From the Society

I have learned a lot about crisis management and leadership in the rapidly changing COVID health care environment. I have learned how to make quick and imperfect decisions with limited information, and how to move on swiftly. I have learned how to quickly fade out memories of how we used to run our business, and pivot to unknown and untested delivery modalities. I have learned how to take regulatory standards as guidance, not doctrine. And I have learned how tell longstanding loyal colleagues that they are being laid off.

Many of these leadership challenges are not new, but the rapidity of change and the weight and magnitude of decision making is unparalleled in my relatively short career. In some ways, it reminds me of some solid lessons I have learned over time as a lifetime runner, with many analogies and applications to leadership.

Some people ask me why I run. “You must get a runner’s high.” The truth is, I have never had a runner’s high. I feel every step. In fact, the very nature of running makes a person feel like they are being pulled under water. Runners are typically tachycardic and short of breath the whole time they are running. But what running does allow for is to ignore some of the signals your body is sending, and wholly and completely focus on other things. I often have my most creative and innovative thoughts while running. So that is why I run. But back to the point of what running and leadership have in common – and how lessons learned can translate between the two:

They are both really hard. As I mentioned above, running literally makes you feel like you are drowning. But when you finish running, it is amazing how easy everything else feels! Similar to leadership, it should feel hard, but not too hard. I have seen firsthand the effects of under- and over-delegating, and both are dysfunctional. Good leadership is a blend of being humble and servant, but also ensuring self-care and endurance. It is also important to acknowledge the difficulty of leadership. Dr. Tom Lee, currently chief medical officer at Press Ganey, is a leader I have always admired. He once said, “Leadership can be very lonely.” At the time, I did not quite understand that, but I have come to experience that feeling occasionally. The other aspect of leadership that I find really hard is that often, people’s anger is misdirected at leaders as a natural outlet for that anger. Part of being a leader is enduring such anger, gaining an understanding for it, and doing what you can to help people through it.

They both work better when you are restored. It sounds generic and cliché, but you can’t be a good runner or a good leader when you are totally depleted.

They both require efficiency. When I was running my first marathon, a complete stranger ran up beside me and started giving me advice. I thought it was sort of strange advice at the time, but it turned out to be sound and useful. He noticed my running pattern of “sticking to the road,” and he told me I should rather “run as the crow flies.” What he meant was to run in as straight of a line as possible, regardless of the road, to preserve energy and save steps. He recommended picking a point on the horizon and running toward that point as straight as possible. As he sped off ahead of me in the next mile, his parting words were, “You’ll thank me at mile 24…” To this day, I still use that tactic, which I find very steadying and calming during running. The same can be said for leadership; as you pick a point on the horizon, keep yourself and your team heading toward that point with intense focus, and before you realize it, you’ve reached your destination.

They both require having a goal. That same stranger who gave me advice on running efficiently also asked what my goal was. It caught me off guard a bit, as I realized my only goal was to finish. He encouraged me to make a goal for the run, which could serve as a motivator when the going got tough. This was another piece of lasting advice I have used for both running and for leadership.

They both can be endured by committing to continuous forward motion. Running and leadership both become psychologically much easier when you realize all you really have to do is maintain continuous forward motion. Some days require less effort than others, but I can always convince myself I am capable of some forward motion.

They both are easier if you don’t overthink things. When I first started in a leadership position, I would have moments of anxiety if I thought too hard about what I was responsible for. Similar to running, it works best if you don’t overthink what difficulties it may bring; rather, just put on your shoes and get going.

In the end, leading during COVID is like stepping onto a new trail. Despite the new terrain and foreign path, my prior training and trusty pair of sneakers – like my leadership skills and past experiences – will get me through this journey, one step at a time.

Dr. Scheurer is chief quality officer and professor of medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston. She is president of SHM.

I have learned a lot about crisis management and leadership in the rapidly changing COVID health care environment. I have learned how to make quick and imperfect decisions with limited information, and how to move on swiftly. I have learned how to quickly fade out memories of how we used to run our business, and pivot to unknown and untested delivery modalities. I have learned how to take regulatory standards as guidance, not doctrine. And I have learned how tell longstanding loyal colleagues that they are being laid off.

Many of these leadership challenges are not new, but the rapidity of change and the weight and magnitude of decision making is unparalleled in my relatively short career. In some ways, it reminds me of some solid lessons I have learned over time as a lifetime runner, with many analogies and applications to leadership.

Some people ask me why I run. “You must get a runner’s high.” The truth is, I have never had a runner’s high. I feel every step. In fact, the very nature of running makes a person feel like they are being pulled under water. Runners are typically tachycardic and short of breath the whole time they are running. But what running does allow for is to ignore some of the signals your body is sending, and wholly and completely focus on other things. I often have my most creative and innovative thoughts while running. So that is why I run. But back to the point of what running and leadership have in common – and how lessons learned can translate between the two:

They are both really hard. As I mentioned above, running literally makes you feel like you are drowning. But when you finish running, it is amazing how easy everything else feels! Similar to leadership, it should feel hard, but not too hard. I have seen firsthand the effects of under- and over-delegating, and both are dysfunctional. Good leadership is a blend of being humble and servant, but also ensuring self-care and endurance. It is also important to acknowledge the difficulty of leadership. Dr. Tom Lee, currently chief medical officer at Press Ganey, is a leader I have always admired. He once said, “Leadership can be very lonely.” At the time, I did not quite understand that, but I have come to experience that feeling occasionally. The other aspect of leadership that I find really hard is that often, people’s anger is misdirected at leaders as a natural outlet for that anger. Part of being a leader is enduring such anger, gaining an understanding for it, and doing what you can to help people through it.

They both work better when you are restored. It sounds generic and cliché, but you can’t be a good runner or a good leader when you are totally depleted.

They both require efficiency. When I was running my first marathon, a complete stranger ran up beside me and started giving me advice. I thought it was sort of strange advice at the time, but it turned out to be sound and useful. He noticed my running pattern of “sticking to the road,” and he told me I should rather “run as the crow flies.” What he meant was to run in as straight of a line as possible, regardless of the road, to preserve energy and save steps. He recommended picking a point on the horizon and running toward that point as straight as possible. As he sped off ahead of me in the next mile, his parting words were, “You’ll thank me at mile 24…” To this day, I still use that tactic, which I find very steadying and calming during running. The same can be said for leadership; as you pick a point on the horizon, keep yourself and your team heading toward that point with intense focus, and before you realize it, you’ve reached your destination.

They both require having a goal. That same stranger who gave me advice on running efficiently also asked what my goal was. It caught me off guard a bit, as I realized my only goal was to finish. He encouraged me to make a goal for the run, which could serve as a motivator when the going got tough. This was another piece of lasting advice I have used for both running and for leadership.

They both can be endured by committing to continuous forward motion. Running and leadership both become psychologically much easier when you realize all you really have to do is maintain continuous forward motion. Some days require less effort than others, but I can always convince myself I am capable of some forward motion.

They both are easier if you don’t overthink things. When I first started in a leadership position, I would have moments of anxiety if I thought too hard about what I was responsible for. Similar to running, it works best if you don’t overthink what difficulties it may bring; rather, just put on your shoes and get going.

In the end, leading during COVID is like stepping onto a new trail. Despite the new terrain and foreign path, my prior training and trusty pair of sneakers – like my leadership skills and past experiences – will get me through this journey, one step at a time.

Dr. Scheurer is chief quality officer and professor of medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston. She is president of SHM.

I have learned a lot about crisis management and leadership in the rapidly changing COVID health care environment. I have learned how to make quick and imperfect decisions with limited information, and how to move on swiftly. I have learned how to quickly fade out memories of how we used to run our business, and pivot to unknown and untested delivery modalities. I have learned how to take regulatory standards as guidance, not doctrine. And I have learned how tell longstanding loyal colleagues that they are being laid off.

Many of these leadership challenges are not new, but the rapidity of change and the weight and magnitude of decision making is unparalleled in my relatively short career. In some ways, it reminds me of some solid lessons I have learned over time as a lifetime runner, with many analogies and applications to leadership.

Some people ask me why I run. “You must get a runner’s high.” The truth is, I have never had a runner’s high. I feel every step. In fact, the very nature of running makes a person feel like they are being pulled under water. Runners are typically tachycardic and short of breath the whole time they are running. But what running does allow for is to ignore some of the signals your body is sending, and wholly and completely focus on other things. I often have my most creative and innovative thoughts while running. So that is why I run. But back to the point of what running and leadership have in common – and how lessons learned can translate between the two:

They are both really hard. As I mentioned above, running literally makes you feel like you are drowning. But when you finish running, it is amazing how easy everything else feels! Similar to leadership, it should feel hard, but not too hard. I have seen firsthand the effects of under- and over-delegating, and both are dysfunctional. Good leadership is a blend of being humble and servant, but also ensuring self-care and endurance. It is also important to acknowledge the difficulty of leadership. Dr. Tom Lee, currently chief medical officer at Press Ganey, is a leader I have always admired. He once said, “Leadership can be very lonely.” At the time, I did not quite understand that, but I have come to experience that feeling occasionally. The other aspect of leadership that I find really hard is that often, people’s anger is misdirected at leaders as a natural outlet for that anger. Part of being a leader is enduring such anger, gaining an understanding for it, and doing what you can to help people through it.

They both work better when you are restored. It sounds generic and cliché, but you can’t be a good runner or a good leader when you are totally depleted.

