergency medicine, along with advocacy initiatives against corporate control of medicine, workplace fairness certification, and collaborative education partnerships with organizations like Clinical Care Options and Medscape. The organization is ACCME-accredited to provide AMA PRA Category 1 Credits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Certifying Exam Review Course Review course preparing emergency physicians for the ABEM/AOBEM certifying examination. Aimed at practicing emergency physicians seeking board certification.
• Qualifying Exam Review Course Review course preparing emergency medicine residents for the qualifying examination administered by ABEM.
• ED Operations Certificate Course (EDOCC) Certificate program covering emergency department operations, management, and leadership for emergency physicians moving into administrative roles.
• Leadership Academy Structured leadership training program for emergency physicians seeking to develop practice management and advocacy leadership skills.
• Scientific Assembly Annual multi-day educational conference offering CME lectures, workshops, and networking for emergency medicine physicians.
• EM Advocacy Summit Annual advocacy summit in Washington, D.C. educating members on emergency medicine policy and providing legislative advocacy training and Capitol Hill visits.
• AAEM CME Online Online catalog of on-demand CME activities accessible to AAEM members for emergency medicine continuing education credits.
• Joint CME Providership Service in which AAEM serves as the accredited joint provider of CME credit for educational activities developed by other organizations.
• Collaborative Education Partnered continuing medical education programming offered jointly with collaborating emergency medicine groups and organizations.
• AAEM Membership Annual membership tiers (full, associate, resident, student, international) providing access to AAEM publications, CME discounts, advocacy, and member benefits.
• Journal of Emergency Medicine Peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing original research and review articles in emergency medicine, offered to members and subscribers.
• Western Journal of Emergency Medicine

Quantifiable outcome

• Oregon SB 951 law enacted (June 2026) - first-in-nation legislation curbing corporate ownership of physician practices
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Oregon State (Governor Tina Kotek)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2026Oregon enacted SB 951 law curbing corporate ownership of physician practices. Governor Tina Kotek signed the legislation and called for delays in corporate staffing transitions due to patient safety concerns. AAEM advocated for and supported this legislation.
• Eugene Emergency Physicians (EEP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAAEM supports EEP's lawsuit against PeaceHealth's ED staffing transition in Eugene, Oregon. This partnership represents AAEM's core anti-CPOM advocacy mission, protecting physician autonomy and patient safety.
• American College of Academic International Medicine (ACAIM)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAAEM partners with ACAIM to offer exclusive registration benefits for AAEM members attending the AIM Congress 2026. AAEM members receive complimentary conference registration when booking through the partnership.
• AAEM/RSA (Resident and Student Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAAEM's primary affiliate organization for EM residents and medical students. Joint membership structure with shared benefits including Scientific Assembly access, RSA Track programming, and mentorship opportunities.
• AAEM-PG (Physician Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAAEM's affiliated physician group providing practice management resources and support for emergency medicine groups seeking to maintain physician-led practices.
• Certificate of Workplace Fairness PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmergency medicine groups that have earned AAEM's Certificate of Workplace Fairness, demonstrating commitment to fair physician employment practices. Serves as a network of physician-owned or fair-practice ED groups.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP): ACEP is the largest U.S. professional society for emergency physicians (~40,000+ members) and AAEM's most direct competitor. AAEM was founded in 1993 partly because members felt ACEP inadequately addressed corporate practice of medicine — making ACEP the primary alternative physicians choose between when joining an EM association.
• Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM): SAEM is a peer professional society focused on academic emergency medicine research, education, and faculty development. It overlaps with AAEM on CME, publications, and EM resident engagement, and competes for the same residency program partnerships.
• Emergency Medicine Residents' Association (EMRA): EMRA is the resident-led EM organization that directly overlaps with AAEM/RSA. Both compete for resident membership, board prep resources, and Medical Student Track programming — making EMRA the primary alternative pipeline for the early-career segment AAEM targets.
• American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians (ACOEP): ACOEP represents osteopathic emergency physicians and overlaps with AAEM on CME, board review (AOBEM), and advocacy. AAEM explicitly endorses both ABEM and AOBEM board certification, putting it in direct competition with ACOEP for osteopathic EM physicians.

Others

• American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM): ABEM is the certifying body whose exams AAEM's Certifying and Qualifying Exam Review Courses prepare physicians for. While not a member organization, ABEM's 2026 Certifying Exam format change directly catalyzed AAEM's newest product launch, making it the most economically linked adjacent entity.
• American Osteopathic Board of Emergency Medicine (AOBEM): AOBEM certifies osteopathic emergency physicians and is the second certification pathway AAEM explicitly supports. AAEM's dual recognition of ABEM and AOBEM aligns it with AOBEM diplomates as a target membership segment.
• American College of Academic International Medicine (ACAIM): ACAIM is an AAEM collaborating organization that offers mutual conference registration benefits (AIM Congress 2026). While not a direct competitor, it is a peer ecosystem participant in international EM education and credentialing that overlaps with AAEM's collaborative education model.

Broad incumbents

• American Medical Association (AMA): AMA is the broadest U.S. physician professional association and offers overlapping CME, advocacy, and physician autonomy initiatives (e.g., scope-of-practice fights). While not EM-specialized, it competes for general physician advocacy mindshare and is a comparable membership-based nonprofit model.

Emerging players

• Society of Emergency Medicine Physician Assistants (SEMPA): SEMPA represents EM-focused physician assistants and overlaps with AAEM on ED workforce advocacy and CME. Its scope-of-practice and team-based-care mission intersects with AAEM's physician-autonomy positioning, particularly around PPM staffing models.
• Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors (CORD): CORD focuses on EM residency program leadership and curriculum. It overlaps with AAEM's residency visit program and competes for engagement of program directors who influence which organizations their residents join.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aaeminfo
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@AAEMInfo
• Facebookfacebook.com/AAEMinfo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aaeminfo
• Instagraminstagram.com/aaeminfo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about American Academy of Emergency Medicine