It was back in the 1960's that "groups of physicians started to leave their respective practices to devote their work completely to emergency care," says Dr. Brian J. Zink, MD, author of the book: "Anyone, Anything, Anytime – A History of Emergency Medicine." Originally, at the Alexandria, Virginia Hospital, doctors James DeWitt Mills, Jr. MD, along with three associate physicians, Chalmers Aldert "Babe" Loughridge, MD, William J. Weaver, Jr. MD, & John McDade, MD, comprised the first of such groups. In 1961 these doctors established a formal plan & contract with the Alexandria hospital to have 24/7 emergency care provided by full-time emergency physicians. The concept became known as the "Alexandria Plan." See details at Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_medicine