They both require efficiency. When I was running my first marathon, a complete stranger ran up beside me and started giving me advice. I thought it was sort of strange advice at the time, but it turned out to be sound and useful. He noticed my running pattern of “sticking to the road,” and he told me I should rather “run as the crow flies.” What he meant was to run in as straight of a line as possible, regardless of the road, to preserve energy and save steps. He recommended picking a point on the horizon and running toward that point as straight as possible. As he sped off ahead of me in the next mile, his parting words were, “You’ll thank me at mile 24…” To this day, I still use that tactic, which I find very steadying and calming during running. The same can be said for leadership; as you pick a point on the horizon, keep yourself and your team heading toward that point with intense focus, and before you realize it, you’ve reached your destination.

They both require having a goal. That same stranger who gave me advice on running efficiently also asked what my goal was. It caught me off guard a bit, as I realized my only goal was to finish. He encouraged me to make a goal for the run, which could serve as a motivator when the going got tough. This was another piece of lasting advice I have used for both running and for leadership.

They both can be endured by committing to continuous forward motion. Running and leadership both become psychologically much easier when you realize all you really have to do is maintain continuous forward motion. Some days require less effort than others, but I can always convince myself I am capable of some forward motion.

They both are easier if you don’t overthink things. When I first started in a leadership position, I would have moments of anxiety if I thought too hard about what I was responsible for. Similar to running, it works best if you don’t overthink what difficulties it may bring; rather, just put on your shoes and get going.

In the end, leading during COVID is like stepping onto a new trail. Despite the new terrain and foreign path, my prior training and trusty pair of sneakers – like my leadership skills and past experiences – will get me through this journey, one step at a time.

Dr. Scheurer is chief quality officer and professor of medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston. She is president of SHM.

On Dec. 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, which finalized proposed changes to Medicare reimbursement rates, including a significant negative budget neutrality adjustment. For hospitalists, the Society of Hospital Medicine estimates that the adjustment will amount to an estimated 8% reduction in Medicare reimbursement rates, which will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2021.

“These cuts are coming at the exact wrong time. During the chaos of 2020, when hospitalists have been essential to responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, they should not be met with a significant pay reduction in 2021,” said Eric E. Howell, MD, MHM, chief executive officer of the Society of Hospital Medicine. “While we at SHM support increasing pay for outpatient primary care, which is driving these cuts, we do not believe now is the right time to make significant adjustments to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. We now call on Congress to do the right thing for hospitalists and other frontline providers who have otherwise been lauded as heroes.”

SHM will continue to fight for hospitalists and to advocate to reverse these cuts. To send a message of support to your representatives, visit SHM’s Legislative Action Center and click on “Support the Holding Providers Harmless from Medicare Cuts During COVID-19 Act of 2020.” To learn more about and become involved with SHM’s advocacy efforts, visit hospitalmedicine.org/advocacy.

On Dec. 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, which finalized proposed changes to Medicare reimbursement rates, including a significant negative budget neutrality adjustment. For hospitalists, the Society of Hospital Medicine estimates that the adjustment will amount to an estimated 8% reduction in Medicare reimbursement rates, which will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2021.

“These cuts are coming at the exact wrong time. During the chaos of 2020, when hospitalists have been essential to responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, they should not be met with a significant pay reduction in 2021,” said Eric E. Howell, MD, MHM, chief executive officer of the Society of Hospital Medicine. “While we at SHM support increasing pay for outpatient primary care, which is driving these cuts, we do not believe now is the right time to make significant adjustments to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. We now call on Congress to do the right thing for hospitalists and other frontline providers who have otherwise been lauded as heroes.”

SHM will continue to fight for hospitalists and to advocate to reverse these cuts. To send a message of support to your representatives, visit SHM’s Legislative Action Center and click on “Support the Holding Providers Harmless from Medicare Cuts During COVID-19 Act of 2020.” To learn more about and become involved with SHM’s advocacy efforts, visit hospitalmedicine.org/advocacy.

On Dec. 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, which finalized proposed changes to Medicare reimbursement rates, including a significant negative budget neutrality adjustment. For hospitalists, the Society of Hospital Medicine estimates that the adjustment will amount to an estimated 8% reduction in Medicare reimbursement rates, which will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2021.

“These cuts are coming at the exact wrong time. During the chaos of 2020, when hospitalists have been essential to responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, they should not be met with a significant pay reduction in 2021,” said Eric E. Howell, MD, MHM, chief executive officer of the Society of Hospital Medicine. “While we at SHM support increasing pay for outpatient primary care, which is driving these cuts, we do not believe now is the right time to make significant adjustments to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. We now call on Congress to do the right thing for hospitalists and other frontline providers who have otherwise been lauded as heroes.”

SHM will continue to fight for hospitalists and to advocate to reverse these cuts. To send a message of support to your representatives, visit SHM’s Legislative Action Center and click on “Support the Holding Providers Harmless from Medicare Cuts During COVID-19 Act of 2020.” To learn more about and become involved with SHM’s advocacy efforts, visit hospitalmedicine.org/advocacy.

“How much longer?” As a kid, I can remember the long holiday car ride with my parents from my home in Annapolis, Md., to Upstate New York where my grandparents lived. At the time, the ride felt like an eternity: endless miles of frozen landscape, limited food, and a brother who constantly crossed over the invisible line that was my side of the car.

We made our parents crazy asking, “how much longer?” every few minutes. This was the late 1970s, with no GPS or Google Maps to give you arrival times to the minute, traffic warnings, or reroutes when the inevitable delays occurred. We just plowed ahead, and my parents’ answer was always something vague like, “in a few hours” or “we’re about halfway through.” They did not know when we’d arrive with certainty either.

We at SHM have that same feeling about the pandemic. How much longer? No one can tell us when the COVID-19 threat will abate. The experts’ answers are understandably vague, and the tools for forecasting are non-existent. Months? That is the best we know for now.

At SHM, we believe we will make it through this journey by adapting to roadblocks, providing tools for success to our professional community, and identifying opportunities for us to connect with each other, even if that means virtually.

Like the rest of the planet, the spring of 2020 hit SHM with a shock. Hospital Medicine 2020 (HM20) in San Diego was shaping up to be the largest Annual Conference SHM ever had, the Pediatric Hospital Medicine 2020 (PHM20) conference was well planned and expected to be a huge success, regional SHM chapters were meeting (and growing), and membership was thriving. I was transitioning out of my roles at Johns Hopkins and looking forward to my new role as CEO of SHM. All in all, March 2020 began with a fantastic outlook.

Wow, what a difference a few weeks made. We watched as the pandemic spread across regions of the country, concerned for the wellbeing of our patients and our hospitalists. We saw how our members were at the forefront of patient care during this crisis and understood that SHM had to adapt rapidly to meet their needs in real time.

By May, SHM had canceled HM20, Chapter activity was halted, PHM20 was on its way to being canceled, SHM committee work was put on hold, and I was spending my last few months at Hopkins as the chief medical officer at the Baltimore Convention Center Field Hospital (which we got up and running in less than a month)! Whew.

But just like my dad could pivot our 1970s Chevy station wagon around a traffic jam in a flash, so too did SHM leadership start navigating around the COVID-19 landscape. As soon as HM20 was canceled, SHM immediately began planning for a virtual offering in August. We had hoped to attract at least 100 attendees and we were thrilled to have more than 1,000! PHM20 was switched from an in-person to a virtual meeting with 634 attendees. We launched numerous COVID-19 webinars and made our clinical and educational offerings open access. Our Public Policy Committee was active around both COVID-19 and hospitalist-related topics – immigration, telehealth, wellbeing, and financial impacts, to name a few. (And I even met with the POTUS & advocated for PPE.) The Journal of Hospital Medicine worked with authors to get important publications out at record speed. And of course, The Hospitalist connected all of us to our professional leaders and experts.

By the fall of 2020, SHM had actively adjusted to the “new normal” of this pandemic: SHM staff have settled into their new “work from home” environments, SHM Chapters are connecting members in the virtual world, SHM’s 2021 Annual Conference will be all virtual – rebranded as “SHM Converge” – and the State of Hospital Medicine Report (our every-other-year source for trends in hospital medicine) now has a COVID-19 supplement, which was developed at lightning speed. Even our SHM Board of Directors is meeting virtually! All this while advancing the routine work at SHM, which never faltered. Our work on resources for quality improvement, the opioid epidemic, wellbeing, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), leadership, professional development, advocacy, and so much more is as active as ever.

I don’t know how much longer we have on this very long pandemic journey, so I’ll use my father’s answer of “we’re about halfway through.” We have been immersed in it for months already, with months still ahead. But regardless of the upcoming twists and turns COVID-19 forces you, our patients, and our larger society to take, SHM is ready to change direction faster than a 1970s Chevy. The SHM staff, leadership, and members will be sure that hospitalists receive the tools to navigate these unprecedented times. Our patients need our skills to get through this as safely as possible. While we may not be able to tell them “how much longer,” we can certainly be prepared for the long road ahead as we begin 2021.

Dr. Howell is CEO of the Society of Hospital Medicine.

“How much longer?” As a kid, I can remember the long holiday car ride with my parents from my home in Annapolis, Md., to Upstate New York where my grandparents lived. At the time, the ride felt like an eternity: endless miles of frozen landscape, limited food, and a brother who constantly crossed over the invisible line that was my side of the car.

We made our parents crazy asking, “how much longer?” every few minutes. This was the late 1970s, with no GPS or Google Maps to give you arrival times to the minute, traffic warnings, or reroutes when the inevitable delays occurred. We just plowed ahead, and my parents’ answer was always something vague like, “in a few hours” or “we’re about halfway through.” They did not know when we’d arrive with certainty either.

We at SHM have that same feeling about the pandemic. How much longer? No one can tell us when the COVID-19 threat will abate. The experts’ answers are understandably vague, and the tools for forecasting are non-existent. Months? That is the best we know for now.

At SHM, we believe we will make it through this journey by adapting to roadblocks, providing tools for success to our professional community, and identifying opportunities for us to connect with each other, even if that means virtually.

