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How Hospitalists Can Put SHM's State of Hospital Medicine Survey to Work
The 2014 State of Hospital Medicine survey is under way.
Participate now at www.hospitalmedicine.org/survey.
Each year, we look forward to receiving the Society of Hospital Medicine’s State of Hospital Medicine survey results. Over the years we have refined the way we use the information for our practices, which include HM services at the five hospitals of WellStar Health System in Northwest Atlanta. Historically, the report had been used merely to look at the industry trends, and, at times, to cover the scope of service, compensation, and other data points. The information was not widely shared with either the hospitalist team or health system administration.
Our approach to the survey changed when we set our sights on becoming a destination of choice for hospitalists in the Southeast Region. This stated goal made it clear we needed to take a more active approach to benchmarking ourselves against our peers in the field. The State of Hospital Medicine report, with its abundance of data, was the perfect tool. We set up an annual review of our HM practices (54 physicians and 21 advanced practice professionals spread among five hospitals) that enumerated individual provider performance in key measures: total compensation, total wRVUs, compensation per wRVU, and professional collections per wRVU. We then benchmarked the data against the survey data, highlighting the percentile achievement in each category. This allowed us to identify pockets of opportunities and make adjustments to compensation model and productivity targets, thus positioning ourselves competitively in the local and regional market.
Not only did this process aid in demonstrating our performance as compared to industry peers, but it also highlighted the differences in practice patterns within our health system. In turn, we reduced variation and promoted best practices among the five WellStar hospitals—standard workflow, scope of services, transfer policies, and collaboration with advanced practice professionals, to name a few.
In addition, transparent discussion of external and internal benchmarking findings dramatically improved provider engagement; individuals were eager to learn how other practices were able to achieve success. As a result, the clinical footprint of HM services expanded tremendously, ultimately benefiting patients, referring and consulting physicians, and hospitals.
The report also helped us to reiterate the value of WellStar Hospital Medicine to our administrative partners. Complementary to our balanced scorecard, which tracks quality, efficiency, and patient satisfaction measures, the external benchmarking validated a very strong return on the investment that WellStar Health System is making in its hospitalist programs.
The State of Hospital Medicine survey can be a tremendous resource to your practice, as it has been to ours. We recommend setting a mission and vision statement for your practice and then formulating a plan around the best way to share and utilize the data from the report to pursue your mission. As we experienced, a meaningful review, along with follow through on identified opportunities, can be positively transformative.
Dr. Akopov is vice president and chief of hospital medicine operations at WellStar Health System in Atlanta, Ga. Ms. Papetti is assistant vice president of WellStar Medical Group in Atlanta, and a member of SHM’s Practice Analysis Committee.
The 2014 State of Hospital Medicine survey is under way.
Participate now at www.hospitalmedicine.org/survey.
Each year, we look forward to receiving the Society of Hospital Medicine’s State of Hospital Medicine survey results. Over the years we have refined the way we use the information for our practices, which include HM services at the five hospitals of WellStar Health System in Northwest Atlanta. Historically, the report had been used merely to look at the industry trends, and, at times, to cover the scope of service, compensation, and other data points. The information was not widely shared with either the hospitalist team or health system administration.
Our approach to the survey changed when we set our sights on becoming a destination of choice for hospitalists in the Southeast Region. This stated goal made it clear we needed to take a more active approach to benchmarking ourselves against our peers in the field. The State of Hospital Medicine report, with its abundance of data, was the perfect tool. We set up an annual review of our HM practices (54 physicians and 21 advanced practice professionals spread among five hospitals) that enumerated individual provider performance in key measures: total compensation, total wRVUs, compensation per wRVU, and professional collections per wRVU. We then benchmarked the data against the survey data, highlighting the percentile achievement in each category. This allowed us to identify pockets of opportunities and make adjustments to compensation model and productivity targets, thus positioning ourselves competitively in the local and regional market.
Not only did this process aid in demonstrating our performance as compared to industry peers, but it also highlighted the differences in practice patterns within our health system. In turn, we reduced variation and promoted best practices among the five WellStar hospitals—standard workflow, scope of services, transfer policies, and collaboration with advanced practice professionals, to name a few.
In addition, transparent discussion of external and internal benchmarking findings dramatically improved provider engagement; individuals were eager to learn how other practices were able to achieve success. As a result, the clinical footprint of HM services expanded tremendously, ultimately benefiting patients, referring and consulting physicians, and hospitals.
The report also helped us to reiterate the value of WellStar Hospital Medicine to our administrative partners. Complementary to our balanced scorecard, which tracks quality, efficiency, and patient satisfaction measures, the external benchmarking validated a very strong return on the investment that WellStar Health System is making in its hospitalist programs.
The State of Hospital Medicine survey can be a tremendous resource to your practice, as it has been to ours. We recommend setting a mission and vision statement for your practice and then formulating a plan around the best way to share and utilize the data from the report to pursue your mission. As we experienced, a meaningful review, along with follow through on identified opportunities, can be positively transformative.
Dr. Akopov is vice president and chief of hospital medicine operations at WellStar Health System in Atlanta, Ga. Ms. Papetti is assistant vice president of WellStar Medical Group in Atlanta, and a member of SHM’s Practice Analysis Committee.
The 2014 State of Hospital Medicine survey is under way.
Participate now at www.hospitalmedicine.org/survey.
Each year, we look forward to receiving the Society of Hospital Medicine’s State of Hospital Medicine survey results. Over the years we have refined the way we use the information for our practices, which include HM services at the five hospitals of WellStar Health System in Northwest Atlanta. Historically, the report had been used merely to look at the industry trends, and, at times, to cover the scope of service, compensation, and other data points. The information was not widely shared with either the hospitalist team or health system administration.
Our approach to the survey changed when we set our sights on becoming a destination of choice for hospitalists in the Southeast Region. This stated goal made it clear we needed to take a more active approach to benchmarking ourselves against our peers in the field. The State of Hospital Medicine report, with its abundance of data, was the perfect tool. We set up an annual review of our HM practices (54 physicians and 21 advanced practice professionals spread among five hospitals) that enumerated individual provider performance in key measures: total compensation, total wRVUs, compensation per wRVU, and professional collections per wRVU. We then benchmarked the data against the survey data, highlighting the percentile achievement in each category. This allowed us to identify pockets of opportunities and make adjustments to compensation model and productivity targets, thus positioning ourselves competitively in the local and regional market.
Not only did this process aid in demonstrating our performance as compared to industry peers, but it also highlighted the differences in practice patterns within our health system. In turn, we reduced variation and promoted best practices among the five WellStar hospitals—standard workflow, scope of services, transfer policies, and collaboration with advanced practice professionals, to name a few.
In addition, transparent discussion of external and internal benchmarking findings dramatically improved provider engagement; individuals were eager to learn how other practices were able to achieve success. As a result, the clinical footprint of HM services expanded tremendously, ultimately benefiting patients, referring and consulting physicians, and hospitals.
The report also helped us to reiterate the value of WellStar Hospital Medicine to our administrative partners. Complementary to our balanced scorecard, which tracks quality, efficiency, and patient satisfaction measures, the external benchmarking validated a very strong return on the investment that WellStar Health System is making in its hospitalist programs.
The State of Hospital Medicine survey can be a tremendous resource to your practice, as it has been to ours. We recommend setting a mission and vision statement for your practice and then formulating a plan around the best way to share and utilize the data from the report to pursue your mission. As we experienced, a meaningful review, along with follow through on identified opportunities, can be positively transformative.
Dr. Akopov is vice president and chief of hospital medicine operations at WellStar Health System in Atlanta, Ga. Ms. Papetti is assistant vice president of WellStar Medical Group in Atlanta, and a member of SHM’s Practice Analysis Committee.
Society of Hospital Medicine's CODE-H Helps Hospitalists Avoid Coding Issues
Use SHM’s CODE-H Interactive to Avoid Coding Issues
Coding is a part of every hospitalist’s life, but tips from the experts can make that life easier, more efficient, and more compliant. That’s why SHM’s CODE-H program teaches hospitalists and hospitalist group managers and administrators how to stay up to date with the latest in the best
practices of coding and documentation.
On March 20, coding expert Barbara Pierce, CCS-P, ACS-EM, will present an online session on some of the most important coding topics for hospitalists, including:
- Critical care;
- Prolonged services;
- Documentation when working with NPs and PAs;
- Teaching physician rules; and
- Tips to avoid billing issues and potential denials.
This session is the third in a series of seven that cover the full range of coding topics, from developing a compliance plan and internal auditing process to ICD-10, PQRS, and Medicare’s Physician Value-Based Payment Modifier.
CME credits are offered through post-tests following each webinar, and each participant is eligible for up to seven credits throughout the series. Up to 10 individuals in a group can sign up through a single registration.
For more information, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org/codeh.
Use SHM’s CODE-H Interactive to Avoid Coding Issues
Coding is a part of every hospitalist’s life, but tips from the experts can make that life easier, more efficient, and more compliant. That’s why SHM’s CODE-H program teaches hospitalists and hospitalist group managers and administrators how to stay up to date with the latest in the best
practices of coding and documentation.
