Medical schools adding antibiotic resistance training to the curriculum

More medical schools are adopting a curriculum that includes antibiotic resistance and how students can best approach the issue in their future practice, according to a recent article from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Reporter. In the article, Stephen Heinig, AAMC director of science policy, says stronger education and research are critical steps to tackling antibiotic resistance and ensuring the public realizes the impact of over-prescribed antibiotics. The AAMC has partnered with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Wake Forest School of Medicine to create a program called Get Smart About Antibiotics: An Antibiotic Stewardship Curriculum, which seeks to increase understanding of antimicrobial resistance prevention and control among medical students and to fill in the gap in most medical schools’ curricula. At present, six U.S. medical schools are piloting the project.

IOM panel recommends new financing system for physician training

An Institute of Medicine committee recently recommended replacing Medicare’s separate funds for indirect and direct graduate medical education with one direct payment to program sponsors based on a geographically adjusted national per-resident amount. The report recommends maintaining aggregate support for Medicare GME at the current level while phasing out the current Medicare GME funding provided to hospitals over the next decade. Among other changes, the proposed system would allocate financing to two distinct funds. One fund would support currently approved residency positions and the other would support payment demonstrations (such as performance-based payment) and new training positions in priority disciplines and geographic areas. In addition, the committee calls for a new policy council to develop a strategic plan and federal policies for Medicare GME financing, and a new center at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to manage GME funds and ensure transparency. Linda Fishman, AHA senior vice president for public policy analysis and development, said, “[This] report on graduate medical education is the wrong prescription for training tomorrow’s physicians. We are especially disappointed that the report proposes phasing out the current Medicare GME funding provided to hospitals and offering it to other entities that do not treat Medicare patients.”

 

CMS seeks comments on potential patient engagement initiatives

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is accepting comments through Sept. 15 on potential initiatives to test innovative models to engage Medicare, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) beneficiaries more actively in their health and health care. The agency is especially interested in models that use evidence-based social and behavioral insights and methods from behavioral economics, social psychology and incentive design to encourage enrollment in the models and motivate continued engagement. It plans to solicit ideas for engaging beneficiaries in Medicare Parts C and D, Medigap organizations, Medicaid and CHIP managed care, and value-based insurance design in a future request for information.

CDC issues Ebola guidance for environmental infection control in hospitals

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released Ebola virus guidance for environmental infection control in hospitals. The guidance covers topics related to waste, linens and recommended personal protective equipment for environmental services staff. It also includes a Q&A section on cleaning and disinfecting surfaces. The recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa has increased the need for U.S. health care facilities to be prepared to safely manage patients with compatible illness who recently traveled to West Africa. Other recent CDC guidance describes the sequence for putting on personal protective equipment, and how to collect and handle patient specimens. For more information, visit CDC’s Ebola website and webpage for health care workers.

Physicians can help control supply chain costs

One way to control supply costs at your hospital is to make sure physicians are involved in the process, according to a recent article from H&HN Daily. The article recounts a roundtable of health care executives held this past spring by Health Forum. Panelists focused on the supply chain, which are typically the second largest expense at any health care organization. The article says more physicians are being appointed to committees charged with approving products used in their organizations, and that solid data to compare products on cost and effectiveness have been critical to the process. As an example, the article cites Lakeland HealthCare in St. Joseph, Mich. and how by having physicians involved in the vetting process for products, the organization was able to save 25 percent on drug-eluting stents and more than $1 million in cardiovascular purchases.

Allowing clinicians slack to experiment

A recent blog post from Health Affairs argues one of the biggest strategic investments organizations can make is to give their clinicians slack. Slack, in this sense, refers to carving out time from one’s normal duties in order to experiment on something of interest. As an example, the article mentions Google, which implemented a policy allowing employees to spend 20 percent of their time experimenting on projects outside the primary responsibility of their jobs. In 2005, Google attempted to measure the success of the program and found it had generated 50 percent of new product releases, accounting for over $10 billion in revenue. The article says not all slack is equal. Slack in the operating room is wasteful, it says, but allowing a clinician to set aside time to pursue a mission-relevant passion is something different. Because the health system is facing cuts from multiple directions, the article says now is the ideal time to implement a policy of experimentation.

Team-based care the focus of next PLF webinar

Register now for the PLF’s next webinar, "Taking Charge of Team-Based Care: Lessons Learned and Results Attained," taking place Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2014 beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET.

 

In this hour-long webinar, presenters Susan D. Douglass, president, Susan Douglass and Associates, LLC, and Paul H. Keckley, PhD, managing director, healthcare, Navigant Consulting, Inc., will present a proven set of building blocks for a successful transition to team-based care as well as two case studies and some key skill sets required for success including some from outside the health care field. Specifically:

To register for this complimentary webinar, click here.

Save the date: November PLF webinar to discuss physician-nurse dyads

On Wednesday, November 12 beginning at 2 p.m. ET, the PLF will host an hour-long webinar titled, "Creating Exceptional Physician-Nurse Dyads: Using Collaborative Partnerships to Raise the Standard of Care and Improve the Overall Patient Experience." Presenters Alan J. Conrad, MD, a practicing primary care physician and medical director at Palomar Health in San Diego County, and Tracy Duberman, PhD, CEO and founder, The Leadership Development Group, Inc., will share the story of one health system’s journey to creating collaborative partnerships through a dyad activation process that raised the standard of care and improved the overall patient experience.

The session will offer a case study focusing on Palomar Health’s journey through an applied physician leadership academy that included physicians, nurse leaders, and administrators to drive alignment and facilitate a team-based care approach.

 

To register for this complimentary webinar, click here.

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