Like the rest of the planet, the spring of 2020 hit SHM with a shock. Hospital Medicine 2020 (HM20) in San Diego was shaping up to be the largest Annual Conference SHM ever had, the Pediatric Hospital Medicine 2020 (PHM20) conference was well planned and expected to be a huge success, regional SHM chapters were meeting (and growing), and membership was thriving. I was transitioning out of my roles at Johns Hopkins and looking forward to my new role as CEO of SHM. All in all, March 2020 began with a fantastic outlook.

Wow, what a difference a few weeks made. We watched as the pandemic spread across regions of the country, concerned for the wellbeing of our patients and our hospitalists. We saw how our members were at the forefront of patient care during this crisis and understood that SHM had to adapt rapidly to meet their needs in real time.

By May, SHM had canceled HM20, Chapter activity was halted, PHM20 was on its way to being canceled, SHM committee work was put on hold, and I was spending my last few months at Hopkins as the chief medical officer at the Baltimore Convention Center Field Hospital (which we got up and running in less than a month)! Whew.

But just like my dad could pivot our 1970s Chevy station wagon around a traffic jam in a flash, so too did SHM leadership start navigating around the COVID-19 landscape. As soon as HM20 was canceled, SHM immediately began planning for a virtual offering in August. We had hoped to attract at least 100 attendees and we were thrilled to have more than 1,000! PHM20 was switched from an in-person to a virtual meeting with 634 attendees. We launched numerous COVID-19 webinars and made our clinical and educational offerings open access. Our Public Policy Committee was active around both COVID-19 and hospitalist-related topics – immigration, telehealth, wellbeing, and financial impacts, to name a few. (And I even met with the POTUS & advocated for PPE.) The Journal of Hospital Medicine worked with authors to get important publications out at record speed. And of course, The Hospitalist connected all of us to our professional leaders and experts.

By the fall of 2020, SHM had actively adjusted to the “new normal” of this pandemic: SHM staff have settled into their new “work from home” environments, SHM Chapters are connecting members in the virtual world, SHM’s 2021 Annual Conference will be all virtual – rebranded as “SHM Converge” – and the State of Hospital Medicine Report (our every-other-year source for trends in hospital medicine) now has a COVID-19 supplement, which was developed at lightning speed. Even our SHM Board of Directors is meeting virtually! All this while advancing the routine work at SHM, which never faltered. Our work on resources for quality improvement, the opioid epidemic, wellbeing, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), leadership, professional development, advocacy, and so much more is as active as ever.

I don’t know how much longer we have on this very long pandemic journey, so I’ll use my father’s answer of “we’re about halfway through.” We have been immersed in it for months already, with months still ahead. But regardless of the upcoming twists and turns COVID-19 forces you, our patients, and our larger society to take, SHM is ready to change direction faster than a 1970s Chevy. The SHM staff, leadership, and members will be sure that hospitalists receive the tools to navigate these unprecedented times. Our patients need our skills to get through this as safely as possible. While we may not be able to tell them “how much longer,” we can certainly be prepared for the long road ahead as we begin 2021.

Dr. Howell is CEO of the Society of Hospital Medicine.

“How much longer?” As a kid, I can remember the long holiday car ride with my parents from my home in Annapolis, Md., to Upstate New York where my grandparents lived. At the time, the ride felt like an eternity: endless miles of frozen landscape, limited food, and a brother who constantly crossed over the invisible line that was my side of the car.

We made our parents crazy asking, “how much longer?” every few minutes. This was the late 1970s, with no GPS or Google Maps to give you arrival times to the minute, traffic warnings, or reroutes when the inevitable delays occurred. We just plowed ahead, and my parents’ answer was always something vague like, “in a few hours” or “we’re about halfway through.” They did not know when we’d arrive with certainty either.

We at SHM have that same feeling about the pandemic. How much longer? No one can tell us when the COVID-19 threat will abate. The experts’ answers are understandably vague, and the tools for forecasting are non-existent. Months? That is the best we know for now.

At SHM, we believe we will make it through this journey by adapting to roadblocks, providing tools for success to our professional community, and identifying opportunities for us to connect with each other, even if that means virtually.

Like the rest of the planet, the spring of 2020 hit SHM with a shock. Hospital Medicine 2020 (HM20) in San Diego was shaping up to be the largest Annual Conference SHM ever had, the Pediatric Hospital Medicine 2020 (PHM20) conference was well planned and expected to be a huge success, regional SHM chapters were meeting (and growing), and membership was thriving. I was transitioning out of my roles at Johns Hopkins and looking forward to my new role as CEO of SHM. All in all, March 2020 began with a fantastic outlook.

Wow, what a difference a few weeks made. We watched as the pandemic spread across regions of the country, concerned for the wellbeing of our patients and our hospitalists. We saw how our members were at the forefront of patient care during this crisis and understood that SHM had to adapt rapidly to meet their needs in real time.

By May, SHM had canceled HM20, Chapter activity was halted, PHM20 was on its way to being canceled, SHM committee work was put on hold, and I was spending my last few months at Hopkins as the chief medical officer at the Baltimore Convention Center Field Hospital (which we got up and running in less than a month)! Whew.

But just like my dad could pivot our 1970s Chevy station wagon around a traffic jam in a flash, so too did SHM leadership start navigating around the COVID-19 landscape. As soon as HM20 was canceled, SHM immediately began planning for a virtual offering in August. We had hoped to attract at least 100 attendees and we were thrilled to have more than 1,000! PHM20 was switched from an in-person to a virtual meeting with 634 attendees. We launched numerous COVID-19 webinars and made our clinical and educational offerings open access. Our Public Policy Committee was active around both COVID-19 and hospitalist-related topics – immigration, telehealth, wellbeing, and financial impacts, to name a few. (And I even met with the POTUS & advocated for PPE.) The Journal of Hospital Medicine worked with authors to get important publications out at record speed. And of course, The Hospitalist connected all of us to our professional leaders and experts.

By the fall of 2020, SHM had actively adjusted to the “new normal” of this pandemic: SHM staff have settled into their new “work from home” environments, SHM Chapters are connecting members in the virtual world, SHM’s 2021 Annual Conference will be all virtual – rebranded as “SHM Converge” – and the State of Hospital Medicine Report (our every-other-year source for trends in hospital medicine) now has a COVID-19 supplement, which was developed at lightning speed. Even our SHM Board of Directors is meeting virtually! All this while advancing the routine work at SHM, which never faltered. Our work on resources for quality improvement, the opioid epidemic, wellbeing, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), leadership, professional development, advocacy, and so much more is as active as ever.

I don’t know how much longer we have on this very long pandemic journey, so I’ll use my father’s answer of “we’re about halfway through.” We have been immersed in it for months already, with months still ahead. But regardless of the upcoming twists and turns COVID-19 forces you, our patients, and our larger society to take, SHM is ready to change direction faster than a 1970s Chevy. The SHM staff, leadership, and members will be sure that hospitalists receive the tools to navigate these unprecedented times. Our patients need our skills to get through this as safely as possible. While we may not be able to tell them “how much longer,” we can certainly be prepared for the long road ahead as we begin 2021.

Dr. Howell is CEO of the Society of Hospital Medicine.

As we navigate a time unlike any other, it is clear that the value hospitalists provide is growing stronger as the hospital medicine field expands. Many Society of Hospital Medicine members look to its Fellows program as a worthwhile opportunity to distinguish themselves as leaders in the field and accelerate their careers in the specialty.

An active member of SHM since 2012 and member of its 2020 class of Fellows, Tanisha Hamilton, MD, FHM, is one of these ambitious individuals.

Dr. Hamilton is based at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, an affiliate of Baylor Scott & White Health. Known for personalized health and wellness care, Dr. Hamilton has more than 14 years of experience in the medical field.

Her love for the hospital medicine specialty is rooted in its diversity and complexity of patient cases – something that she knew would innately complement her personality. She says that an invaluable aspect of working in the field is the ability to interact and connect with people from all walks of life.

“My patients keep me motivated in this space. Learning from my patients and having the responsibility of serving as their advocate is incredibly rewarding,” Dr. Hamilton said. “I hope my patients feel like I’ve helped to make a difference in their lives, if only for just a moment.”

When reflecting on why she joined SHM 8 years ago, Dr. Hamilton said she was encouraged to do so because of its like-minded membership community and professional development opportunities, including the Fellows program.

“I applied to SHM’s Fellows program because I’m committed to the specialty. Hospital medicine is an ever-changing field loaded with opportunities to enhance personal and professional career growth,” said Dr. Hamilton. “To me, SHM’s Fellow in Hospital Medicine [FHM] designation demonstrates the ability to make a contribution to the field and to be an instrument for change.”

She credits receiving her designation as a distinction that has opened doors to other career-enhancing opportunities and networking resources, including an expansive global community, program development at her institution, and positions within SHM. Since earning her FHM designation, Dr. Hamilton has become an engaged member of the annual meeting committee and the North Central Texas Chapter.

“Since we are taking our annual conference virtual for SHM Converge in 2021, I’m excited to see how we can transform a meeting of more than 5,000 attendees into a full digital experience with interactive workshops, exhibits, research competitions, and more,” Dr. Hamilton said. “It’s certainly going to be a challenge, but I know that our meetings department and annual conference committee will make it a success!”

As Dr. Hamilton looks forward in her hospital medicine career, she is committed to making a positive impact on the field and for her patients.

In the future, Dr. Hamilton hopes to share curriculum she recently developed and sponsored around diversity, equity, and inclusion with her team at Baylor University Medical Center.

“Following the tragic deaths of numerous individuals, including Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Abery, and George Floyd, and other people of color who have died because of COVID-19, I have felt compelled to educate my colleagues on how to curtail systemic racism, sexism, religious discrimination, and xenophobia in health care,” Dr. Hamilton said. “This curriculum includes courses on health disparities and cultural competencies, launching a lecture series, and other educational components.”