On March 20, coding expert Barbara Pierce, CCS-P, ACS-EM, will present an online session on some of the most important coding topics for hospitalists, including:
- Critical care;
- Prolonged services;
- Documentation when working with NPs and PAs;
- Teaching physician rules; and
- Tips to avoid billing issues and potential denials.
This session is the third in a series of seven that cover the full range of coding topics, from developing a compliance plan and internal auditing process to ICD-10, PQRS, and Medicare’s Physician Value-Based Payment Modifier.
CME credits are offered through post-tests following each webinar, and each participant is eligible for up to seven credits throughout the series. Up to 10 individuals in a group can sign up through a single registration.
For more information, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org/codeh.
Use SHM’s CODE-H Interactive to Avoid Coding Issues
Coding is a part of every hospitalist’s life, but tips from the experts can make that life easier, more efficient, and more compliant. That’s why SHM’s CODE-H program teaches hospitalists and hospitalist group managers and administrators how to stay up to date with the latest in the best
practices of coding and documentation.
On March 20, coding expert Barbara Pierce, CCS-P, ACS-EM, will present an online session on some of the most important coding topics for hospitalists, including:
- Critical care;
- Prolonged services;
- Documentation when working with NPs and PAs;
- Teaching physician rules; and
- Tips to avoid billing issues and potential denials.
This session is the third in a series of seven that cover the full range of coding topics, from developing a compliance plan and internal auditing process to ICD-10, PQRS, and Medicare’s Physician Value-Based Payment Modifier.
CME credits are offered through post-tests following each webinar, and each participant is eligible for up to seven credits throughout the series. Up to 10 individuals in a group can sign up through a single registration.
For more information, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org/codeh.
Apply Now for Society of Hospital Medicine's Project BOOST
BOOST Makes a Difference
For more info, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org/boost.
BOOST Makes a Difference
For more info, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org/boost.
BOOST Makes a Difference
For more info, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org/boost.
Registration Still Open for Quality and Safety Educators Academy
Academic Hospitalists and Program Directors: There Is Still Time to Register for the Quality and Safety Educators Academy
Make sure your hospital is ready to meet the ACGME’s requirements that residency programs integrate quality and safety into their curriculum. The Quality and Safety Educators Academy (QSEA) is May 1-3 at the Tempe Mission Palms in Arizona.
For more info, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org/qsea.
Use SHM’s CODE-H Interactive to Avoid Coding Issues
Coding is a part of every hospitalist’s life, but tips from the experts can make that life easier, more efficient, and more compliant. That’s why SHM’s CODE-H program teaches hospitalists and hospitalist group managers and administrators how to stay up to date with the latest in the best practices of coding and documentation.
On March 20, coding expert Barbara Pierce, CCS-P, ACS-EM, will present an online session on some of the most important coding topics for hospitalists, including:
- Critical care;
- Prolonged services;
- Documentation when working with NPs and PAs;
- Teaching physician rules; and
- Tips to avoid billing issues and potential denials.
This session is the third in a series of seven that cover the full range of coding topics, from developing a compliance plan and internal auditing process to ICD-10, PQRS, and Medicare’s Physician Value-Based Payment Modifier.
CME credits are offered through post-tests following each webinar, and each participant is eligible for up to seven credits throughout the series. Up to 10 individuals in a group can sign up through a single registration.
For more information, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org/codeh.
BOOST Makes a Difference
Want to make a real difference in your hospital’s readmission rates? Now is the time to start compiling applications for SHM’s Project BOOST. Applications are due Aug. 30.
For more info, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org/boost.
Academic Hospitalists and Program Directors: There Is Still Time to Register for the Quality and Safety Educators Academy
Make sure your hospital is ready to meet the ACGME’s requirements that residency programs integrate quality and safety into their curriculum. The Quality and Safety Educators Academy (QSEA) is May 1-3 at the Tempe Mission Palms in Arizona.
For more info, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org/qsea.
Use SHM’s CODE-H Interactive to Avoid Coding Issues
Coding is a part of every hospitalist’s life, but tips from the experts can make that life easier, more efficient, and more compliant. That’s why SHM’s CODE-H program teaches hospitalists and hospitalist group managers and administrators how to stay up to date with the latest in the best practices of coding and documentation.
On March 20, coding expert Barbara Pierce, CCS-P, ACS-EM, will present an online session on some of the most important coding topics for hospitalists, including:
- Critical care;
- Prolonged services;
- Documentation when working with NPs and PAs;
- Teaching physician rules; and
- Tips to avoid billing issues and potential denials.
This session is the third in a series of seven that cover the full range of coding topics, from developing a compliance plan and internal auditing process to ICD-10, PQRS, and Medicare’s Physician Value-Based Payment Modifier.
CME credits are offered through post-tests following each webinar, and each participant is eligible for up to seven credits throughout the series. Up to 10 individuals in a group can sign up through a single registration.
For more information, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org/codeh.
BOOST Makes a Difference
Want to make a real difference in your hospital’s readmission rates? Now is the time to start compiling applications for SHM’s Project BOOST. Applications are due Aug. 30.
For more info, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org/boost.
Academic Hospitalists and Program Directors: There Is Still Time to Register for the Quality and Safety Educators Academy
Make sure your hospital is ready to meet the ACGME’s requirements that residency programs integrate quality and safety into their curriculum. The Quality and Safety Educators Academy (QSEA) is May 1-3 at the Tempe Mission Palms in Arizona.
For more info, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org/qsea.
Use SHM’s CODE-H Interactive to Avoid Coding Issues
Coding is a part of every hospitalist’s life, but tips from the experts can make that life easier, more efficient, and more compliant. That’s why SHM’s CODE-H program teaches hospitalists and hospitalist group managers and administrators how to stay up to date with the latest in the best practices of coding and documentation.
On March 20, coding expert Barbara Pierce, CCS-P, ACS-EM, will present an online session on some of the most important coding topics for hospitalists, including:
- Critical care;
- Prolonged services;
- Documentation when working with NPs and PAs;
- Teaching physician rules; and
- Tips to avoid billing issues and potential denials.
This session is the third in a series of seven that cover the full range of coding topics, from developing a compliance plan and internal auditing process to ICD-10, PQRS, and Medicare’s Physician Value-Based Payment Modifier.
CME credits are offered through post-tests following each webinar, and each participant is eligible for up to seven credits throughout the series. Up to 10 individuals in a group can sign up through a single registration.
For more information, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org/codeh.
BOOST Makes a Difference
Want to make a real difference in your hospital’s readmission rates? Now is the time to start compiling applications for SHM’s Project BOOST. Applications are due Aug. 30.
For more info, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org/boost.
Plan Now for Pediatric Hospital Medicine 2014
Mark Your Calendar for Pediatric Hospital Medicine 2014, July 24-27
Pediatric hospitalists: It’s not too early to register for the only national conference dedicated to pediatric hospital medicine.
The PHM14 theme, “Keep Moving Forward,” focuses on the future of pediatric hospital medicine and improving the care provided to children. The largest meeting of pediatric hospitalists of the year, the conference is co-sponsored by the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the AAP Section on Hospital Medicine (SOHM), and the Academic Pediatric Association (APA).
PHM14 is July 24-27, and this year’s setting—Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.—makes it the perfect destination for a family vacation. Make plans now to meet with the best in pediatric hospital medicine—and bring the family.
For more information, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org/phm14.
Mark Your Calendar for Pediatric Hospital Medicine 2014, July 24-27
Pediatric hospitalists: It’s not too early to register for the only national conference dedicated to pediatric hospital medicine.
The PHM14 theme, “Keep Moving Forward,” focuses on the future of pediatric hospital medicine and improving the care provided to children. The largest meeting of pediatric hospitalists of the year, the conference is co-sponsored by the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the AAP Section on Hospital Medicine (SOHM), and the Academic Pediatric Association (APA).
PHM14 is July 24-27, and this year’s setting—Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.—makes it the perfect destination for a family vacation. Make plans now to meet with the best in pediatric hospital medicine—and bring the family.
For more information, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org/phm14.
Mark Your Calendar for Pediatric Hospital Medicine 2014, July 24-27
Pediatric hospitalists: It’s not too early to register for the only national conference dedicated to pediatric hospital medicine.
The PHM14 theme, “Keep Moving Forward,” focuses on the future of pediatric hospital medicine and improving the care provided to children. The largest meeting of pediatric hospitalists of the year, the conference is co-sponsored by the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the AAP Section on Hospital Medicine (SOHM), and the Academic Pediatric Association (APA).
PHM14 is July 24-27, and this year’s setting—Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.—makes it the perfect destination for a family vacation. Make plans now to meet with the best in pediatric hospital medicine—and bring the family.
For more information, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org/phm14.
HM14 At Hand Mobile App Helps Hospitalists Plan For Annual Meeting
Should I check out “Attending 101” or the session on clinical problem solving? Wait, are they even at the same time? OK, great, they’re not, but I’ll just have to remember to get to both—and the session on medication reconciliation. I don’t have the presentations for them, so I’ll have to print them out beforehand for my notes and pack them.
