Report examines physician leadership education

A new white paper from the AHA’s Physician Leadership Forum looks at how hospitals and health systems can develop effective physician leaders to partner with them in moving toward a more accountable and efficient health delivery system. “Developing strong physician leaders working in concert with hospital and health system executives is essential to moving to the next level of health care delivery,” said John Combes, MD, AHA senior vice president. The report highlights the case for developing physician leaders, identifies characteristics to consider for leadership education programs, and includes four case studies from a PLF educational summit held in conjunction with the American College of Physician Executives. To access the free white paper, “Physician Leadership Education,” click here.

Suggestions for viable physician payment reform

An article (abstract only) from last month’s Health Affairs reviews several promising models as alternatives to Medicare’s current physician payment strategy. These models include patient-centered medical homes, accountable care organizations, and various payment bundling pilots. The article also reviews the current interest shown by both Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate to reform how physicians are reimbursed and what this suggests for the future of physician payment reform. The authors acknowledge that although some of the models seem promising, many challenges remain such as whether any initial savings from these models will prove to be sustainable over the long term and whether any generalized results of the pilots can be tried on a larger population.

Is the time right to trade malpractice reform with health reform?

An article (abstract only) from last month’s Health Affairs suggests the time may be right to make a deal trading federal tort reform with health reform that would broaden access to care and reduce expenditures. The authors say this strategy would bring noneconomic damage caps to the nineteen states that lack them and could create a federal floor for tort reform in the remaining states, which have highly variable existing laws. The authors cite a 2011 Congressional Budget Office report that estimated a bill capping noneconomic damages at $250,000 would reduce national health spending by 0.5 percent (more than $10 billion annually). In exchange, the authors say physicians should accept a number of measures including a quick transition to bundled payments for services, participation in medical homes and accountable care organizations, use of electronic health records, and acceptance of oversight bodies, such as the Independent Payment Advisory Board.

Doctors propose creating new provider type under Medicare

A recent perspective piece from the New England Journal of Medicine suggests a bolder approach is needed to accelerate the adoption of advanced primary care practice (APCP). The authors propose that Medicare adopt APCP as a new provider category, with its own eligibility standards and accountability for performance on patient outcomes, care, and resource use, linked to a new payment approach. To encourage broader use of this coordinated care model, the authors say Medicare beneficiaries enrolling in APCPs should have their primary care services covered with no deductible and no copayment for the care management payments, along with reduced coinsurance for specialist care obtained through referral from their APCP. The authors argue earlier experiments with APCP have shown positive effects on the delivery of preventive care services, the experience of physicians and staff, and the rate of emergency department visits.

Physician leaders engaging physicians next focus of PLF webinar

Register now for our next PLF webinar, "Physician Leaders Engaging Physicians to Lead – Keys to Success," taking place Thursday, Feb. 20 beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET.

In this free, 60-minute webinar, presenters Stephen C. Beeson, MD, CEO and founder, PracticingExcellence.com, and Tracy Duberman, PhD, FACHE, CEO and founder, The Leadership Development Group, will reveal the key leadership competencies of highly effective physicians and a roadmap for engaging all physicians as leaders – from the C-suite to the clinical front line. They will also discuss the ROI for physician leadership development, make the case that it is a key ingredient for integrated and coordinated care delivery, and share efforts of leading health care organizations to engage physicians and develop their leadership skills.

 

To register, click here.

Save the date: Future webinars from the PLF

What makes a hospital medicine group (HMG) effective? How can your hospitalists improve their performance? For the first time ever, new guidelines from the experts in the field can help hospital executives and HMGs evaluate their performance.

 

With the continuing growth of the specialty of hospital medicine, the capabilities and performance of HMGs varies significantly. In February, the Society for Hospital Medicine (SHM) will publish The Key Principles and Characteristics of an Effective HMG as a guide for HMG self-improvement in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.

 

This webinar will review the published principles and characteristics and offer practical applications to hospital leaders. The Key Principles and Characteristics of an Effective HMG have been designed to be aspirational, helping to “raise the bar” for the hospital medicine specialty. These principles and characteristics provide a framework for HMGs seeking to conduct self-assessments, outlining a pathway for improvement, and better defining the central role of hospitalists in coordinating team-based, patient-centered care in the acute care setting.

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Independent physicians continue migration to hospital employment

A recent article from the Kansas City Star looks at the movement of doctors from independent practice to employed physicians. For example, in the Kansas City area, 55 percent of doctors are now employed by hospitals, according to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City estimates. Some reasons for this include younger physicians seeking a better work/life balance, older doctors being frustrated over declining payments for their services, and hospitals seeking to expand their referral base. The article says one potential benefit of hospitals hiring physicians is providing patients with integrated care, which could help lower costs. In the early 1990s, a similar shift in physician employment happened. However, experts believe this time around could be different since hospitals understand better how to structure doctor’s pay and have better tools to track performance.

Conference to explore the dynamics of the physician/practice executive team

The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) will hold its 2014 Business of Care Delivery Conference March 23-25 in Orlando, Fla. The conference will explore why the physician/practice executive team is the linchpin of practice success and growth, as well as help practices transition to new models of care, create and implement strategic plans and staffing models and empower practices to take on the challenges ahead as they focus on the business of care delivery.

 

Featured sessions include:

To learn more or register, click here.

Visit us at www.ahaphysicianforum.org.

 

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