While 2020 has been a trying year, Dr. Hamilton remains hopeful for a prosperous future.

“When I think of the future of hospital medicine, I am hopeful that hospitalists will have a more prominent role in changing the direction of our health care system,” she said. “The pandemic has made the world realize the importance of hospital medicine. We, as hospitalists, are a critical part of its infrastructure and its success.”

If you would like to join Dr. Hamilton and other like-minded hospital medicine leaders in accelerating your career, SHM is currently recruiting for the Fellows and Senior Fellows class of 2021. Applications are open until Nov. 20, 2020. These designations are available across a variety of membership categories, including physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and qualified practice administrators. Dedicated to promoting excellence, innovation, and quality improvement in patient care, Fellows designations provide members with a distinguishing credential as established pioneers in the industry.

For more information and to review your eligibility, visit hospitalmedicine.org/fellows.

Ms. Cowan is a communications specialist at the Society of Hospital Medicine.

As we navigate a time unlike any other, it is clear that the value hospitalists provide is growing stronger as the hospital medicine field expands. Many Society of Hospital Medicine members look to its Fellows program as a worthwhile opportunity to distinguish themselves as leaders in the field and accelerate their careers in the specialty.

An active member of SHM since 2012 and member of its 2020 class of Fellows, Tanisha Hamilton, MD, FHM, is one of these ambitious individuals.

Dr. Hamilton is based at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, an affiliate of Baylor Scott & White Health. Known for personalized health and wellness care, Dr. Hamilton has more than 14 years of experience in the medical field.

Her love for the hospital medicine specialty is rooted in its diversity and complexity of patient cases – something that she knew would innately complement her personality. She says that an invaluable aspect of working in the field is the ability to interact and connect with people from all walks of life.

“My patients keep me motivated in this space. Learning from my patients and having the responsibility of serving as their advocate is incredibly rewarding,” Dr. Hamilton said. “I hope my patients feel like I’ve helped to make a difference in their lives, if only for just a moment.”

When reflecting on why she joined SHM 8 years ago, Dr. Hamilton said she was encouraged to do so because of its like-minded membership community and professional development opportunities, including the Fellows program.

“I applied to SHM’s Fellows program because I’m committed to the specialty. Hospital medicine is an ever-changing field loaded with opportunities to enhance personal and professional career growth,” said Dr. Hamilton. “To me, SHM’s Fellow in Hospital Medicine [FHM] designation demonstrates the ability to make a contribution to the field and to be an instrument for change.”

She credits receiving her designation as a distinction that has opened doors to other career-enhancing opportunities and networking resources, including an expansive global community, program development at her institution, and positions within SHM. Since earning her FHM designation, Dr. Hamilton has become an engaged member of the annual meeting committee and the North Central Texas Chapter.

“Since we are taking our annual conference virtual for SHM Converge in 2021, I’m excited to see how we can transform a meeting of more than 5,000 attendees into a full digital experience with interactive workshops, exhibits, research competitions, and more,” Dr. Hamilton said. “It’s certainly going to be a challenge, but I know that our meetings department and annual conference committee will make it a success!”

As Dr. Hamilton looks forward in her hospital medicine career, she is committed to making a positive impact on the field and for her patients.

In the future, Dr. Hamilton hopes to share curriculum she recently developed and sponsored around diversity, equity, and inclusion with her team at Baylor University Medical Center.

“Following the tragic deaths of numerous individuals, including Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Abery, and George Floyd, and other people of color who have died because of COVID-19, I have felt compelled to educate my colleagues on how to curtail systemic racism, sexism, religious discrimination, and xenophobia in health care,” Dr. Hamilton said. “This curriculum includes courses on health disparities and cultural competencies, launching a lecture series, and other educational components.”

While 2020 has been a trying year, Dr. Hamilton remains hopeful for a prosperous future.

“When I think of the future of hospital medicine, I am hopeful that hospitalists will have a more prominent role in changing the direction of our health care system,” she said. “The pandemic has made the world realize the importance of hospital medicine. We, as hospitalists, are a critical part of its infrastructure and its success.”

If you would like to join Dr. Hamilton and other like-minded hospital medicine leaders in accelerating your career, SHM is currently recruiting for the Fellows and Senior Fellows class of 2021. Applications are open until Nov. 20, 2020. These designations are available across a variety of membership categories, including physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and qualified practice administrators. Dedicated to promoting excellence, innovation, and quality improvement in patient care, Fellows designations provide members with a distinguishing credential as established pioneers in the industry.

For more information and to review your eligibility, visit hospitalmedicine.org/fellows.

Ms. Cowan is a communications specialist at the Society of Hospital Medicine.

As we navigate a time unlike any other, it is clear that the value hospitalists provide is growing stronger as the hospital medicine field expands. Many Society of Hospital Medicine members look to its Fellows program as a worthwhile opportunity to distinguish themselves as leaders in the field and accelerate their careers in the specialty.

An active member of SHM since 2012 and member of its 2020 class of Fellows, Tanisha Hamilton, MD, FHM, is one of these ambitious individuals.

Dr. Hamilton is based at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, an affiliate of Baylor Scott & White Health. Known for personalized health and wellness care, Dr. Hamilton has more than 14 years of experience in the medical field.

Her love for the hospital medicine specialty is rooted in its diversity and complexity of patient cases – something that she knew would innately complement her personality. She says that an invaluable aspect of working in the field is the ability to interact and connect with people from all walks of life.

“My patients keep me motivated in this space. Learning from my patients and having the responsibility of serving as their advocate is incredibly rewarding,” Dr. Hamilton said. “I hope my patients feel like I’ve helped to make a difference in their lives, if only for just a moment.”

When reflecting on why she joined SHM 8 years ago, Dr. Hamilton said she was encouraged to do so because of its like-minded membership community and professional development opportunities, including the Fellows program.

“I applied to SHM’s Fellows program because I’m committed to the specialty. Hospital medicine is an ever-changing field loaded with opportunities to enhance personal and professional career growth,” said Dr. Hamilton. “To me, SHM’s Fellow in Hospital Medicine [FHM] designation demonstrates the ability to make a contribution to the field and to be an instrument for change.”

She credits receiving her designation as a distinction that has opened doors to other career-enhancing opportunities and networking resources, including an expansive global community, program development at her institution, and positions within SHM. Since earning her FHM designation, Dr. Hamilton has become an engaged member of the annual meeting committee and the North Central Texas Chapter.

“Since we are taking our annual conference virtual for SHM Converge in 2021, I’m excited to see how we can transform a meeting of more than 5,000 attendees into a full digital experience with interactive workshops, exhibits, research competitions, and more,” Dr. Hamilton said. “It’s certainly going to be a challenge, but I know that our meetings department and annual conference committee will make it a success!”

As Dr. Hamilton looks forward in her hospital medicine career, she is committed to making a positive impact on the field and for her patients.

In the future, Dr. Hamilton hopes to share curriculum she recently developed and sponsored around diversity, equity, and inclusion with her team at Baylor University Medical Center.

“Following the tragic deaths of numerous individuals, including Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Abery, and George Floyd, and other people of color who have died because of COVID-19, I have felt compelled to educate my colleagues on how to curtail systemic racism, sexism, religious discrimination, and xenophobia in health care,” Dr. Hamilton said. “This curriculum includes courses on health disparities and cultural competencies, launching a lecture series, and other educational components.”

While 2020 has been a trying year, Dr. Hamilton remains hopeful for a prosperous future.

“When I think of the future of hospital medicine, I am hopeful that hospitalists will have a more prominent role in changing the direction of our health care system,” she said. “The pandemic has made the world realize the importance of hospital medicine. We, as hospitalists, are a critical part of its infrastructure and its success.”

If you would like to join Dr. Hamilton and other like-minded hospital medicine leaders in accelerating your career, SHM is currently recruiting for the Fellows and Senior Fellows class of 2021. Applications are open until Nov. 20, 2020. These designations are available across a variety of membership categories, including physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and qualified practice administrators. Dedicated to promoting excellence, innovation, and quality improvement in patient care, Fellows designations provide members with a distinguishing credential as established pioneers in the industry.

For more information and to review your eligibility, visit hospitalmedicine.org/fellows.

Ms. Cowan is a communications specialist at the Society of Hospital Medicine.

The Society of Hospital Medicine has announced its virtual annual conference for 2021: SHM Converge. Formerly known as Hospital Medicine 2021, SHM Converge will take place virtually from May 3-7, 2021, and will offer a fully digital experience with the same education, professional development, and networking hospitalists have come to expect from SHM’s annual conference.

“This year, COVID-19 has challenged us to embrace change and to innovate to better serve our hospital medicine community,” said Danielle Scheurer, MD, MSCR, SFHM, president of SHM’s board of directors. “In that spirit, not only are we introducing an exciting new brand for the SHM annual conference, we are unveiling a reimagined experience for attendees, complete with sessions highlighting the latest research, best practices and innovations in the field.”

The SHM Converge schedule features 20 educational tracks, including the addition of four new tracks to support hospital medicine professionals in some of the most relevant topics affecting health care: diagnostic safety; diversity, equity, and inclusion; leadership; and wellness and resilience

Attendees will also have the option to follow many of the most popular tracks from previous SHM annual conferences, including Rapid Fire, Clinical Updates, and High-Value Care, among others. In many sessions, speakers will present the latest data and information available about COVID-19’s impact on the practice of hospital medicine. Precourses will be held on May 3.

SHM Converge will also offer additional professional development opportunities, including the Research, Innovations, and Clinical Vignettes scientific abstract competition and a speed mentoring session. Networking will be an integral component of SHM Converge. Attendees will be able to choose from more than 20 Special Interest forums, live Q&A sessions and networking events through the interactive conference platform.