That was life three years ago, before SHM launched its groundbreaking annual meeting mobile app. And, this month, the HM14 mobile app will pack even more power into hospitalists’ hands.
Now available at www.hm14athand.org, the HM14 At Hand mobile app is designed for all smartphones and tablets with wi-fi or wireless data access. It launches more than a month ahead of the meeting, allowing HM14 attendees to download the app at home and plan their meeting before they depart for Las Vegas—or on the plane en route.
The app includes all of the features hospitalists have come to expect, with some new surprises:
- Full program schedule, with the ability to schedule and set reminders for selected sessions;
- Options for presenters and conference-goers to provide contact information to other attendees;
- Presentation notes from speakers;
- The “Scan-to-Win” prize game, with even more locations to scan;
- Real-time program alerts for breaking news about the conference;
- Links to other resources for hospitalists;
- NEW: Integration with social media to help you connect with other conference bloggers, tweeters, and posters; and
- NEW: A section for job seekers and career networkers to connect with recruiters.
SHM has said farewell to the antiquated bulletin board that connected hospitalists and recruiters and replaced it with a mobile job board for hospitalists exploring new career opportunities at the conference. The mobile job board, available in the HM14 At Hand app, will include contact information for recruiters, so candidates and recruiters can connect virtually and then meet up in real life in a matter of minutes.
Brendon Shank is SHM’s associate vice president of communications.
Should I check out “Attending 101” or the session on clinical problem solving? Wait, are they even at the same time? OK, great, they’re not, but I’ll just have to remember to get to both—and the session on medication reconciliation. I don’t have the presentations for them, so I’ll have to print them out beforehand for my notes and pack them.
That was life three years ago, before SHM launched its groundbreaking annual meeting mobile app. And, this month, the HM14 mobile app will pack even more power into hospitalists’ hands.
Now available at www.hm14athand.org, the HM14 At Hand mobile app is designed for all smartphones and tablets with wi-fi or wireless data access. It launches more than a month ahead of the meeting, allowing HM14 attendees to download the app at home and plan their meeting before they depart for Las Vegas—or on the plane en route.
The app includes all of the features hospitalists have come to expect, with some new surprises:
- Full program schedule, with the ability to schedule and set reminders for selected sessions;
- Options for presenters and conference-goers to provide contact information to other attendees;
- Presentation notes from speakers;
- The “Scan-to-Win” prize game, with even more locations to scan;
- Real-time program alerts for breaking news about the conference;
- Links to other resources for hospitalists;
- NEW: Integration with social media to help you connect with other conference bloggers, tweeters, and posters; and
- NEW: A section for job seekers and career networkers to connect with recruiters.
SHM has said farewell to the antiquated bulletin board that connected hospitalists and recruiters and replaced it with a mobile job board for hospitalists exploring new career opportunities at the conference. The mobile job board, available in the HM14 At Hand app, will include contact information for recruiters, so candidates and recruiters can connect virtually and then meet up in real life in a matter of minutes.
Brendon Shank is SHM’s associate vice president of communications.
Should I check out “Attending 101” or the session on clinical problem solving? Wait, are they even at the same time? OK, great, they’re not, but I’ll just have to remember to get to both—and the session on medication reconciliation. I don’t have the presentations for them, so I’ll have to print them out beforehand for my notes and pack them.
That was life three years ago, before SHM launched its groundbreaking annual meeting mobile app. And, this month, the HM14 mobile app will pack even more power into hospitalists’ hands.
Now available at www.hm14athand.org, the HM14 At Hand mobile app is designed for all smartphones and tablets with wi-fi or wireless data access. It launches more than a month ahead of the meeting, allowing HM14 attendees to download the app at home and plan their meeting before they depart for Las Vegas—or on the plane en route.
The app includes all of the features hospitalists have come to expect, with some new surprises:
- Full program schedule, with the ability to schedule and set reminders for selected sessions;
- Options for presenters and conference-goers to provide contact information to other attendees;
- Presentation notes from speakers;
- The “Scan-to-Win” prize game, with even more locations to scan;
- Real-time program alerts for breaking news about the conference;
- Links to other resources for hospitalists;
- NEW: Integration with social media to help you connect with other conference bloggers, tweeters, and posters; and
- NEW: A section for job seekers and career networkers to connect with recruiters.
SHM has said farewell to the antiquated bulletin board that connected hospitalists and recruiters and replaced it with a mobile job board for hospitalists exploring new career opportunities at the conference. The mobile job board, available in the HM14 At Hand app, will include contact information for recruiters, so candidates and recruiters can connect virtually and then meet up in real life in a matter of minutes.
Brendon Shank is SHM’s associate vice president of communications.
Networking Opportunities Abound at HM14
If only there were a place where young hospitalists, mid-career hospitalists, and veteran hospitalists in a new position could go to proverbially pick the brains of those who came before them in an informal setting that practically begs for crowd-sourced learning.
Wait, there is.
Sure, the roughly 3,000 hospitalists who descend upon SHM’s annual meeting at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino will be there for HM14’s slate of educational offerings, keynote addresses, and clinical updates. But for guys like Darren Swenson, MD, a regional medical advisor for IPC The Hospitalist Co. in Las Vegas, it’s also a chance to catch up with long-lost colleagues and med-school buddies while making new friends and gleaning tips from a who’s who of industry leaders.
“Whether you’re early in your career, or eight, 10, 12 years into your career, healthcare is changing so rapidly now, getting access to leadership skills is essential,” he says.
HM14 course director Daniel Brotman, MD, FACP, SFHM, says it’s impossible to overstate the value of networking at the annual meeting.
“Many of these folks I see once a year, and I look forward to seeing them,” says Dr. Brotman, who practices at John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Md. “For me, as a director of a hospitalist program, to network with other people who direct programs and are trying to navigate very similar challenges is great, because it gives me ideas for how I might do something different, and I can return the favor.”
There’s the flipside, too, where commiseration helps soothe the soul. But mostly, conversations with other physicians who struggle the same issues that you see can be the meeting’s most important takeaway.
“There’s so much commonality in what we’re dealing with on a day-to-day basis to run a hospitalist program successfully,” Dr. Brotman adds. “Ultimately, good ideas are good ideas.
–HM14 course director Daniel Brotman, MD, FACP, SFHM
“There is so much innovation going on in this field that’s it’s almost impossible not to attend this meeting and come away with so many new ideas.”
In particular, Dr. Brotman sees great opportunities for early-career hospitalists to meet, greet, and build relationships.
“One of the things that marks our specialty is recognizing that the future of hospital medicine is the young hospitalists who are attending these meetings and getting fired up about it,” he adds.
SHM President Eric Howell, MD, SFHM, chief of hospital medicine at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore, sees another, less heralded benefit to networking: pride.
“You can really brag about your program’s success and your individual successes,” he says. “That can’t be underestimated in terms of value.”
Dr. Howell encourages junior faculty to attend in order to meet and interact with as many people as possible, through the poster contests or impromptu post-meeting beverages. Such discussion, whether it involves bragging or the aforementioned commiserating, tends to invigorate and energize staffers, he says.
“It’s therapeutic to be able to discuss these things,” Dr. Howell adds. “Networking is also peer-to-peer mentoring. You can tell them things you can’t tell your boss or the people you oversee. It allows you a fairly open conversation with a peer on how to advance your program and your career.”
Richard Quinn is a freelance writer in New Jersey.
If only there were a place where young hospitalists, mid-career hospitalists, and veteran hospitalists in a new position could go to proverbially pick the brains of those who came before them in an informal setting that practically begs for crowd-sourced learning.
Wait, there is.
Sure, the roughly 3,000 hospitalists who descend upon SHM’s annual meeting at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino will be there for HM14’s slate of educational offerings, keynote addresses, and clinical updates. But for guys like Darren Swenson, MD, a regional medical advisor for IPC The Hospitalist Co. in Las Vegas, it’s also a chance to catch up with long-lost colleagues and med-school buddies while making new friends and gleaning tips from a who’s who of industry leaders.
“Whether you’re early in your career, or eight, 10, 12 years into your career, healthcare is changing so rapidly now, getting access to leadership skills is essential,” he says.
HM14 course director Daniel Brotman, MD, FACP, SFHM, says it’s impossible to overstate the value of networking at the annual meeting.
“Many of these folks I see once a year, and I look forward to seeing them,” says Dr. Brotman, who practices at John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Md. “For me, as a director of a hospitalist program, to network with other people who direct programs and are trying to navigate very similar challenges is great, because it gives me ideas for how I might do something different, and I can return the favor.”
There’s the flipside, too, where commiseration helps soothe the soul. But mostly, conversations with other physicians who struggle the same issues that you see can be the meeting’s most important takeaway.
“There’s so much commonality in what we’re dealing with on a day-to-day basis to run a hospitalist program successfully,” Dr. Brotman adds. “Ultimately, good ideas are good ideas.
–HM14 course director Daniel Brotman, MD, FACP, SFHM
“There is so much innovation going on in this field that’s it’s almost impossible not to attend this meeting and come away with so many new ideas.”
