AHA surveying hospitals about physician relationship models

The American Hospital Association (AHA) is surveying hospitals through March 14 to learn more about how they engage with physicians. The survey was mailed recently to all hospital CEOs for their chief medical officer to complete. The results will help AHA develop resources and information to strengthen the bond between physicians and hospitals, and report on the state of physician-hospital relationships that improve health care quality and efficiency. For more on the survey, contact AHA survey support staff at (800) 530-9092 or [email protected].

ACGME issues guidance for assessing U.S. residency programs

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) recently released guidance for assessing the clinical learning environment at U.S. teaching hospitals in conjunction with the rollout of its updated accreditation system. According to ACGME, the document lays out a “Pathways to Excellence” framework for teaching hospitals, medical centers and clinics to monitor and improve resident and fellow physician engagement in six core areas: patient safety; health care quality; care transitions; supervision; duty hours, fatigue management and mitigation; and professionalism. It also will be used to provide structured feedback from site visits. ACGME began rolling out the updated accreditation system in 2012. According to the council, the Clinical Learning Environment Review Pathways to Excellence framework is based on observations from the first 100 site visits, focus groups and published literature.

Improving the clinical learning environment for physicians

A recent perspective piece from the New England Journal of Medicine discusses the early findings from the Clinical Learning Environment Review (CLER) program, being conducted by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Over the past year, the ACGME has visited more than 100 teaching hospitals in the United States in an effort to assess the quality of the learning environments in which the country’s 117,000 residents and fellows are immersed. Although the formal assessment of the CLER program’s first-year experience is not complete, the early findings indicate a generalized lack of resident engagement in a “systems-based practice” of medicine in the clinical environments in which they learn and provide clinical care. The authors say the real challenge identified by the CLER program is that the leadership of teaching institutions must be more engaged not only with GME programs but also in efforts to ensure that the care provided in the clinical environment is both high quality and safe.

Study finds telemedicine helps expand access to care

A recent study (abstract only) published in the journal Health Affairs suggests telemedicine is helping expand access of care to patients who are not connected to other providers. For the study, researchers looked at the company Teladoc, one of the largest telemedicine providers in the United States. They analyzed 3,701 “visits” over 11 months covering a wide range of diagnostic categories. Compared to patients who visited a physician’s office for a similar condition, the researchers found adult Teladoc users were younger and less likely to have used health care before the introduction of Teladoc. They were also less likely to have a follow-up visit to any setting, compared to those patients who visited a physician’s office or emergency department. According to the authors, future research should assess the impact of Teladoc and other telehealth interventions on the quality and cost of care.

Syrian crisis takes a toll on its physicians

At a time when they’re needed most, more than half of Syria’s physicians have left the country during its three-year civil war, according to a recent article from Time. A Physicians for Human Rights report estimates 15,000 physicians have left Syria over the past three years. As of July 2013, Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, was down to 250 physicians from more than 6,000 a few years back. What they’ve left behind, among other things, has been an outbreak of communicable diseases, as well as an escalation of manageable chronic conditions into life-threatening illnesses. Dr. Zaher Sahloul, a Chicago-based pulmonologist and head of the Syrian American Medical Society, estimates that some 200,000 people have died in Syria because they did not have access to routine medical care, a toll higher than those killed by bombs and firearms. Sahloul says it’s important to persuade the doctors still in Syria to stay, but admits it may be a losing battle.

Uncertainty remains over independent physicians

The outlook for independent physicians from both a clinical and reimbursement perspective is fraught with uncertainty, according to a recent article from H&HN Daily. The article discusses the old rules associated with clinical autonomy, public trust, and attractive income, and the new market realities physicians now face. The article also looks at the upside and downside to different employment options for physicians. For hospitals to attract physicians, the article says its employment strategy needs to be built on seven pillars:

New fellowship opportunity in reducing hospital-acquired infections

Lasting improvement demands alignment: alignment of organizational needs, challenges of the broader field, and a personal passion for serving patients. A unique new fellowship opportunity gives emerging leaders and their organizations what they need for lasting improvement to occur. The Health Research & Educational Trust’s Project PROTECT: Infection Prevention Fellowship provides enriched training, leadership development and expert mentorship to foster the growth of dedicated leaders and infection prevention champions committed to improving safety and reducing catheter-associated urinary tract infections. This twelve-month fellowship combines in-person and virtual educational sessions, one-on-one mentoring and a capstone improvement project to be implemented at the fellow’s own organization.

 

Go to www.onthecuspstophai.org/fellowship for more information and to access the online application. The application deadline is Friday, March 7, 2014. For more information, please contact Janine Reisinger, MPH, CIC, at [email protected] or 312-422-3111.

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) published 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.

Dates/Times:

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.

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