“While SHM Converge may look a bit different than the SHM annual conference we are accustomed to, I am confident the content will be among the best we have ever offered, spanning a broad range of clinical topics and issues affecting hospitalists and their patients,” said Daniel Steinberg, MD, SFHM, course director for SHM Converge. “This virtual experience will unite hospitalists from around the globe and connect them with renowned faculty members and thought leaders in hospital medicine – as well as with their hospitalist colleagues they look forward to reconnecting with each year.”

Keynote speaker announcements are forthcoming.

Registration for SHM Converge opens in November 2020. Learn more at shmconverge.org.

Members of the media can obtain press passes beginning in November 2020 by contacting [email protected].






 

The Society of Hospital Medicine has announced its virtual annual conference for 2021: SHM Converge. Formerly known as Hospital Medicine 2021, SHM Converge will take place virtually from May 3-7, 2021, and will offer a fully digital experience with the same education, professional development, and networking hospitalists have come to expect from SHM’s annual conference.

“This year, COVID-19 has challenged us to embrace change and to innovate to better serve our hospital medicine community,” said Danielle Scheurer, MD, MSCR, SFHM, president of SHM’s board of directors. “In that spirit, not only are we introducing an exciting new brand for the SHM annual conference, we are unveiling a reimagined experience for attendees, complete with sessions highlighting the latest research, best practices and innovations in the field.”

The SHM Converge schedule features 20 educational tracks, including the addition of four new tracks to support hospital medicine professionals in some of the most relevant topics affecting health care: diagnostic safety; diversity, equity, and inclusion; leadership; and wellness and resilience

Attendees will also have the option to follow many of the most popular tracks from previous SHM annual conferences, including Rapid Fire, Clinical Updates, and High-Value Care, among others. In many sessions, speakers will present the latest data and information available about COVID-19’s impact on the practice of hospital medicine. Precourses will be held on May 3.

SHM Converge will also offer additional professional development opportunities, including the Research, Innovations, and Clinical Vignettes scientific abstract competition and a speed mentoring session. Networking will be an integral component of SHM Converge. Attendees will be able to choose from more than 20 Special Interest forums, live Q&A sessions and networking events through the interactive conference platform.

“While SHM Converge may look a bit different than the SHM annual conference we are accustomed to, I am confident the content will be among the best we have ever offered, spanning a broad range of clinical topics and issues affecting hospitalists and their patients,” said Daniel Steinberg, MD, SFHM, course director for SHM Converge. “This virtual experience will unite hospitalists from around the globe and connect them with renowned faculty members and thought leaders in hospital medicine – as well as with their hospitalist colleagues they look forward to reconnecting with each year.”

Keynote speaker announcements are forthcoming.

Registration for SHM Converge opens in November 2020. Learn more at shmconverge.org.

Members of the media can obtain press passes beginning in November 2020 by contacting [email protected].






 

The Society of Hospital Medicine has announced its virtual annual conference for 2021: SHM Converge. Formerly known as Hospital Medicine 2021, SHM Converge will take place virtually from May 3-7, 2021, and will offer a fully digital experience with the same education, professional development, and networking hospitalists have come to expect from SHM’s annual conference.

“This year, COVID-19 has challenged us to embrace change and to innovate to better serve our hospital medicine community,” said Danielle Scheurer, MD, MSCR, SFHM, president of SHM’s board of directors. “In that spirit, not only are we introducing an exciting new brand for the SHM annual conference, we are unveiling a reimagined experience for attendees, complete with sessions highlighting the latest research, best practices and innovations in the field.”

The SHM Converge schedule features 20 educational tracks, including the addition of four new tracks to support hospital medicine professionals in some of the most relevant topics affecting health care: diagnostic safety; diversity, equity, and inclusion; leadership; and wellness and resilience

Attendees will also have the option to follow many of the most popular tracks from previous SHM annual conferences, including Rapid Fire, Clinical Updates, and High-Value Care, among others. In many sessions, speakers will present the latest data and information available about COVID-19’s impact on the practice of hospital medicine. Precourses will be held on May 3.

SHM Converge will also offer additional professional development opportunities, including the Research, Innovations, and Clinical Vignettes scientific abstract competition and a speed mentoring session. Networking will be an integral component of SHM Converge. Attendees will be able to choose from more than 20 Special Interest forums, live Q&A sessions and networking events through the interactive conference platform.

“While SHM Converge may look a bit different than the SHM annual conference we are accustomed to, I am confident the content will be among the best we have ever offered, spanning a broad range of clinical topics and issues affecting hospitalists and their patients,” said Daniel Steinberg, MD, SFHM, course director for SHM Converge. “This virtual experience will unite hospitalists from around the globe and connect them with renowned faculty members and thought leaders in hospital medicine – as well as with their hospitalist colleagues they look forward to reconnecting with each year.”

Keynote speaker announcements are forthcoming.

Registration for SHM Converge opens in November 2020. Learn more at shmconverge.org.

Members of the media can obtain press passes beginning in November 2020 by contacting [email protected].






 

The SHM Annual Conference is more than an educational event. It also provides an opportunity to collaborate, network and create innovative ideas to improve the quality of inpatient care.

During the 2019 Annual Conference (HM19) – the last “in-person” Annual Conference before the COVID pandemic – SHM chapter leaders from the New Mexico chapter (Krystle Apodaca) and the Wiregrass chapter (Amith Skandhan), which covers the counties of Southern Alabama and the Panhandle of Florida, met during a networking event.

As we talked, we realized the unique differences and similarities our practice settings shared. We debated the role of clinician wellbeing, quality of medical education, and faculty development on individual hospital medicine group (HMG) practice styles.

Clinician well-being is the prerequisite to the Triple Aim of improving the health of populations, enhancing the patient experience, and reducing the cost of care. Engagement in local SHM chapter activities promotes the efficiency of practice, a culture of wellness, and personal resilience. Each HMG faces similar challenges but approaches to solving them vary. Professional challenges can affect the well-being of individual clinicians. During our discussion we realized that an interinstitutional exchange programs could provide a platform to exchange ideas and establish mentors.

The quality of medical education is directly linked to the quality of faculty development. Improving the quality of medical education requires a multifaceted approach by highly developed faculty. The complex factors affecting medical education and faculty development are further complicated by geographic location, patient characteristics, and professional growth opportunities.

Overcoming these obstacles requires an innovative and collaborative approach. Although faculty exchanges are common in academic medicine, they are not commonly attempted with HMGs. Hospitalists are responsible for a significant part of inpatient training for residents, medical students, and nurse practitioners/physician assistants (NPs/PAs) but their faculty training can vary based on location.

As a young specialty, hospital medicine is still evolving and incorporating NPs/PAs and physician hospitalists in varied practice models. Each HMG addresses common obstacles differently based on their culture and practice styles. As chapter leaders we determined that an exchange program would afford the opportunity for visiting faculty members to experience these differences.

We shared the idea of a chapter-level exchange with SHM’s Chapter Development Committee and obtained chapter development funds to execute the event. We also requested that an SHM national board member visit during the exchange to provide insight and feedback. We researched the characteristics of individual academic HMGs and structured a faculty exchange involving physicians and NPs/PAs. During the exchange program planning, the visiting faculty itinerary was tailored to a well-planned agenda for one week, with separate tracks for physicians and NPs/PAs, giving increased access to their individual peer practice styles. Additionally, the visiting faculty had meetings and discussions with the HMG and hospital leadership, to specifically address the visiting faculty’s institutional challenges.

The overall goal of the exchange program was to promote cross-institutional collaboration, increase engagement, improve medical education through faculty development and improve the quality of care. The focus of the exchange program was to share ideas and innovation, and learn the approaches to unique challenges at each institution. Out of this also grew collaboration and mentoring opportunities.

Dr. Apodaca is assistant professor and nurse practitioner hospitalist at the University of New Mexico. She serves as codirector of the UNM APP Hospital Medicine Fellowship and director of the APP Hospital Medicine Team. Dr. Skandhan is a hospitalist and member of the Core Faculty for the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Southeast Health (SEH), Dothan Ala., and an assistant professor at the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine. He serves as the medical director/physician liaison for the Clinical Documentation Program at SEH and also as the director for physician integration for Southeast Health Statera Network, an Accountable Care Organization.

The SHM Annual Conference is more than an educational event. It also provides an opportunity to collaborate, network and create innovative ideas to improve the quality of inpatient care.

During the 2019 Annual Conference (HM19) – the last “in-person” Annual Conference before the COVID pandemic – SHM chapter leaders from the New Mexico chapter (Krystle Apodaca) and the Wiregrass chapter (Amith Skandhan), which covers the counties of Southern Alabama and the Panhandle of Florida, met during a networking event.

As we talked, we realized the unique differences and similarities our practice settings shared. We debated the role of clinician wellbeing, quality of medical education, and faculty development on individual hospital medicine group (HMG) practice styles.

Clinician well-being is the prerequisite to the Triple Aim of improving the health of populations, enhancing the patient experience, and reducing the cost of care. Engagement in local SHM chapter activities promotes the efficiency of practice, a culture of wellness, and personal resilience. Each HMG faces similar challenges but approaches to solving them vary. Professional challenges can affect the well-being of individual clinicians. During our discussion we realized that an interinstitutional exchange programs could provide a platform to exchange ideas and establish mentors.

The quality of medical education is directly linked to the quality of faculty development. Improving the quality of medical education requires a multifaceted approach by highly developed faculty. The complex factors affecting medical education and faculty development are further complicated by geographic location, patient characteristics, and professional growth opportunities.

