In this issue:

Medicare to start paying doctors for care coordination efforts

Starting in January, doctors who coordinate the needs for chronically ill Medicare patients will start being paid for such services, according to a recent article from The New York Times. Doctors will draft and carry out a plan of action for those patients who sign up for one, the article says. As part of the plan, patients will have access to health care providers on the doctor’s staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week for urgent care needs that may arise. As part of the plan, doctors will assess the medical, psychological and social needs of the patient, make sure they’re taking their medications as prescribed and help with care transitions when needed. The article says doctors can expect to be paid roughly $42 a month for managing the care of a Medicare patient with the patient covering about 20 percent. Nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other health care professionals may also provide and be reimbursed for these same care management services.

Interstate medical licensure answer to physician shortages?

A recent article from HealthLeaders Media suggests interstate medical licensure could help ease physician shortages. The Federation for State Medical Boards has drafted what they call the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact. Under the proposal, a physician would designate a home state where they would hold a full and unrestricted license to practice medicine. Those wanting an interstate medical license would apply through their home state’s medical board. According to the article, streamlining the licensure process would help alleviate the physician shortage as well as promote the growth of telemedicine. Because the compact includes an information-sharing agreement among states, it also would help better track and investigate those physicians who have been disciplined or are under investigation, the article says. The compact rules say all misconduct and disciplinary information will be kept confidential.

State of Hospital Medicine Report released

The Society of Hospital Medicine released its 2014 State of Hospital Medicine Report this week, which indicates that the demand for hospitalists continues to grow and many hospitals and hospital medicine groups are responding by hiring more physicians trained in family medicine, nurse practitioners (NPs), physician assistants (PAs) and others to care for hospitalized patients. The use of NPs and PAs in hospitalist programs serving adults has risen by nearly 12 percent since the last State of Hospital Medicine report in 2012. In 2012, 53.9 percent of hospital medicine groups reported employing NPs or PAs; this year, it rose to 65.5 percent.

 

Published biannually, the 2014 State of Hospital Medicine Report provides data on hospitalist productivity, compensation, scheduling and practice models based on nearly 500 responses from hospital medicine groups representing more than 6,000 hospitalists.

 

For more information, please visit www.hospitalmedicine.org.

Study finds smaller physician practices have lower rates of preventable readmissions compared to larger ones

Smaller physician practices (those with one to two physicians) have 33 percent fewer preventable readmissions compared to practices with 10-19 physicians, according to a recent study (abstract only) published in the journal Health Affairs. Researchers surveyed 1,045 primary-care based practices with fewer than 19 physicians. They specifically looked at ambulatory care–sensitive admissions, which the article and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality define as admissions for conditions such as congestive heart failure for which good primary care may prevent admission. In addition to the finding above, the researchers also found that physician-owned practices had fewer preventable readmissions than hospital-based practices. The article says roughly 83 percent of office-based physicians in the United States are in practices of ten or fewer physicians: 38.6 percent in solo or two-physician practices, 26.4 percent in practices with three to five physicians, and 18.2 percent in practices with six to 10 physicians.

More medical students learning empathy and emotional intelligence

More medical students are being taught the importance of empathy and emotional intelligence, according to an article from HealthLeaders Media. The article profiles a pair of training programs that are teaching students how to deal with loss, empathize with patients and avoid burnout. In response to the need to train doctors to practice medicine in the 21st century, Thomas Jefferson University created a program called “The Art of Attending.” The program is a group of workshops focused around art, music and theater. The goal is for students to become more observational, which in turn should help them better recognize a patient’s emotional needs. The Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth and the University of Washington have teamed up for a slightly different program that helps residents better understand what parents go through during a traumatizing medical event. Called “Improving Clinical Management of Stillbirth,” the one-day course covers the medical management of stillbirth, as well as how to psychologically support parents going through a stillbirth. Students also hear directly from parents who have experienced a stillbirth. The article says this helps the students learn the notion of failure and that they can’t always be perfect.

A majority of surgery residents have considered leaving training

A recent study (abstract only) published in JAMA Surgery found that work conditions, rather than overall work hours, is the main reason general surgery residents consider leaving residency. Researchers surveyed 371 general surgery residents representing 13 residency programs. They also looked at the 10-year attrition rates for each program. Results include:

CMS to host call on physician quality reporting system

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will host a National Provider Call on Wednesday, Sept. 17 from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. ET to discuss the 2016 negative Payment Adjustment for several Medicare Quality Reporting Programs. This presentation will cover guidance and instructions on how eligible professionals and group practices can avoid the 2016 Physician Quality Reporting System negative Payment Adjustment, satisfy the clinical quality measure component of the Electronic Health Records Incentive Program, and avoid the automatic calendar year 2016 Value-Based Modifier downward payment adjustment. A question and answer session will follow the presentation.

 

For more information or to register, click here.

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.

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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