This is an excerpt from a member-only article. To read the article in its entirety, please login or subscribe.

Emergency departments (ED) are overwhelmed. Hospitals work feverishly to fill emergency medicine physician (EMP) positions to meet the seemingly endless demand, but the supply isn't there, with high malpractice insurance rates and the stress of this fast-paced specialty to blame. For now, the only Band-Aid® for this critical problem seems to be money. From 2005 to 2006, total compensation increased 6% for ED docs, moving from $220,980 to $235,151-a significant change from the 0.9% pay boost from 2004 to 2005.