“It’s not easy to start something — it’s easier to fail,” said a skeptic during EDPMA’s early years.
Yet, for Kip Schumacher, Bruce Moskow, Ed Gaines, Steve Dresnick, Jack Greenman, Mitch Cordover, Greg Hufstetler, Marty Gottlieb, Barry Alexander, Joyce Cowan, Tom Gibson, and others who fleshed out the concept of EDPMA on bar napkins 25 years ago at a Georgetown hotel—with cigars and Scotch—EDPMA’s founders ultimately proved the skeptics wrong.
The skeptics told them the idea of EDPMA was too big to succeed, that in six months, the organization would not be viable. Now, twenty-five years later, EDPMA is not only still here, but consists of a thriving membership that represents nearly half of emergency department visits annually across the United States.
The bold vision of the EDPMA founders and collaborators changed the course of the business of emergency medicine. They grew an organization that shapes federal and state policy to protect patients and physician reimbursement, provides cutting edge education and toolkits, and offers key industry networking opportunities that bring together the brightest minds in the industry to collaborate and strengthen our collective voice.
At the Solutions Summit and throughout 2022, we continue to celebrate the origins of EDPMA, 25 years of success, and a future of continued collaboration that began on the back of a napkin.
25th Anniversary Challenge Coins
While the exact origin of challenge coins is debatable, there is no debate as to their purpose. Challenge coins instill organizational pride, build morale, and reward hard work and excellence.
In honor of EDPMA’s 25th Anniversary, we created an inaugural challenge coin to honor our leaders and the impact they make on Emergency Medicine. Because of their vision, service, and leadership, EDPMA is where it is today.
As we thank our leaders for their contributions, we now move boldly forward by continuing to lay the foundation for the next generation of leaders for our great specialty of Emergency Medicine.