Overcoming these obstacles requires an innovative and collaborative approach. Although faculty exchanges are common in academic medicine, they are not commonly attempted with HMGs. Hospitalists are responsible for a significant part of inpatient training for residents, medical students, and nurse practitioners/physician assistants (NPs/PAs) but their faculty training can vary based on location.

As a young specialty, hospital medicine is still evolving and incorporating NPs/PAs and physician hospitalists in varied practice models. Each HMG addresses common obstacles differently based on their culture and practice styles. As chapter leaders we determined that an exchange program would afford the opportunity for visiting faculty members to experience these differences.

We shared the idea of a chapter-level exchange with SHM’s Chapter Development Committee and obtained chapter development funds to execute the event. We also requested that an SHM national board member visit during the exchange to provide insight and feedback. We researched the characteristics of individual academic HMGs and structured a faculty exchange involving physicians and NPs/PAs. During the exchange program planning, the visiting faculty itinerary was tailored to a well-planned agenda for one week, with separate tracks for physicians and NPs/PAs, giving increased access to their individual peer practice styles. Additionally, the visiting faculty had meetings and discussions with the HMG and hospital leadership, to specifically address the visiting faculty’s institutional challenges.

The overall goal of the exchange program was to promote cross-institutional collaboration, increase engagement, improve medical education through faculty development and improve the quality of care. The focus of the exchange program was to share ideas and innovation, and learn the approaches to unique challenges at each institution. Out of this also grew collaboration and mentoring opportunities.

Dr. Apodaca is assistant professor and nurse practitioner hospitalist at the University of New Mexico. She serves as codirector of the UNM APP Hospital Medicine Fellowship and director of the APP Hospital Medicine Team. Dr. Skandhan is a hospitalist and member of the Core Faculty for the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Southeast Health (SEH), Dothan Ala., and an assistant professor at the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine. He serves as the medical director/physician liaison for the Clinical Documentation Program at SEH and also as the director for physician integration for Southeast Health Statera Network, an Accountable Care Organization.

The SHM Annual Conference is more than an educational event. It also provides an opportunity to collaborate, network and create innovative ideas to improve the quality of inpatient care.

During the 2019 Annual Conference (HM19) – the last “in-person” Annual Conference before the COVID pandemic – SHM chapter leaders from the New Mexico chapter (Krystle Apodaca) and the Wiregrass chapter (Amith Skandhan), which covers the counties of Southern Alabama and the Panhandle of Florida, met during a networking event.

As we talked, we realized the unique differences and similarities our practice settings shared. We debated the role of clinician wellbeing, quality of medical education, and faculty development on individual hospital medicine group (HMG) practice styles.

Clinician well-being is the prerequisite to the Triple Aim of improving the health of populations, enhancing the patient experience, and reducing the cost of care. Engagement in local SHM chapter activities promotes the efficiency of practice, a culture of wellness, and personal resilience. Each HMG faces similar challenges but approaches to solving them vary. Professional challenges can affect the well-being of individual clinicians. During our discussion we realized that an interinstitutional exchange programs could provide a platform to exchange ideas and establish mentors.

The quality of medical education is directly linked to the quality of faculty development. Improving the quality of medical education requires a multifaceted approach by highly developed faculty. The complex factors affecting medical education and faculty development are further complicated by geographic location, patient characteristics, and professional growth opportunities.

Overcoming these obstacles requires an innovative and collaborative approach. Although faculty exchanges are common in academic medicine, they are not commonly attempted with HMGs. Hospitalists are responsible for a significant part of inpatient training for residents, medical students, and nurse practitioners/physician assistants (NPs/PAs) but their faculty training can vary based on location.

As a young specialty, hospital medicine is still evolving and incorporating NPs/PAs and physician hospitalists in varied practice models. Each HMG addresses common obstacles differently based on their culture and practice styles. As chapter leaders we determined that an exchange program would afford the opportunity for visiting faculty members to experience these differences.

We shared the idea of a chapter-level exchange with SHM’s Chapter Development Committee and obtained chapter development funds to execute the event. We also requested that an SHM national board member visit during the exchange to provide insight and feedback. We researched the characteristics of individual academic HMGs and structured a faculty exchange involving physicians and NPs/PAs. During the exchange program planning, the visiting faculty itinerary was tailored to a well-planned agenda for one week, with separate tracks for physicians and NPs/PAs, giving increased access to their individual peer practice styles. Additionally, the visiting faculty had meetings and discussions with the HMG and hospital leadership, to specifically address the visiting faculty’s institutional challenges.

The overall goal of the exchange program was to promote cross-institutional collaboration, increase engagement, improve medical education through faculty development and improve the quality of care. The focus of the exchange program was to share ideas and innovation, and learn the approaches to unique challenges at each institution. Out of this also grew collaboration and mentoring opportunities.

Dr. Apodaca is assistant professor and nurse practitioner hospitalist at the University of New Mexico. She serves as codirector of the UNM APP Hospital Medicine Fellowship and director of the APP Hospital Medicine Team. Dr. Skandhan is a hospitalist and member of the Core Faculty for the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Southeast Health (SEH), Dothan Ala., and an assistant professor at the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine. He serves as the medical director/physician liaison for the Clinical Documentation Program at SEH and also as the director for physician integration for Southeast Health Statera Network, an Accountable Care Organization.

I remember New Year’s Day 2020, full of hope and wonderment of what the year would bring. I was coming into the Society of Hospital Medicine as the incoming President, taking the 2020 reins in the organization’s 20th year. It would be a year of transitioning to a new CEO, reinvigorating our membership engagement efforts, and renewing a strategic plan for forward progress into the next decade. It would be a year chock full of travel, speaking engagements, and meetings with thousands of hospitalists around the globe.

What I didn’t know is that we would soon face the grim reality that the long-voiced concern of infectious disease experts and epidemiologists would come true. That our colleagues and friends and families would be infected, hospitalized, and die from this new disease, for which there were no good, effective treatments. That our ability to come together as a nation to implement basic infection control and epidemiologic practices would be fractured, uncoordinated, and ineffective. That within 6 months of the first case on U.S. soil, we would witness 5,270,000 people being infected from the disease, and 167,000 dying from it. And that the stunning toll of the disease would ripple into every nook and cranny of our society, from the economy to the fabric of our families and to the mental and physical health of all of our citizens.

However, what I couldn’t have known on this past New Year’s Day is how incredibly resilient and innovative our hospital medicine society and community would be to not only endure this new way of working and living, but also to find ways to improve upon how we care for all patients, despite COVID-19. What I couldn’t have known is how hospitalists would pivot to new arenas of care settings, including the EDs, ICUs, “COVID units,” and telehealth – flawlessly and seamlessly filling care gaps that would otherwise be catastrophically unfilled.

What I couldn’t have known is how we would be willing to come back into work, day after day, to care for our patients, despite the risks to ourselves and our families. What I couldn’t have known is how hospitalists would come together as a community to network and share knowledge in unprecedented ways, both humbly and proactively – knowing that we would not have all the answers but that we probably had better answers than most. What I couldn’t have known is that the SHM staff would pivot our entire SHM team away from previous “staple” offerings (e.g., live meetings) to virtual learning and network opportunities, which would be attended at rates higher than ever seen before, including live webinars, HMX exchanges, and e-learnings. What I couldn’t have known is that we would figure out, in a matter of weeks, what treatments were and were not effective for our patients and get those treatments to them despite the difficulties. And what I couldn’t have known is how much prouder I would be, more than ever before, to tell people: “I am a hospitalist.”

I took my son to the dentist recently, and when we were just about to leave, the dentist asked: “What do you do for a living?” and I stated: “I am a hospitalist.” He slowly breathed in and replied: “Oh … wow … you have really seen things …” Yes, we have.

So, is 2020 shaping up as expected? Absolutely not! But I am more inspired, humbled, and motivated than ever to proudly serve SHM with more energy and enthusiasm than I would have dreamed on New Year’s Day. And even if we can’t see each other in person (as we so naively planned), through virtual meetings (national, regional, and chapter), webinars, social media, and other listening modes, we will still be able to connect as a community and share ideas and issues as we muddle through the remainder of 2020 and beyond. We need each other more than ever before, and I am so proud to be a part of this SHM family.

Dr. Scheurer is chief quality officer and professor of medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston. She is president of SHM.

I remember New Year’s Day 2020, full of hope and wonderment of what the year would bring. I was coming into the Society of Hospital Medicine as the incoming President, taking the 2020 reins in the organization’s 20th year. It would be a year of transitioning to a new CEO, reinvigorating our membership engagement efforts, and renewing a strategic plan for forward progress into the next decade. It would be a year chock full of travel, speaking engagements, and meetings with thousands of hospitalists around the globe.

What I didn’t know is that we would soon face the grim reality that the long-voiced concern of infectious disease experts and epidemiologists would come true. That our colleagues and friends and families would be infected, hospitalized, and die from this new disease, for which there were no good, effective treatments. That our ability to come together as a nation to implement basic infection control and epidemiologic practices would be fractured, uncoordinated, and ineffective. That within 6 months of the first case on U.S. soil, we would witness 5,270,000 people being infected from the disease, and 167,000 dying from it. And that the stunning toll of the disease would ripple into every nook and cranny of our society, from the economy to the fabric of our families and to the mental and physical health of all of our citizens.

However, what I couldn’t have known on this past New Year’s Day is how incredibly resilient and innovative our hospital medicine society and community would be to not only endure this new way of working and living, but also to find ways to improve upon how we care for all patients, despite COVID-19. What I couldn’t have known is how hospitalists would pivot to new arenas of care settings, including the EDs, ICUs, “COVID units,” and telehealth – flawlessly and seamlessly filling care gaps that would otherwise be catastrophically unfilled.

