AHA partners with ACGME to transform the clinical learning environment
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The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has launched an initiative in partnership with the American Hospital Association (AHA) and others to transform clinical training for residents and physicians who pursue formal specialty and subspecialty training at ACGME-accredited institutions. As part of the program, ACGME will provide up to $75,000 a year for four years to up to eight sponsoring institutions. „ACGME’s focus on pursuing excellence in the clinical learning environment will assist hospitals and health systems in becoming true learning organizations, improving clinical care and patient outcomes, while at the same time developing the next generation of clinicians and health care leaders,” wrote AHA Chief Medical Officer John Combes, MD, in an AHASTAT blog post.
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CDC updates Zika virus guidelines for U.S. health care providers
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued updated guidelines for testing pregnant women who live in or travel to areas with ongoing Zika virus transmission, and new guidelines for preventing sexual transmission of the virus. Thirty-five travel-associated cases of Zika virus have been detected in 11 states and the District of Columbia since 2015. Another 10 cases have been reported in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, all but one of them locally acquired. Recent evidence suggests a possible association between maternal Zika virus infection and adverse fetal outcomes, such as microcephaly. Until more is known, CDC strongly advises pregnant women to consider postponing travel to Zika-affected areas, or talk to their health care provider before they do and strictly follow steps to avoid mosquito bites during the trip. Only about one in five people infected with the mosquito-borne virus will get sick, and their illness is usually mild. There are currently no vaccines or medications to prevent or treat Zika infections. As a precaution, both the American Red Cross and AABB have recommended individuals refrain from donating blood for 28 days after traveling to Zika-affected areas. For more information, visit www.cdc.gov/zika and www.aha.org/zika.
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Task Force recommends screening all adults for depression
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The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently issued a final recommendation that all people 18 and older, including women who are pregnant or have recently given birth, be screened for depression. „Screening should be implemented with adequate systems in place to ensure accurate diagnosis, effective treatment and appropriate follow up,” the panel said. It assigned a „B” grade to the recommendation, meaning all copays and deductibles for the screenings would be waived under the Affordable Care Act. The announcement updates a 2009 task force recommendation that called for screening all adults when staff-assisted depression care supports are in place, and selective screening based on professional judgment and patient preference when such support is not available. The authors said the update recognizes that such support is now much more widely available and accepted in mental health care. In an AHASTAT blog post, American Hospital Association (AHA) Chief Medical Officer John Combes, MD, said the new recommendation will help patients and communities. „Hospitals see first-hand the heavy toll that untreated, serious mental illness imposes on patients, families and communities,” Combes said. „That’s why helping hospitals apply the best available science to treat all of the needs of their patients is a key part of the AHA’s behavioral health initiative.”
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The Joint Commission to host 2016 Annual Physician Leader Forum
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The Joint Commission will host its 2016 Annual Physician Leader Forum, Apr. 12-13, in Oak Brook, Ill. The Annual Physician Leader Forum brings together experienced and committed physician leaders and provides a unique opportunity to discuss important topics in health care quality improvement and patient safety. This unique event is available by invitation only to a select group of physician leaders. If you would like to attend, please send an email to [email protected], and include your name, leadership title, organization name and the name of your current accreditor. To see what’s in store, watch the invitation video.
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CMS to host information session on updates to the Physician Compare website, future plans for public reporting
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will host public reporting information sessions about recent updates to the Physician Compare website and future plans for public reporting, including a publicly reported benchmark and star ratings. Each one-hour webinar will offer stakeholders an opportunity to ask questions about public reporting and quality measures on Physician Compare. All sessions will present the same information. Sessions will take place:
- Tuesday, February 23 at 12:00 p.m. ET
- Wednesday, February 24 at 4:00 p.m. ET
- Thursday, February 25 at 11:00 a.m. ET
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AHA issues principles for creating a care delivery system to achieve the Triple Aim
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A new report from the AHA’s 2015 Committees on Research and Performance Improvement identifies seven principles for building a care delivery system to achieve the Triple Aim – improving the patient experience of care, improving the health of populations, and reducing costs. The report illustrates how different types of hospitals can use a patient-centered care delivery approach with different payment models, and identifies policy recommendations targeted at stress points that impede the movement from volume- to value-based care. „While service-based, bundled-based and population-based payment models all are options, critical to any model are the incentives related to value, teaching, socioeconomic status and transition support,” the report notes.
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CDC urges rapid antiviral use for all hospitalized patients with suspected flu
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Health care providers should initiate antiviral treatment as soon as possible for all patients hospitalized with confirmed or suspected flu, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said recently, citing reports of severe respiratory illness or death in young- to middle-aged adults infected with the recently predominating strain. Some of the patients reportedly had negative results from a rapid flu diagnostic test. The agency also recommends prompt antiviral therapy for high-risk outpatients and those with progressive disease, even if flu has not been confirmed by laboratory testing. „Although influenza activity nationally is low compared to this time last season, it is increasing; and some localized areas of the United States are already experiencing high activity,” CDC said. Clinicians should continue to vaccinate patients for as long as flu viruses are circulating, the agency said, noting that most circulating flu viruses are still like the viruses recommended for the 2015-2016 vaccines. For more information, see the CDC advisory.
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Improving care and outcomes for patients with chronic pain focus of next PLF webinar
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Join the AHA’s Physician Leadership Forum and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists on Tuesday, Mar. 22 beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET to learn about improving care and outcomes for complex patients with chronic pain.
In this 60-minute webinar, presenters Lori Wiviott Tishler, MD, MPH, Edgar L. Ross, MD and Michele L. Matthews, PharmD, CPE, RPh will describe in detail a clinical pharmacy service that supports the management of chronic pain patients and the benefits these services provide to hospitals and health systems, including the challenges faced by providers in managing substance abuse. Participants will be able to:
- Describe the clinical pharmacist service and how such services can be established
- Describe the interprofessional collaboration and benefits to medical staff in effective and efficient management of their patients, and
- Describe the opportunities organizations can realize in improved patient outcomes, including proactively addressing substance abuse issues that can arise in patient populations served.
To register for this complimentary webinar, click here.
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HPOE to host webinar on combatting the opioid crisis
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Join Hospitals in Pursuit of Excellence (HPOE) of the American Hospital Association Tuesday, Mar. 8 from 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET for a new webinar giving participants an in-depth look into how the Massachusetts Hospital Association, along with its Board and member hospitals, developed and launched one of the nation’s most comprehensive and groundbreaking efforts to combat the opioid crisis.
Participants will learn how the movement gained momentum, task force formation, development and implementation of an innovative action plan including an overview of emergency departments prescribing guidelines adopted by all member hospitals, lessons learned and efforts moving forward.
Speakers:
- Peter J. Holden, president and CEO at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth
- Patricia Noga, PhD, RN, MBA, NEA-BC, vice president of clinical affairs at Massachusetts Hospital Association
- Steven M. Defossez, MD, EMHL, vice president of clinical integration at Massachusetts Hospital Association
This webinar is available free of charge, but advanced registration is required. To register, click here.
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FEATURED RESOURCE
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Care and Payment Models to Achieve the Triple Aim
For more resources, visit our website.
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The most popular article from our last issue:
Forum Focus – Founding participant of ASA Perioperative Surgical Home Learning Collaborative 1.0 shares experiences on evolving model of care
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