In particular, Dr. Brotman sees great opportunities for early-career hospitalists to meet, greet, and build relationships.
“One of the things that marks our specialty is recognizing that the future of hospital medicine is the young hospitalists who are attending these meetings and getting fired up about it,” he adds.
SHM President Eric Howell, MD, SFHM, chief of hospital medicine at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore, sees another, less heralded benefit to networking: pride.
“You can really brag about your program’s success and your individual successes,” he says. “That can’t be underestimated in terms of value.”
Dr. Howell encourages junior faculty to attend in order to meet and interact with as many people as possible, through the poster contests or impromptu post-meeting beverages. Such discussion, whether it involves bragging or the aforementioned commiserating, tends to invigorate and energize staffers, he says.
“It’s therapeutic to be able to discuss these things,” Dr. Howell adds. “Networking is also peer-to-peer mentoring. You can tell them things you can’t tell your boss or the people you oversee. It allows you a fairly open conversation with a peer on how to advance your program and your career.”
Richard Quinn is a freelance writer in New Jersey.
If only there were a place where young hospitalists, mid-career hospitalists, and veteran hospitalists in a new position could go to proverbially pick the brains of those who came before them in an informal setting that practically begs for crowd-sourced learning.
Wait, there is.
Sure, the roughly 3,000 hospitalists who descend upon SHM’s annual meeting at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino will be there for HM14’s slate of educational offerings, keynote addresses, and clinical updates. But for guys like Darren Swenson, MD, a regional medical advisor for IPC The Hospitalist Co. in Las Vegas, it’s also a chance to catch up with long-lost colleagues and med-school buddies while making new friends and gleaning tips from a who’s who of industry leaders.
“Whether you’re early in your career, or eight, 10, 12 years into your career, healthcare is changing so rapidly now, getting access to leadership skills is essential,” he says.
HM14 course director Daniel Brotman, MD, FACP, SFHM, says it’s impossible to overstate the value of networking at the annual meeting.
“Many of these folks I see once a year, and I look forward to seeing them,” says Dr. Brotman, who practices at John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Md. “For me, as a director of a hospitalist program, to network with other people who direct programs and are trying to navigate very similar challenges is great, because it gives me ideas for how I might do something different, and I can return the favor.”
There’s the flipside, too, where commiseration helps soothe the soul. But mostly, conversations with other physicians who struggle the same issues that you see can be the meeting’s most important takeaway.
“There’s so much commonality in what we’re dealing with on a day-to-day basis to run a hospitalist program successfully,” Dr. Brotman adds. “Ultimately, good ideas are good ideas.
–HM14 course director Daniel Brotman, MD, FACP, SFHM
“There is so much innovation going on in this field that’s it’s almost impossible not to attend this meeting and come away with so many new ideas.”
In particular, Dr. Brotman sees great opportunities for early-career hospitalists to meet, greet, and build relationships.
“One of the things that marks our specialty is recognizing that the future of hospital medicine is the young hospitalists who are attending these meetings and getting fired up about it,” he adds.
SHM President Eric Howell, MD, SFHM, chief of hospital medicine at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore, sees another, less heralded benefit to networking: pride.
“You can really brag about your program’s success and your individual successes,” he says. “That can’t be underestimated in terms of value.”
Dr. Howell encourages junior faculty to attend in order to meet and interact with as many people as possible, through the poster contests or impromptu post-meeting beverages. Such discussion, whether it involves bragging or the aforementioned commiserating, tends to invigorate and energize staffers, he says.
“It’s therapeutic to be able to discuss these things,” Dr. Howell adds. “Networking is also peer-to-peer mentoring. You can tell them things you can’t tell your boss or the people you oversee. It allows you a fairly open conversation with a peer on how to advance your program and your career.”
Richard Quinn is a freelance writer in New Jersey.
HM14 Sessions Hospitalists Should Not Miss
HM14 offers something for every hospitalist, from procedures training to special interest forums to practice management pearls. The four-day annual meeting, coming up March 24-27 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, caters to young, old, and every doctor in between.
So how will you get the most value out of the conference?
“The highest-yield content is going to depend on what your background is and how to spend that time in a way that augments your knowledge, your perspective, or your exposure to like-minded colleagues in a very individual way,” says HM14 course director Daniel Brotman, MD, FACP, SFHM, director of the hospitalist program at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. “One of the things that’s so cool about hospital medicine is its diversity.”
But don’t take Dr. Brotman’s well-educated word for it. Here’s a list of recommendations from Team Hospitalist, the only reader-involvement group of its kind in HM, on events they would not miss this year.
Team Hospitalist contributors: Danielle Scheurer, MD, MSCR, SFHM, hospitalist, chief quality officer, Medical University of South Carolina; Edward Ma, MD, hospitalist, Coatesville (Pa.) VA Medical Center; Nick Fitterman, MD, FACP, SFHM, vice chair of hospital medicine, Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, Manhasset, N.Y.; James O’Callaghan, MD, FHM, clinical assistant professor of pediatrics, Seattle Children’s Hospital, University of Washington, and EvergreenHealth, Kirkland, Wash.; Klaus Suehler, MD, FHM, Mercy Hospital, Allina Health, Minneapolis, Minn.
1 “When Time is Brain (or Cord): Neurological Emergencies for the Hospitalist”
Tuesday, March 25
10:35-11:15 am
Dr. Suehler: As hospitalists, we often are the first ones to see patients with such neurological emergencies, and it is crucial to know when to get the neurologist or neurosurgeon involved. These are opportunities with a brief window of time to save or restore a patient’s neurological function.
2 “The ACA at 4: Impact on Costs, Quality, Lifestyle, and Payment”
Tuesday, March 25
10:35-11:50 am
Dr. Scheurer: This will be a packed session and will discuss all angles of the Affordable Care Act: how it will play out in hospitals around the country and, particularly, what it will mean to hospitalists. The complexity of the ACA is dizzying, so it will be time well spent to hear from several leaders in the field on how the major components of the ACA can and will impact us.
Dr. Ma: The ACA is nearly four years old, so I’m looking forward to a review on what precisely has been accomplished in medicine thus far and what can we anticipate down the road. The lawyers bantered about the constitutionality of the policy for the first two years. Politicians have been ranting about death panels, repeals, and amendments [for] the past four years. The public endured the latter part of 2013 reading about (or experiencing firsthand) the disastrous rollout of the healthcare.gov website. I want a clearer idea, beyond the fear and loathing, beyond the inane rhetoric, of the real impact that ACA has had and will have on the two most important components of healthcare: physicians and patients.
3 “Rate, Rhythm, Rivaroxaban, Ablation: Update in Atrial Fibrillation”
Tuesday, March 25
11:20 am-Noon
Dr. Suehler: This is a standard situation for hospitalists. We often admit patients with atrial fibrillation or get consulted when patients who are hospitalized for other reasons develop atrial fibrillation. It is very important for hospitalists to provide optimal care and counseling to patients with this arrhythmia, whether or not cardiologists get involved down the road.
4 “How ICD-10 Will Affect Hospitalists”
Tuesday, March 25
1:10-2:25 pm
Dr. Scheurer: Whether we like it or not, ICD-10 is right around the corner. This session will give an overview of what impact ICD-10 will have on our medical record documentation and coding, including how it can and will affect reimbursement. The more you know now, the better off you will be when your hospital implements it.
5 “Controversies in Perioperative Medicine”
Wednesday, March 26
11 am-Noon
Dr. Scheurer: We all know how much our surgeons depend on us to give them sound and evidence-based advice on how to manage surgical patients in the perioperative period. This session will review some controversial topics, from [the perspective of] two of the leaders in the field of perioperative medicine.
6 “Is It OK if I Sit Down?: Improving Patient Communication and Satisfaction at the Bedside”
Wednesday, March 26
11:45 am-12:25 pm
Dr. Fitterman: Any hospitalist or HM program leader struggling to raise patient satisfaction scores must attend this session. Recognizing that 30% of the value-based incentive pool for hospitals is directly linked to these scores, we all have “skin in the game.” Most hospitalists have part of their salary tied to patient satisfaction; however, many still lack the desired improvement in rankings despite multiple initiatives to address this issue. Four of the top five drivers of the patient experience are related to nursing, making our responsibility to impact this quite challenging. There is a correlation between the hospitals with the best satisfaction scores and lower patient mortality, so this is not just about the “chocolate on the pillow” but about filling gaps in care. I anticipate the discussion leaders will help us navigate this challenge with tips to bring back to our programs.
7 “Ending the Benevolent Dictatorship: Shared Decision-Making in the Hospital”
Wednesday, March 26
2:50-3:30 pm
Dr. Fitterman: This is a must attend for anyone interested in the “next blockbuster drug.” That is how patient activation and shared decision-making are being referred to (Health Affairs, February 2013). Where this has been implemented, patients have recognized better health outcomes, and there has been less decisional conflict (which likely equates to better satisfaction)—and all at lower costs. Sounds like a blockbuster drug, doesn’t it? The challenges I hope to see answered in this breakout session: First, most evidence wrapped around this topic is in the outpatient arena. Second, how do we overcome a lack of training in this field? Finally, how can we fit this into our busy workflows? Save me a seat.