What I couldn’t have known is how we would be willing to come back into work, day after day, to care for our patients, despite the risks to ourselves and our families. What I couldn’t have known is how hospitalists would come together as a community to network and share knowledge in unprecedented ways, both humbly and proactively – knowing that we would not have all the answers but that we probably had better answers than most. What I couldn’t have known is that the SHM staff would pivot our entire SHM team away from previous “staple” offerings (e.g., live meetings) to virtual learning and network opportunities, which would be attended at rates higher than ever seen before, including live webinars, HMX exchanges, and e-learnings. What I couldn’t have known is that we would figure out, in a matter of weeks, what treatments were and were not effective for our patients and get those treatments to them despite the difficulties. And what I couldn’t have known is how much prouder I would be, more than ever before, to tell people: “I am a hospitalist.”

I took my son to the dentist recently, and when we were just about to leave, the dentist asked: “What do you do for a living?” and I stated: “I am a hospitalist.” He slowly breathed in and replied: “Oh … wow … you have really seen things …” Yes, we have.

So, is 2020 shaping up as expected? Absolutely not! But I am more inspired, humbled, and motivated than ever to proudly serve SHM with more energy and enthusiasm than I would have dreamed on New Year’s Day. And even if we can’t see each other in person (as we so naively planned), through virtual meetings (national, regional, and chapter), webinars, social media, and other listening modes, we will still be able to connect as a community and share ideas and issues as we muddle through the remainder of 2020 and beyond. We need each other more than ever before, and I am so proud to be a part of this SHM family.

Dr. Scheurer is chief quality officer and professor of medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston. She is president of SHM.

I remember New Year’s Day 2020, full of hope and wonderment of what the year would bring. I was coming into the Society of Hospital Medicine as the incoming President, taking the 2020 reins in the organization’s 20th year. It would be a year of transitioning to a new CEO, reinvigorating our membership engagement efforts, and renewing a strategic plan for forward progress into the next decade. It would be a year chock full of travel, speaking engagements, and meetings with thousands of hospitalists around the globe.

What I didn’t know is that we would soon face the grim reality that the long-voiced concern of infectious disease experts and epidemiologists would come true. That our colleagues and friends and families would be infected, hospitalized, and die from this new disease, for which there were no good, effective treatments. That our ability to come together as a nation to implement basic infection control and epidemiologic practices would be fractured, uncoordinated, and ineffective. That within 6 months of the first case on U.S. soil, we would witness 5,270,000 people being infected from the disease, and 167,000 dying from it. And that the stunning toll of the disease would ripple into every nook and cranny of our society, from the economy to the fabric of our families and to the mental and physical health of all of our citizens.

However, what I couldn’t have known on this past New Year’s Day is how incredibly resilient and innovative our hospital medicine society and community would be to not only endure this new way of working and living, but also to find ways to improve upon how we care for all patients, despite COVID-19. What I couldn’t have known is how hospitalists would pivot to new arenas of care settings, including the EDs, ICUs, “COVID units,” and telehealth – flawlessly and seamlessly filling care gaps that would otherwise be catastrophically unfilled.

What I couldn’t have known is how we would be willing to come back into work, day after day, to care for our patients, despite the risks to ourselves and our families. What I couldn’t have known is how hospitalists would come together as a community to network and share knowledge in unprecedented ways, both humbly and proactively – knowing that we would not have all the answers but that we probably had better answers than most. What I couldn’t have known is that the SHM staff would pivot our entire SHM team away from previous “staple” offerings (e.g., live meetings) to virtual learning and network opportunities, which would be attended at rates higher than ever seen before, including live webinars, HMX exchanges, and e-learnings. What I couldn’t have known is that we would figure out, in a matter of weeks, what treatments were and were not effective for our patients and get those treatments to them despite the difficulties. And what I couldn’t have known is how much prouder I would be, more than ever before, to tell people: “I am a hospitalist.”

I took my son to the dentist recently, and when we were just about to leave, the dentist asked: “What do you do for a living?” and I stated: “I am a hospitalist.” He slowly breathed in and replied: “Oh … wow … you have really seen things …” Yes, we have.

So, is 2020 shaping up as expected? Absolutely not! But I am more inspired, humbled, and motivated than ever to proudly serve SHM with more energy and enthusiasm than I would have dreamed on New Year’s Day. And even if we can’t see each other in person (as we so naively planned), through virtual meetings (national, regional, and chapter), webinars, social media, and other listening modes, we will still be able to connect as a community and share ideas and issues as we muddle through the remainder of 2020 and beyond. We need each other more than ever before, and I am so proud to be a part of this SHM family.

Dr. Scheurer is chief quality officer and professor of medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston. She is president of SHM.

Overwhelmed. As if we weren’t already overwhelmed. For decades, hospitalists have been on the forefront of improving acute care amidst a rapidly changing environment. These last few decades have seen tremendous advances in medicine, technology, safety culture, innovations in payment models, transformation in business models, and a rising tide of health care policy. There was never a year we didn’t face major change … and adapt to it. Then 2020 came upon us.

This year, we adapt to more than a score and 4 years’ worth of change.

The two pandemics that have come upon us are like tsunamis. And many of us are drowning. We know of threats of pandemics: influenza, Ebola, and the like. But SARS-CoV-2 is new and like no other. We live in fear and isolation, each and every day learning new information and debunking others. We also know of racial injustice and racism, implicit or explicit in our nation, whether we live it or just read of it. George Floyd’s death in my hometown marked another tsunami, a great realization in our nation, and a great unmasking of our denial.

Yet our country is not united.

Hospital medicine is not immune to this disunity. At a time that we are all treading water, staying afloat in our own hospitals and communities, confronting these issues beyond our immediate spheres of influence is overwhelming. We are impacted by these pandemics, personally and professionally. And admittedly, we can be both victim and perpetrator.

In the face of a novel infectious agent, medicine responded quickly and pushed us beyond our limits. We have developed new infection prevention guidelines. We worked creatively to solve PPE shortages. We fashioned new work flows and new care models. We accelerated telehealth applications. We expanded the boundaries on home-based programs and reached out to vulnerable elderly in congregate living – an isolation no older person should have to endure. We cared for our colleagues, neighbors, and family members who fell ill, some who recovered, and sadly, some who fell. We developed best-practice guidelines, research protocols, created new order sets, note templates, and documentation standards. We flexed into EDs, ICUs, and field hospitals. Amidst the turmoil, we took pay cuts and saw colleagues go on furlough. And still, we mentored leaders in our schools, churches, synagogues, mosques, and civic communities.

And just when we thought we could endure no more, on May 25, we witnessed a black man in Minneapolis killed by a policeman’s knee. The same knee that divided Americans when black American athletes knelt to protest the injustice their people have endured for centuries. A knee that has been confused for insolence, when it was meant for justice ... yes, justice, for all. So, in early June, around the nation in support of black lives we also knelt, for almost 9 minutes.

This was the third time I cried during the pandemics.

For many of us, structural racism in America had finally been unmasked. The nation protested and rioted for weeks, and some communities have continued. Indeed, these two pandemics are still surging.

Side by side COVID-19 case conferences we lay transparent data demonstrating health disparities that we have tolerated for so long. We have vowed to resource equity work, and we opened dialogue, not only with patients and communities of color, but also with colleagues of color – some ready and some not yet ready to share and relive the traumas of their past and their present.

And still, we are not united.

While we physically mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we must make efforts to unmask the truths of SARS-CoV-2, the failings of our health system, the richness of our communities of color, and the injustice in the fabric of our society. More importantly, we must work together to create solutions. While we have diverse interests and priorities, at SHM, we can find common ground with kindred spirits, enhance the role of our specialty, and advance the health of our patients.

Let’s not be mistaken. These pandemics add to a growing list of interwoven issues in our society. In 2018, I wrote a piece on the role of hospitalists in addressing rural health disparities.¹ According to the Sheps Center for Health Services Research, 129 rural hospitals have closed since 2010, closures that have accelerated with the COVID-19 pandemic.² More than ever, we must stand above our inner and outer conflicts and be united to promote the health of our nation during these pandemics, because “all policy is health policy.”³

Most SHM presidents and president-elects come in with a platform, a priority for the specialty and for the society. This year, the platform has chosen us. For 20 years, I have witnessed SHM be a workshop for our members to address the pressing needs of our specialty and our patients. In 2020, we’ve continued to see SHM as a workshop for our members and a tour de force addressing these pandemics, from just in time publications of research and perspectives in the Journal of Hospital Medicine, to webinars and open access education in the Learning Portal, to advocacy on Capitol Hill. All of that work has been informed by you and for you. While there is still so much to do, we need not be overwhelmed when we do it together.

A score and 4 years ago, Robert Wachter, MD, and Lee Goldman, MD, dubbed us “hospitalists.” A year later, our shared workshop was born. Through one name change and now our first CEO transition from Larry Wellikson, MD, to Eric Howell, MD, SHM will continue to be where hospitalists both adapt and shape our nation through solutions that put an end to these pandemics. Let’s recommit to this work together.

Dr. Siy is division medical director, hospital specialties, in the departments of hospital medicine and community senior and palliative care, at HealthPartners in Bloomington, Minn. He is president-elect of SHM.

Sources

1. Hardeman RR et al. Stolen Breaths. N Engl J Med. 2020 Jul 16;383:197-9.

2. Siy JC. Reviving Rural Health Care. The Hospitalist. 2018 Sep 24.

3. The Cecil G. Sheps Center For Health Services Research. Rural Hospital Closures. 2014. https://www.shepscenter.unc.edu/programs-projects/rural-health/rural-hospital-closures/

Overwhelmed. As if we weren’t already overwhelmed. For decades, hospitalists have been on the forefront of improving acute care amidst a rapidly changing environment. These last few decades have seen tremendous advances in medicine, technology, safety culture, innovations in payment models, transformation in business models, and a rising tide of health care policy. There was never a year we didn’t face major change … and adapt to it. Then 2020 came upon us.

