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July 30, 2015
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In this issue:
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HHS offers training resources for the health care workforce on multiple chronic conditions
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New training material to help health care professionals gain the education necessary to care for people living with multiple chronic conditions has been launched by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). HHS defines chronic conditions as both physical conditions (such as arthritis, cancer, and HIV infection) and mental/cognitive disorders (such as depression, substance addiction, and dementia). The HHS
Education and Training Resources on Multiple Chronic Conditions (MCC) for the Healthcare Workforce materials, a first of their kind, were created by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, in collaboration with the Health Resources and Services Administration. The resources are available
online and include: 1) a searchable database of existing educational resources that specifically address the care of persons living with MCC; 2) a conceptual model that outlines the core domains and competencies for the interprofessional health care team and; 3) a web-based course consisting of six modules. Read more about the
HHS Initiative on Multiple Chronic Conditions online.
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Task Force recommends primary care providers screen all adults for depression
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Earlier this week, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
recommended that all adults be screened for depression in a primary care setting „with adequate systems in place to ensure accurate diagnosis, effective treatment and appropriate follow up.” The task force will accept comments on the draft recommendation through Aug. 24. It assigned a „B” grade to the recommendation, meaning all copays and deductibles for the screenings would be waived under the Affordable Care Act. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, MD, task force vice-chair, said the recommendation „will help to identify depression and connect patients with the treatment and support they need.” The independent panel issues recommendations for clinical preventive services based on its review of the evidence of effectiveness.
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Project issues care model framework for advanced chronic illness
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The Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC) and AHIP Foundation recently released a framework to guide the development of effective care models for people with advanced chronic illness. „Our health care system’s fragmented approach to the treatment of chronic illness extracts a heavy toll from some of its sickest and most vulnerable patients and their families,” according to the
report. „Many innovative models, a few of which have already received Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation support, have produced scalable, replicable and sustainable solutions that interface and collaborate with palliative care, incorporating it into a care management system that integrates inpatient, ambulatory, home and community settings over time. The challenge now is to spread and test these new models in a coordinated fashion to develop nationally recognized models of clinical care and payment that can be widely adopted by providers and payers, including Medicare.” The American Hospital Association is actively engaged in C-TAC, a national alliance of patient and consumer advocacy groups, health care professionals and providers, private sector stakeholders, faith-based organizations, and health care payers working to transform advanced illness care.
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Study: Many hospitals using core strategies to engage patients and families
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Many hospitals are implementing recommended strategies to engage patients and families as active members of the health care team, which can improve the patient experience and clinical outcomes and decrease use of health care services, according to a survey of U.S. hospitals by AHA’s Health Research & Educational Trust (HRET) affiliate,
reported in the July issue of
BMJ Quality & Safety. The
2013-2014 survey is the first to examine the degree to which U.S. hospitals use a core set of recommended practices to engage patients and families in their care. Among other practices, 86 percent of hospitals had a policy for unrestricted visitor access in at least some units, 68 percent encouraged patients and families to participate in shift-change reports, and 67 percent had formal policies for disclosing and apologizing for errors. About half of the hospitals surveyed had adopted nine or more of the 25 strategies. Competing organizational priorities was the most commonly reported barrier to adoption. „This survey offers us a great glimpse into current practices around patient and family engagement and will provide the field guidance for their efforts to continually improve how they provide care to patients,”
said co-author Maulik Joshi, HRET president and AHA associate executive vice president. The survey was supported by a grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
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Groups recommend additional U.S. action to prepare for emerging infections
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Trust for America’s Health, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and UPMC Center for Health Security recently called on the United States to take additional steps to prepare for the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome virus and other emerging infections. The
report calls for action to strengthen communication strategies; incorporate health alerts into practice; routinely take complete travel histories; build on Ebola and all-hazards preparedness; modernize disease surveillance; and advance a shared framework for quarantine decisions. „The country tends to let enhanced infectious disease containment capabilities lapse as soon as a crisis is over,” the report states. „Infectious disease preparedness requires ongoing investments in public health investigative and disease response capabilities, hospital preparedness and infection control practices, and research and effective communications channels.”
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More patients using email to communicate with their physicians
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Retail pharmacy users are taking advantage of email and Facebook to contact their physicians, according to a recent
article (abstract only) in the
Journal of General Internal Medicine. In a survey of over 2,200 CVS customers, 37 percent reported emailing their physician sometime within the last six months. An additional 18 percent said they contacted their physician via Facebook. Those using email or Facebook tended to be younger, non-white, or of caregiver status. Although the survey found most patients were interested in using technology to fill prescriptions and access and track their health information, only a small percentage (4 to 8 percent) were doing so.
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Physician leadership education the focus of next PLF webinar
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Physicians are being called upon to bring their clinical expertise to bear on the management of the health care system in collaboration with other hospital leaders. Ensuring they are prepared to participate in that leadership requires an understanding of today’s complex systems of care and the education and training essential for success.
Please join the PLF and the American Association for Physician Leadership (AAPL) on
Tuesday, Aug. 11 beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET to hear about two innovative programs that are developing physician leaders. In this 90-minute webinar, Peter Angood, MD, AAPL president and CEO, will share his thoughts on the key elements for physician leadership development and then feature two best practices. Emily Porter, vice president, People Excellence from Unity Point Health, will share the successes and lessons learned from their more than decade-long journey into physician leadership education. The webinar will also feature, Mark C. Lester, MD, MBA, FACS, FACPE, executive vice president and Southeast Zone clinical leader from Texas Health Resources, where they have designed and are delivering an innovative leadership development program that brings together a system-wide cohort of physicians.
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Register now: Center for Healthcare Governance fall symposium, Sept. 20-22 in Chicago
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The Center for Healthcare Governance presents its fall Symposium on leading and governing health care organizations,
September 20-22, 2015 at the InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile, Chicago, IL.
Industry experts will offer analyses of the issues framing the health care environment–from the strategic questions central to transformation of the delivery system to one focused on value, to the efforts of leaders to engage with health care consumers, as well as emerging imperatives for payment system reform and clinical integration.
Featured sessions include:
- Effective Leadership in a Disruptive World – James E. Orlikoff, president, Orlikoff & Associates, Inc.
- Physician Governance in Quality, Safety and Supply Chain – D. Keith Fernandez, MD, FACG, president and physician in chief, MHMD, and chief medical officer, Memorial Hermann ACO
- The Board Chair/CEO Relationship – James H. Skogsbergh, president and CEO, Advocate Health Care, and Michele Richardson, board chairperson, Advocate Health Care
- Raising the Bar on Board Performance – William P. Ryan, co-author of Governance as Leadership: Reframing the Work of Nonprofit Boards
- 2015: The View from Washington, D.C. – Tom Nickels, senior vice president, federal relations, American Hospital Association
- The New Health Economy: Consumers at the Center – Jane Sarasohn-Kahn, health economist
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Apply now for the AHA-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize
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U.S. hospitals can apply through
Oct. 11 for the 2016 AHA-McKesson
Quest for Quality Prize
®. The annual award honors hospitals pursuing excellence through leadership and innovation in quality improvement and safety. The 2016 award will:
- raise awareness of the value of a hospital-wide commitment to better health and better care at a lower cost that can be achieved through the relentless pursuit of highly reliable, exceptional quality, safe, patient-centered care
- reward successful efforts to develop and promote a systems-based approach toward improvements in quality of care
- inspire hospitals to be leaders in improving the health of their communities while enhancing outcomes and the experience of care for patients and reducing costs of care
- provide models of successful programs and strategies for the hospital field to use in addressing challenging issues, including reducing disparities in care
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