8 “What Keeps Your CFO Awake at Night”
Wednesday, March 26
2:50-4:05 pm
Dr. Scheurer: The complexity of hospital finances can confuse even the brightest of hospitalists. This session will focus on the basics of what hospitalists should know and care about, as it relates to hospital finances. You won’t want to miss the concise opportunity to get informed.
9 “Different Generation/Different Concerns: Managing Boomers, Gen-Xers, and Gen Ys”
Thursday, March 27
8:45-9:40 am
Dr. Ma: This will likely be a contentious yet humorous session. The generational differences in attitude toward the practice of medicine can be very pronounced at times and certainly can lead to conflict in the workplace between the older and younger physicians. It’s important to recognize these differences without passing judgment and understand how they impact a practice.
10 “Effective, Efficient, and Prudent Syncope Evaluation”
Thursday, March 27
10:30-11:10 am
Dr. Suehler: Syncope is a frequent admission diagnosis for hospitalists. There is a wide spectrum of how hospitalists manage such patients (how long to monitor on telemetry, what additional tests to order). Hospitalists need to know how to provide a rational and cost-effective evaluation of patients with syncope and be able to identify patients who have a serious or life-threatening cause for their syncope.
–Nick Fitterman, MD, FACP, SFHM, vice chair of hospital medicine, Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, Manhasset, N.Y.
11 “The Leadership Imperative: Building a Culture of Engagement and Ownership”
Thursday, March 27
10:55-11:50 am
Dr. O’Callaghan: Hospital practices, and the systems to which they belong, are complex organizations with their own culture. Producing long-term, sustainable change and improvement usually means changing this culture. Practices and their leaders need to develop hospitalists who think about improving the system of care, not just the patients in front of them. Successful practices are able to provide physicians with the freedom and responsibility to develop an ownership-mindset toward the practice. This lecture will help leaders develop the skills needed to support the development and maintenance of a culture of ownership.
12 “HFNC in Bronchiolitis: Best Thing Since Sliced Bread?”
Thursday, March 25
1:10-2:25 pm
Dr. O’Callaghan: Shawn Ralston, MD, is well known in pediatric hospital medicine for having both expertise and passion around the diagnosis of bronchiolitis. In the past year, she was lead author of a multi-site voluntary QI collaborative study that demonstrated that benchmarking decreased utilization of bronchodilators and chest physiotherapy in bronchiolitis (J Hosp Med. 2013;8:25-30). In addition, she was one of the authors of SHM’s Choosing Wisely Pediatric Hospital Medicine Recommendations (J Hosp Med. 2013;8(9):479-485). Dr. Ralston is a strong proponent of “doing more by doing less,” with regard to bronchiolitis, which is a self-limiting disease in pediatrics; however, along comes a potential new therapy—high flow nasal cannula therapy. I am very excited to see Dr. Ralston explore this new treatment. Will she have a debate with herself, and if so, which Ralston wins—doing-less Ralston or doing-more Ralston? I anticipate this session to be both highly informative and highly entertaining.
Richard Quinn is a freelance writer in New Jersey.
HM14 offers something for every hospitalist, from procedures training to special interest forums to practice management pearls. The four-day annual meeting, coming up March 24-27 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, caters to young, old, and every doctor in between.
So how will you get the most value out of the conference?
“The highest-yield content is going to depend on what your background is and how to spend that time in a way that augments your knowledge, your perspective, or your exposure to like-minded colleagues in a very individual way,” says HM14 course director Daniel Brotman, MD, FACP, SFHM, director of the hospitalist program at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. “One of the things that’s so cool about hospital medicine is its diversity.”
But don’t take Dr. Brotman’s well-educated word for it. Here’s a list of recommendations from Team Hospitalist, the only reader-involvement group of its kind in HM, on events they would not miss this year.
Team Hospitalist contributors: Danielle Scheurer, MD, MSCR, SFHM, hospitalist, chief quality officer, Medical University of South Carolina; Edward Ma, MD, hospitalist, Coatesville (Pa.) VA Medical Center; Nick Fitterman, MD, FACP, SFHM, vice chair of hospital medicine, Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, Manhasset, N.Y.; James O’Callaghan, MD, FHM, clinical assistant professor of pediatrics, Seattle Children’s Hospital, University of Washington, and EvergreenHealth, Kirkland, Wash.; Klaus Suehler, MD, FHM, Mercy Hospital, Allina Health, Minneapolis, Minn.
1 “When Time is Brain (or Cord): Neurological Emergencies for the Hospitalist”
Tuesday, March 25
10:35-11:15 am
Dr. Suehler: As hospitalists, we often are the first ones to see patients with such neurological emergencies, and it is crucial to know when to get the neurologist or neurosurgeon involved. These are opportunities with a brief window of time to save or restore a patient’s neurological function.
2 “The ACA at 4: Impact on Costs, Quality, Lifestyle, and Payment”
Tuesday, March 25
10:35-11:50 am
Dr. Scheurer: This will be a packed session and will discuss all angles of the Affordable Care Act: how it will play out in hospitals around the country and, particularly, what it will mean to hospitalists. The complexity of the ACA is dizzying, so it will be time well spent to hear from several leaders in the field on how the major components of the ACA can and will impact us.
Dr. Ma: The ACA is nearly four years old, so I’m looking forward to a review on what precisely has been accomplished in medicine thus far and what can we anticipate down the road. The lawyers bantered about the constitutionality of the policy for the first two years. Politicians have been ranting about death panels, repeals, and amendments [for] the past four years. The public endured the latter part of 2013 reading about (or experiencing firsthand) the disastrous rollout of the healthcare.gov website. I want a clearer idea, beyond the fear and loathing, beyond the inane rhetoric, of the real impact that ACA has had and will have on the two most important components of healthcare: physicians and patients.
3 “Rate, Rhythm, Rivaroxaban, Ablation: Update in Atrial Fibrillation”
Tuesday, March 25
11:20 am-Noon
Dr. Suehler: This is a standard situation for hospitalists. We often admit patients with atrial fibrillation or get consulted when patients who are hospitalized for other reasons develop atrial fibrillation. It is very important for hospitalists to provide optimal care and counseling to patients with this arrhythmia, whether or not cardiologists get involved down the road.
4 “How ICD-10 Will Affect Hospitalists”
Tuesday, March 25
1:10-2:25 pm
Dr. Scheurer: Whether we like it or not, ICD-10 is right around the corner. This session will give an overview of what impact ICD-10 will have on our medical record documentation and coding, including how it can and will affect reimbursement. The more you know now, the better off you will be when your hospital implements it.
5 “Controversies in Perioperative Medicine”
Wednesday, March 26
11 am-Noon
Dr. Scheurer: We all know how much our surgeons depend on us to give them sound and evidence-based advice on how to manage surgical patients in the perioperative period. This session will review some controversial topics, from [the perspective of] two of the leaders in the field of perioperative medicine.
6 “Is It OK if I Sit Down?: Improving Patient Communication and Satisfaction at the Bedside”
Wednesday, March 26
11:45 am-12:25 pm
Dr. Fitterman: Any hospitalist or HM program leader struggling to raise patient satisfaction scores must attend this session. Recognizing that 30% of the value-based incentive pool for hospitals is directly linked to these scores, we all have “skin in the game.” Most hospitalists have part of their salary tied to patient satisfaction; however, many still lack the desired improvement in rankings despite multiple initiatives to address this issue. Four of the top five drivers of the patient experience are related to nursing, making our responsibility to impact this quite challenging. There is a correlation between the hospitals with the best satisfaction scores and lower patient mortality, so this is not just about the “chocolate on the pillow” but about filling gaps in care. I anticipate the discussion leaders will help us navigate this challenge with tips to bring back to our programs.
7 “Ending the Benevolent Dictatorship: Shared Decision-Making in the Hospital”
Wednesday, March 26
2:50-3:30 pm
Dr. Fitterman: This is a must attend for anyone interested in the “next blockbuster drug.” That is how patient activation and shared decision-making are being referred to (Health Affairs, February 2013). Where this has been implemented, patients have recognized better health outcomes, and there has been less decisional conflict (which likely equates to better satisfaction)—and all at lower costs. Sounds like a blockbuster drug, doesn’t it? The challenges I hope to see answered in this breakout session: First, most evidence wrapped around this topic is in the outpatient arena. Second, how do we overcome a lack of training in this field? Finally, how can we fit this into our busy workflows? Save me a seat.
8 “What Keeps Your CFO Awake at Night”
Wednesday, March 26
2:50-4:05 pm
Dr. Scheurer: The complexity of hospital finances can confuse even the brightest of hospitalists. This session will focus on the basics of what hospitalists should know and care about, as it relates to hospital finances. You won’t want to miss the concise opportunity to get informed.
9 “Different Generation/Different Concerns: Managing Boomers, Gen-Xers, and Gen Ys”
Thursday, March 27
8:45-9:40 am
Dr. Ma: This will likely be a contentious yet humorous session. The generational differences in attitude toward the practice of medicine can be very pronounced at times and certainly can lead to conflict in the workplace between the older and younger physicians. It’s important to recognize these differences without passing judgment and understand how they impact a practice.
10 “Effective, Efficient, and Prudent Syncope Evaluation”
Thursday, March 27
10:30-11:10 am
Dr. Suehler: Syncope is a frequent admission diagnosis for hospitalists. There is a wide spectrum of how hospitalists manage such patients (how long to monitor on telemetry, what additional tests to order). Hospitalists need to know how to provide a rational and cost-effective evaluation of patients with syncope and be able to identify patients who have a serious or life-threatening cause for their syncope.
–Nick Fitterman, MD, FACP, SFHM, vice chair of hospital medicine, Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, Manhasset, N.Y.
11 “The Leadership Imperative: Building a Culture of Engagement and Ownership”
Thursday, March 27
10:55-11:50 am
Dr. O’Callaghan: Hospital practices, and the systems to which they belong, are complex organizations with their own culture. Producing long-term, sustainable change and improvement usually means changing this culture. Practices and their leaders need to develop hospitalists who think about improving the system of care, not just the patients in front of them. Successful practices are able to provide physicians with the freedom and responsibility to develop an ownership-mindset toward the practice. This lecture will help leaders develop the skills needed to support the development and maintenance of a culture of ownership.
12 “HFNC in Bronchiolitis: Best Thing Since Sliced Bread?”
Thursday, March 25
1:10-2:25 pm
Dr. O’Callaghan: Shawn Ralston, MD, is well known in pediatric hospital medicine for having both expertise and passion around the diagnosis of bronchiolitis. In the past year, she was lead author of a multi-site voluntary QI collaborative study that demonstrated that benchmarking decreased utilization of bronchodilators and chest physiotherapy in bronchiolitis (J Hosp Med. 2013;8:25-30). In addition, she was one of the authors of SHM’s Choosing Wisely Pediatric Hospital Medicine Recommendations (J Hosp Med. 2013;8(9):479-485). Dr. Ralston is a strong proponent of “doing more by doing less,” with regard to bronchiolitis, which is a self-limiting disease in pediatrics; however, along comes a potential new therapy—high flow nasal cannula therapy. I am very excited to see Dr. Ralston explore this new treatment. Will she have a debate with herself, and if so, which Ralston wins—doing-less Ralston or doing-more Ralston? I anticipate this session to be both highly informative and highly entertaining.
Richard Quinn is a freelance writer in New Jersey.
HM14 offers something for every hospitalist, from procedures training to special interest forums to practice management pearls. The four-day annual meeting, coming up March 24-27 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, caters to young, old, and every doctor in between.
So how will you get the most value out of the conference?
“The highest-yield content is going to depend on what your background is and how to spend that time in a way that augments your knowledge, your perspective, or your exposure to like-minded colleagues in a very individual way,” says HM14 course director Daniel Brotman, MD, FACP, SFHM, director of the hospitalist program at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. “One of the things that’s so cool about hospital medicine is its diversity.”
But don’t take Dr. Brotman’s well-educated word for it. Here’s a list of recommendations from Team Hospitalist, the only reader-involvement group of its kind in HM, on events they would not miss this year.
Team Hospitalist contributors: Danielle Scheurer, MD, MSCR, SFHM, hospitalist, chief quality officer, Medical University of South Carolina; Edward Ma, MD, hospitalist, Coatesville (Pa.) VA Medical Center; Nick Fitterman, MD, FACP, SFHM, vice chair of hospital medicine, Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, Manhasset, N.Y.; James O’Callaghan, MD, FHM, clinical assistant professor of pediatrics, Seattle Children’s Hospital, University of Washington, and EvergreenHealth, Kirkland, Wash.; Klaus Suehler, MD, FHM, Mercy Hospital, Allina Health, Minneapolis, Minn.
1 “When Time is Brain (or Cord): Neurological Emergencies for the Hospitalist”
Tuesday, March 25
10:35-11:15 am
Dr. Suehler: As hospitalists, we often are the first ones to see patients with such neurological emergencies, and it is crucial to know when to get the neurologist or neurosurgeon involved. These are opportunities with a brief window of time to save or restore a patient’s neurological function.
2 “The ACA at 4: Impact on Costs, Quality, Lifestyle, and Payment”
Tuesday, March 25
10:35-11:50 am
Dr. Scheurer: This will be a packed session and will discuss all angles of the Affordable Care Act: how it will play out in hospitals around the country and, particularly, what it will mean to hospitalists. The complexity of the ACA is dizzying, so it will be time well spent to hear from several leaders in the field on how the major components of the ACA can and will impact us.
Dr. Ma: The ACA is nearly four years old, so I’m looking forward to a review on what precisely has been accomplished in medicine thus far and what can we anticipate down the road. The lawyers bantered about the constitutionality of the policy for the first two years. Politicians have been ranting about death panels, repeals, and amendments [for] the past four years. The public endured the latter part of 2013 reading about (or experiencing firsthand) the disastrous rollout of the healthcare.gov website. I want a clearer idea, beyond the fear and loathing, beyond the inane rhetoric, of the real impact that ACA has had and will have on the two most important components of healthcare: physicians and patients.
3 “Rate, Rhythm, Rivaroxaban, Ablation: Update in Atrial Fibrillation”
Tuesday, March 25
11:20 am-Noon
Dr. Suehler: This is a standard situation for hospitalists. We often admit patients with atrial fibrillation or get consulted when patients who are hospitalized for other reasons develop atrial fibrillation. It is very important for hospitalists to provide optimal care and counseling to patients with this arrhythmia, whether or not cardiologists get involved down the road.
4 “How ICD-10 Will Affect Hospitalists”
Tuesday, March 25
1:10-2:25 pm
Dr. Scheurer: Whether we like it or not, ICD-10 is right around the corner. This session will give an overview of what impact ICD-10 will have on our medical record documentation and coding, including how it can and will affect reimbursement. The more you know now, the better off you will be when your hospital implements it.
5 “Controversies in Perioperative Medicine”
Wednesday, March 26
11 am-Noon
Dr. Scheurer: We all know how much our surgeons depend on us to give them sound and evidence-based advice on how to manage surgical patients in the perioperative period. This session will review some controversial topics, from [the perspective of] two of the leaders in the field of perioperative medicine.
6 “Is It OK if I Sit Down?: Improving Patient Communication and Satisfaction at the Bedside”
Wednesday, March 26
11:45 am-12:25 pm
Dr. Fitterman: Any hospitalist or HM program leader struggling to raise patient satisfaction scores must attend this session. Recognizing that 30% of the value-based incentive pool for hospitals is directly linked to these scores, we all have “skin in the game.” Most hospitalists have part of their salary tied to patient satisfaction; however, many still lack the desired improvement in rankings despite multiple initiatives to address this issue. Four of the top five drivers of the patient experience are related to nursing, making our responsibility to impact this quite challenging. There is a correlation between the hospitals with the best satisfaction scores and lower patient mortality, so this is not just about the “chocolate on the pillow” but about filling gaps in care. I anticipate the discussion leaders will help us navigate this challenge with tips to bring back to our programs.
7 “Ending the Benevolent Dictatorship: Shared Decision-Making in the Hospital”
Wednesday, March 26
2:50-3:30 pm
Dr. Fitterman: This is a must attend for anyone interested in the “next blockbuster drug.” That is how patient activation and shared decision-making are being referred to (Health Affairs, February 2013). Where this has been implemented, patients have recognized better health outcomes, and there has been less decisional conflict (which likely equates to better satisfaction)—and all at lower costs. Sounds like a blockbuster drug, doesn’t it? The challenges I hope to see answered in this breakout session: First, most evidence wrapped around this topic is in the outpatient arena. Second, how do we overcome a lack of training in this field? Finally, how can we fit this into our busy workflows? Save me a seat.
8 “What Keeps Your CFO Awake at Night”
Wednesday, March 26
2:50-4:05 pm
Dr. Scheurer: The complexity of hospital finances can confuse even the brightest of hospitalists. This session will focus on the basics of what hospitalists should know and care about, as it relates to hospital finances. You won’t want to miss the concise opportunity to get informed.
9 “Different Generation/Different Concerns: Managing Boomers, Gen-Xers, and Gen Ys”
Thursday, March 27
8:45-9:40 am
Dr. Ma: This will likely be a contentious yet humorous session. The generational differences in attitude toward the practice of medicine can be very pronounced at times and certainly can lead to conflict in the workplace between the older and younger physicians. It’s important to recognize these differences without passing judgment and understand how they impact a practice.
10 “Effective, Efficient, and Prudent Syncope Evaluation”
Thursday, March 27
10:30-11:10 am
Dr. Suehler: Syncope is a frequent admission diagnosis for hospitalists. There is a wide spectrum of how hospitalists manage such patients (how long to monitor on telemetry, what additional tests to order). Hospitalists need to know how to provide a rational and cost-effective evaluation of patients with syncope and be able to identify patients who have a serious or life-threatening cause for their syncope.
–Nick Fitterman, MD, FACP, SFHM, vice chair of hospital medicine, Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, Manhasset, N.Y.
11 “The Leadership Imperative: Building a Culture of Engagement and Ownership”
Thursday, March 27
10:55-11:50 am
Dr. O’Callaghan: Hospital practices, and the systems to which they belong, are complex organizations with their own culture. Producing long-term, sustainable change and improvement usually means changing this culture. Practices and their leaders need to develop hospitalists who think about improving the system of care, not just the patients in front of them. Successful practices are able to provide physicians with the freedom and responsibility to develop an ownership-mindset toward the practice. This lecture will help leaders develop the skills needed to support the development and maintenance of a culture of ownership.
12 “HFNC in Bronchiolitis: Best Thing Since Sliced Bread?”
Thursday, March 25
1:10-2:25 pm
Dr. O’Callaghan: Shawn Ralston, MD, is well known in pediatric hospital medicine for having both expertise and passion around the diagnosis of bronchiolitis. In the past year, she was lead author of a multi-site voluntary QI collaborative study that demonstrated that benchmarking decreased utilization of bronchodilators and chest physiotherapy in bronchiolitis (J Hosp Med. 2013;8:25-30). In addition, she was one of the authors of SHM’s Choosing Wisely Pediatric Hospital Medicine Recommendations (J Hosp Med. 2013;8(9):479-485). Dr. Ralston is a strong proponent of “doing more by doing less,” with regard to bronchiolitis, which is a self-limiting disease in pediatrics; however, along comes a potential new therapy—high flow nasal cannula therapy. I am very excited to see Dr. Ralston explore this new treatment. Will she have a debate with herself, and if so, which Ralston wins—doing-less Ralston or doing-more Ralston? I anticipate this session to be both highly informative and highly entertaining.
Richard Quinn is a freelance writer in New Jersey.
Las Vegas Has More To Offer Than Glitz, Glamour
So, you’re going to Las Vegas for HM14 and looking for a guide to all the fun things to do on the Las Vegas Strip, right?
Wrong, says local hospitalist Zubin Damania, MD, founder of Turntable Health (www.turntablehealth.com) in Las Vegas, who might be better known for his comedic alter ego, ZDoggMD (www.zdoggmd.com).
“When I have friends in town, I tell them not to go to the Strip and to come hang out with me downtown or in the suburbs of Vegas—where the real fun is to be had,” Dr. Damania says. “But I doubt I can tell that to 2,000 rabid hospitalists looking to relive ‘The Hangover 3.’”
To be sure, many of the attendees at the annual meeting will be staying at the meeting’s base of operations at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on Las Vegas Boulevard. And many won’t venture farther than they can walk.
And, while that’s not the worst idea, don’t be fooled. Las Vegas Boulevard isn’t technically in Las Vegas; it’s actually an unincorporated area of Clark County. That hasn’t stopped the desert destination from becoming a global destination. According to Las Vegas officials, 14 of the 20 largest hotels in the world are in the city, which offers more hotel rooms than any place else on Earth.
The Strip offers a bounty of world-class restaurants, clubs, and entertainment to augment the schedules of those inclined to dabble with its slot machines, table games, and sports betting. And, if you want the top-down view, try the observation tower at the Stratosphere, which, at 1,149 feet, is the tallest freestanding structure west of the Mississippi River.
But Dr. Damania doesn’t want to recommend what you can find in Frommer’s description of the famed Strip. He wants to give you the hidden Las Vegas, known locally as Downtown.
“It is the [more] authentic part of Vegas,” he says, adding that while a rental car helps to reach some places, nearly everything is accessible by taxi or bus.
For example, did you know Sin City has a Chinatown? It’s along Spring Mountain Road, about four miles north of Mandalay Bay, and includes
several enclosed shopping malls. Restaurants Dr. Damania would recommend there include Raku, which specializes in Japanese food, and Kabuto, which feeds him “the best sushi” he’s ever had.
In between are mom-and-pop eateries of Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Indonesian food. If Mexican cuisine is more your flavor, try La Comida in Downtown, and make sure to order a margarita.
While gambling and grub are hallmarks of both the Strip and Downtown, Dr. Damania also urges friends to hit Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area for hiking and a view of natural Nevada (www.redrockcanyonlv.org) and take a tour of the mammoth Zappos (www.zapposinsights.com/tours/zappos-tour-experience) headquarters about eight miles north of HM14’s hotel. “That is a fun tour.
To see how the Millennial Generation is changing the workplace and what kind of lessons we can learn for hospital medicine in our own workplace, which I think is way too uptight,” he says.
Speaking of which, that’s the last recommendation Dr. Damania has for every hospitalist in town for the meeting: Come visit his clinic, Turntable Health. It’s an open invite to the thousands of attendees.
If you don’t believe that, just e-mail him at [email protected] to set up a tour—or ask for a restaurant recommendation.
–Richard Quinn
So, you’re going to Las Vegas for HM14 and looking for a guide to all the fun things to do on the Las Vegas Strip, right?
Wrong, says local hospitalist Zubin Damania, MD, founder of Turntable Health (www.turntablehealth.com) in Las Vegas, who might be better known for his comedic alter ego, ZDoggMD (www.zdoggmd.com).
“When I have friends in town, I tell them not to go to the Strip and to come hang out with me downtown or in the suburbs of Vegas—where the real fun is to be had,” Dr. Damania says. “But I doubt I can tell that to 2,000 rabid hospitalists looking to relive ‘The Hangover 3.’”
To be sure, many of the attendees at the annual meeting will be staying at the meeting’s base of operations at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on Las Vegas Boulevard. And many won’t venture farther than they can walk.
And, while that’s not the worst idea, don’t be fooled. Las Vegas Boulevard isn’t technically in Las Vegas; it’s actually an unincorporated area of Clark County. That hasn’t stopped the desert destination from becoming a global destination. According to Las Vegas officials, 14 of the 20 largest hotels in the world are in the city, which offers more hotel rooms than any place else on Earth.
The Strip offers a bounty of world-class restaurants, clubs, and entertainment to augment the schedules of those inclined to dabble with its slot machines, table games, and sports betting. And, if you want the top-down view, try the observation tower at the Stratosphere, which, at 1,149 feet, is the tallest freestanding structure west of the Mississippi River.
But Dr. Damania doesn’t want to recommend what you can find in Frommer’s description of the famed Strip. He wants to give you the hidden Las Vegas, known locally as Downtown.
“It is the [more] authentic part of Vegas,” he says, adding that while a rental car helps to reach some places, nearly everything is accessible by taxi or bus.
For example, did you know Sin City has a Chinatown? It’s along Spring Mountain Road, about four miles north of Mandalay Bay, and includes
several enclosed shopping malls. Restaurants Dr. Damania would recommend there include Raku, which specializes in Japanese food, and Kabuto, which feeds him “the best sushi” he’s ever had.
In between are mom-and-pop eateries of Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Indonesian food. If Mexican cuisine is more your flavor, try La Comida in Downtown, and make sure to order a margarita.
While gambling and grub are hallmarks of both the Strip and Downtown, Dr. Damania also urges friends to hit Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area for hiking and a view of natural Nevada (www.redrockcanyonlv.org) and take a tour of the mammoth Zappos (www.zapposinsights.com/tours/zappos-tour-experience) headquarters about eight miles north of HM14’s hotel. “That is a fun tour.
To see how the Millennial Generation is changing the workplace and what kind of lessons we can learn for hospital medicine in our own workplace, which I think is way too uptight,” he says.
Speaking of which, that’s the last recommendation Dr. Damania has for every hospitalist in town for the meeting: Come visit his clinic, Turntable Health. It’s an open invite to the thousands of attendees.
If you don’t believe that, just e-mail him at [email protected] to set up a tour—or ask for a restaurant recommendation.
–Richard Quinn
So, you’re going to Las Vegas for HM14 and looking for a guide to all the fun things to do on the Las Vegas Strip, right?
Wrong, says local hospitalist Zubin Damania, MD, founder of Turntable Health (www.turntablehealth.com) in Las Vegas, who might be better known for his comedic alter ego, ZDoggMD (www.zdoggmd.com).
“When I have friends in town, I tell them not to go to the Strip and to come hang out with me downtown or in the suburbs of Vegas—where the real fun is to be had,” Dr. Damania says. “But I doubt I can tell that to 2,000 rabid hospitalists looking to relive ‘The Hangover 3.’”
To be sure, many of the attendees at the annual meeting will be staying at the meeting’s base of operations at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on Las Vegas Boulevard. And many won’t venture farther than they can walk.
And, while that’s not the worst idea, don’t be fooled. Las Vegas Boulevard isn’t technically in Las Vegas; it’s actually an unincorporated area of Clark County. That hasn’t stopped the desert destination from becoming a global destination. According to Las Vegas officials, 14 of the 20 largest hotels in the world are in the city, which offers more hotel rooms than any place else on Earth.
The Strip offers a bounty of world-class restaurants, clubs, and entertainment to augment the schedules of those inclined to dabble with its slot machines, table games, and sports betting. And, if you want the top-down view, try the observation tower at the Stratosphere, which, at 1,149 feet, is the tallest freestanding structure west of the Mississippi River.
But Dr. Damania doesn’t want to recommend what you can find in Frommer’s description of the famed Strip. He wants to give you the hidden Las Vegas, known locally as Downtown.
“It is the [more] authentic part of Vegas,” he says, adding that while a rental car helps to reach some places, nearly everything is accessible by taxi or bus.
For example, did you know Sin City has a Chinatown? It’s along Spring Mountain Road, about four miles north of Mandalay Bay, and includes
several enclosed shopping malls. Restaurants Dr. Damania would recommend there include Raku, which specializes in Japanese food, and Kabuto, which feeds him “the best sushi” he’s ever had.
In between are mom-and-pop eateries of Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Indonesian food. If Mexican cuisine is more your flavor, try La Comida in Downtown, and make sure to order a margarita.
While gambling and grub are hallmarks of both the Strip and Downtown, Dr. Damania also urges friends to hit Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area for hiking and a view of natural Nevada (www.redrockcanyonlv.org) and take a tour of the mammoth Zappos (www.zapposinsights.com/tours/zappos-tour-experience) headquarters about eight miles north of HM14’s hotel. “That is a fun tour.
To see how the Millennial Generation is changing the workplace and what kind of lessons we can learn for hospital medicine in our own workplace, which I think is way too uptight,” he says.
Speaking of which, that’s the last recommendation Dr. Damania has for every hospitalist in town for the meeting: Come visit his clinic, Turntable Health. It’s an open invite to the thousands of attendees.
If you don’t believe that, just e-mail him at [email protected] to set up a tour—or ask for a restaurant recommendation.
–Richard Quinn
Society of Hospital Medicine Debuts New Educational Tracks, Pre-Courses at HM14
SHM’s annual meeting offers something new each year. For HM14, a timely new track dubbed “Bending the Cost Curve” will focus on hospitalists’ role in improving cost effectiveness for the healthcare system as a whole.
“The value equation has always been something that’s near and dear to us,” says HM14 course director Daniel Brotman, MD, SFHM. “What’s different now is that cost shifting to the outpatient setting is something that is now being recognized as a potential unintended consequence of rushing through hospitalizations. And as we’re moving into the accountable-care world, making sure that the cost shifting does not occur…is really important.
“That means that hospitalists need to own the care transition.”
–Leslie Flores, MHA, a partner in Nelson Flores Hospital Medicine Consultants, a member of SHM’s Practice Analysis Committee, and co-director for the practice management pre-course
The debut offerings don’t stop there. Three new pre-courses are on this year’s agenda: “Cardiology: What Hospitalists Need to Know as Front-Line Providers,” “Efficient High-Value Evidence-Based Medicine for the Practicing Hospitalist,” and “NP/PA Playbook for Hospital Medicine.”
“As a pre-course director, I think the educational aspect is what sets the tone for the whole meeting,” says Leslie Flores, MHA, a partner in Nelson Flores Hospital Medicine Consultants, a member of SHM’s Practice Analysis Committee, and co-director for the practice management pre-course, “Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Managing in the Era of Healthcare Reform. “People come looking to improve their clinical skills and their hospitalist groups.”
Pre-courses are critical to the meeting’s educational offerings. In that vein, HM14 is keeping pace with generational reform in care delivery and payment methodologies.
“The educational component—particularly the practice management track—is increasingly important in this era of rapid change,” Flores adds. “I don’t think any hospitalist anywhere in the country can afford to put his or her head in the sand and pretend it’s business as usual.”
To that end, another new feature at HM14 is a panel discussion titled, “Obamacare Is Here: What Does It Mean for You and Your Hospital?” The participants are a who’s who of the specialty’s thought leaders: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services chief medical officer Patrick Conway, MD, MSc, FAAP, SFHM; executive director and CEO of the Medical University of South Carolina and former SHM president Patrick Cawley, MD, MHM, FACP; veteran healthcare executive Patrick Courneya, MD; and American Enterprise Institute resident fellow Scott Gottlieb, MD.
“The SHM annual meeting is pretty much the only place a hospitalist can go to learn about these changes,” Flores says, “and how to cope with them from a hospitalist’s perspective.”
Richard Quinn is a freelance writer in New Jersey.
SHM’s annual meeting offers something new each year. For HM14, a timely new track dubbed “Bending the Cost Curve” will focus on hospitalists’ role in improving cost effectiveness for the healthcare system as a whole.
“The value equation has always been something that’s near and dear to us,” says HM14 course director Daniel Brotman, MD, SFHM. “What’s different now is that cost shifting to the outpatient setting is something that is now being recognized as a potential unintended consequence of rushing through hospitalizations. And as we’re moving into the accountable-care world, making sure that the cost shifting does not occur…is really important.
“That means that hospitalists need to own the care transition.”
–Leslie Flores, MHA, a partner in Nelson Flores Hospital Medicine Consultants, a member of SHM’s Practice Analysis Committee, and co-director for the practice management pre-course
The debut offerings don’t stop there. Three new pre-courses are on this year’s agenda: “Cardiology: What Hospitalists Need to Know as Front-Line Providers,” “Efficient High-Value Evidence-Based Medicine for the Practicing Hospitalist,” and “NP/PA Playbook for Hospital Medicine.”
“As a pre-course director, I think the educational aspect is what sets the tone for the whole meeting,” says Leslie Flores, MHA, a partner in Nelson Flores Hospital Medicine Consultants, a member of SHM’s Practice Analysis Committee, and co-director for the practice management pre-course, “Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Managing in the Era of Healthcare Reform. “People come looking to improve their clinical skills and their hospitalist groups.”
Pre-courses are critical to the meeting’s educational offerings. In that vein, HM14 is keeping pace with generational reform in care delivery and payment methodologies.
“The educational component—particularly the practice management track—is increasingly important in this era of rapid change,” Flores adds. “I don’t think any hospitalist anywhere in the country can afford to put his or her head in the sand and pretend it’s business as usual.”
To that end, another new feature at HM14 is a panel discussion titled, “Obamacare Is Here: What Does It Mean for You and Your Hospital?” The participants are a who’s who of the specialty’s thought leaders: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services chief medical officer Patrick Conway, MD, MSc, FAAP, SFHM; executive director and CEO of the Medical University of South Carolina and former SHM president Patrick Cawley, MD, MHM, FACP; veteran healthcare executive Patrick Courneya, MD; and American Enterprise Institute resident fellow Scott Gottlieb, MD.
“The SHM annual meeting is pretty much the only place a hospitalist can go to learn about these changes,” Flores says, “and how to cope with them from a hospitalist’s perspective.”
Richard Quinn is a freelance writer in New Jersey.
SHM’s annual meeting offers something new each year. For HM14, a timely new track dubbed “Bending the Cost Curve” will focus on hospitalists’ role in improving cost effectiveness for the healthcare system as a whole.
“The value equation has always been something that’s near and dear to us,” says HM14 course director Daniel Brotman, MD, SFHM. “What’s different now is that cost shifting to the outpatient setting is something that is now being recognized as a potential unintended consequence of rushing through hospitalizations. And as we’re moving into the accountable-care world, making sure that the cost shifting does not occur…is really important.
“That means that hospitalists need to own the care transition.”
–Leslie Flores, MHA, a partner in Nelson Flores Hospital Medicine Consultants, a member of SHM’s Practice Analysis Committee, and co-director for the practice management pre-course
The debut offerings don’t stop there. Three new pre-courses are on this year’s agenda: “Cardiology: What Hospitalists Need to Know as Front-Line Providers,” “Efficient High-Value Evidence-Based Medicine for the Practicing Hospitalist,” and “NP/PA Playbook for Hospital Medicine.”
“As a pre-course director, I think the educational aspect is what sets the tone for the whole meeting,” says Leslie Flores, MHA, a partner in Nelson Flores Hospital Medicine Consultants, a member of SHM’s Practice Analysis Committee, and co-director for the practice management pre-course, “Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Managing in the Era of Healthcare Reform. “People come looking to improve their clinical skills and their hospitalist groups.”
Pre-courses are critical to the meeting’s educational offerings. In that vein, HM14 is keeping pace with generational reform in care delivery and payment methodologies.
“The educational component—particularly the practice management track—is increasingly important in this era of rapid change,” Flores adds. “I don’t think any hospitalist anywhere in the country can afford to put his or her head in the sand and pretend it’s business as usual.”
To that end, another new feature at HM14 is a panel discussion titled, “Obamacare Is Here: What Does It Mean for You and Your Hospital?” The participants are a who’s who of the specialty’s thought leaders: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services chief medical officer Patrick Conway, MD, MSc, FAAP, SFHM; executive director and CEO of the Medical University of South Carolina and former SHM president Patrick Cawley, MD, MHM, FACP; veteran healthcare executive Patrick Courneya, MD; and American Enterprise Institute resident fellow Scott Gottlieb, MD.
“The SHM annual meeting is pretty much the only place a hospitalist can go to learn about these changes,” Flores says, “and how to cope with them from a hospitalist’s perspective.”
Richard Quinn is a freelance writer in New Jersey.