This year, we adapt to more than a score and 4 years’ worth of change.

The two pandemics that have come upon us are like tsunamis. And many of us are drowning. We know of threats of pandemics: influenza, Ebola, and the like. But SARS-CoV-2 is new and like no other. We live in fear and isolation, each and every day learning new information and debunking others. We also know of racial injustice and racism, implicit or explicit in our nation, whether we live it or just read of it. George Floyd’s death in my hometown marked another tsunami, a great realization in our nation, and a great unmasking of our denial.

Yet our country is not united.

Hospital medicine is not immune to this disunity. At a time that we are all treading water, staying afloat in our own hospitals and communities, confronting these issues beyond our immediate spheres of influence is overwhelming. We are impacted by these pandemics, personally and professionally. And admittedly, we can be both victim and perpetrator.

In the face of a novel infectious agent, medicine responded quickly and pushed us beyond our limits. We have developed new infection prevention guidelines. We worked creatively to solve PPE shortages. We fashioned new work flows and new care models. We accelerated telehealth applications. We expanded the boundaries on home-based programs and reached out to vulnerable elderly in congregate living – an isolation no older person should have to endure. We cared for our colleagues, neighbors, and family members who fell ill, some who recovered, and sadly, some who fell. We developed best-practice guidelines, research protocols, created new order sets, note templates, and documentation standards. We flexed into EDs, ICUs, and field hospitals. Amidst the turmoil, we took pay cuts and saw colleagues go on furlough. And still, we mentored leaders in our schools, churches, synagogues, mosques, and civic communities.

And just when we thought we could endure no more, on May 25, we witnessed a black man in Minneapolis killed by a policeman’s knee. The same knee that divided Americans when black American athletes knelt to protest the injustice their people have endured for centuries. A knee that has been confused for insolence, when it was meant for justice ... yes, justice, for all. So, in early June, around the nation in support of black lives we also knelt, for almost 9 minutes.

This was the third time I cried during the pandemics.

For many of us, structural racism in America had finally been unmasked. The nation protested and rioted for weeks, and some communities have continued. Indeed, these two pandemics are still surging.

Side by side COVID-19 case conferences we lay transparent data demonstrating health disparities that we have tolerated for so long. We have vowed to resource equity work, and we opened dialogue, not only with patients and communities of color, but also with colleagues of color – some ready and some not yet ready to share and relive the traumas of their past and their present.

And still, we are not united.

While we physically mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we must make efforts to unmask the truths of SARS-CoV-2, the failings of our health system, the richness of our communities of color, and the injustice in the fabric of our society. More importantly, we must work together to create solutions. While we have diverse interests and priorities, at SHM, we can find common ground with kindred spirits, enhance the role of our specialty, and advance the health of our patients.

Let’s not be mistaken. These pandemics add to a growing list of interwoven issues in our society. In 2018, I wrote a piece on the role of hospitalists in addressing rural health disparities.¹ According to the Sheps Center for Health Services Research, 129 rural hospitals have closed since 2010, closures that have accelerated with the COVID-19 pandemic.² More than ever, we must stand above our inner and outer conflicts and be united to promote the health of our nation during these pandemics, because “all policy is health policy.”³

Most SHM presidents and president-elects come in with a platform, a priority for the specialty and for the society. This year, the platform has chosen us. For 20 years, I have witnessed SHM be a workshop for our members to address the pressing needs of our specialty and our patients. In 2020, we’ve continued to see SHM as a workshop for our members and a tour de force addressing these pandemics, from just in time publications of research and perspectives in the Journal of Hospital Medicine, to webinars and open access education in the Learning Portal, to advocacy on Capitol Hill. All of that work has been informed by you and for you. While there is still so much to do, we need not be overwhelmed when we do it together.

A score and 4 years ago, Robert Wachter, MD, and Lee Goldman, MD, dubbed us “hospitalists.” A year later, our shared workshop was born. Through one name change and now our first CEO transition from Larry Wellikson, MD, to Eric Howell, MD, SHM will continue to be where hospitalists both adapt and shape our nation through solutions that put an end to these pandemics. Let’s recommit to this work together.

Dr. Siy is division medical director, hospital specialties, in the departments of hospital medicine and community senior and palliative care, at HealthPartners in Bloomington, Minn. He is president-elect of SHM.

Sources

1. Hardeman RR et al. Stolen Breaths. N Engl J Med. 2020 Jul 16;383:197-9.

2. Siy JC. Reviving Rural Health Care. The Hospitalist. 2018 Sep 24.

3. The Cecil G. Sheps Center For Health Services Research. Rural Hospital Closures. 2014. https://www.shepscenter.unc.edu/programs-projects/rural-health/rural-hospital-closures/

Overwhelmed. As if we weren’t already overwhelmed. For decades, hospitalists have been on the forefront of improving acute care amidst a rapidly changing environment. These last few decades have seen tremendous advances in medicine, technology, safety culture, innovations in payment models, transformation in business models, and a rising tide of health care policy. There was never a year we didn’t face major change … and adapt to it. Then 2020 came upon us.

This year, we adapt to more than a score and 4 years’ worth of change.

The two pandemics that have come upon us are like tsunamis. And many of us are drowning. We know of threats of pandemics: influenza, Ebola, and the like. But SARS-CoV-2 is new and like no other. We live in fear and isolation, each and every day learning new information and debunking others. We also know of racial injustice and racism, implicit or explicit in our nation, whether we live it or just read of it. George Floyd’s death in my hometown marked another tsunami, a great realization in our nation, and a great unmasking of our denial.

Yet our country is not united.

Hospital medicine is not immune to this disunity. At a time that we are all treading water, staying afloat in our own hospitals and communities, confronting these issues beyond our immediate spheres of influence is overwhelming. We are impacted by these pandemics, personally and professionally. And admittedly, we can be both victim and perpetrator.

In the face of a novel infectious agent, medicine responded quickly and pushed us beyond our limits. We have developed new infection prevention guidelines. We worked creatively to solve PPE shortages. We fashioned new work flows and new care models. We accelerated telehealth applications. We expanded the boundaries on home-based programs and reached out to vulnerable elderly in congregate living – an isolation no older person should have to endure. We cared for our colleagues, neighbors, and family members who fell ill, some who recovered, and sadly, some who fell. We developed best-practice guidelines, research protocols, created new order sets, note templates, and documentation standards. We flexed into EDs, ICUs, and field hospitals. Amidst the turmoil, we took pay cuts and saw colleagues go on furlough. And still, we mentored leaders in our schools, churches, synagogues, mosques, and civic communities.

And just when we thought we could endure no more, on May 25, we witnessed a black man in Minneapolis killed by a policeman’s knee. The same knee that divided Americans when black American athletes knelt to protest the injustice their people have endured for centuries. A knee that has been confused for insolence, when it was meant for justice ... yes, justice, for all. So, in early June, around the nation in support of black lives we also knelt, for almost 9 minutes.

This was the third time I cried during the pandemics.

For many of us, structural racism in America had finally been unmasked. The nation protested and rioted for weeks, and some communities have continued. Indeed, these two pandemics are still surging.

Side by side COVID-19 case conferences we lay transparent data demonstrating health disparities that we have tolerated for so long. We have vowed to resource equity work, and we opened dialogue, not only with patients and communities of color, but also with colleagues of color – some ready and some not yet ready to share and relive the traumas of their past and their present.

And still, we are not united.

While we physically mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we must make efforts to unmask the truths of SARS-CoV-2, the failings of our health system, the richness of our communities of color, and the injustice in the fabric of our society. More importantly, we must work together to create solutions. While we have diverse interests and priorities, at SHM, we can find common ground with kindred spirits, enhance the role of our specialty, and advance the health of our patients.

Let’s not be mistaken. These pandemics add to a growing list of interwoven issues in our society. In 2018, I wrote a piece on the role of hospitalists in addressing rural health disparities.¹ According to the Sheps Center for Health Services Research, 129 rural hospitals have closed since 2010, closures that have accelerated with the COVID-19 pandemic.² More than ever, we must stand above our inner and outer conflicts and be united to promote the health of our nation during these pandemics, because “all policy is health policy.”³

Most SHM presidents and president-elects come in with a platform, a priority for the specialty and for the society. This year, the platform has chosen us. For 20 years, I have witnessed SHM be a workshop for our members to address the pressing needs of our specialty and our patients. In 2020, we’ve continued to see SHM as a workshop for our members and a tour de force addressing these pandemics, from just in time publications of research and perspectives in the Journal of Hospital Medicine, to webinars and open access education in the Learning Portal, to advocacy on Capitol Hill. All of that work has been informed by you and for you. While there is still so much to do, we need not be overwhelmed when we do it together.

A score and 4 years ago, Robert Wachter, MD, and Lee Goldman, MD, dubbed us “hospitalists.” A year later, our shared workshop was born. Through one name change and now our first CEO transition from Larry Wellikson, MD, to Eric Howell, MD, SHM will continue to be where hospitalists both adapt and shape our nation through solutions that put an end to these pandemics. Let’s recommit to this work together.

Dr. Siy is division medical director, hospital specialties, in the departments of hospital medicine and community senior and palliative care, at HealthPartners in Bloomington, Minn. He is president-elect of SHM.

Sources

1. Hardeman RR et al. Stolen Breaths. N Engl J Med. 2020 Jul 16;383:197-9.

2. Siy JC. Reviving Rural Health Care. The Hospitalist. 2018 Sep 24.

3. The Cecil G. Sheps Center For Health Services Research. Rural Hospital Closures. 2014. https://www.shepscenter.unc.edu/programs-projects/rural-health/rural-hospital-closures/

Hospitalists, welcome to the final week of HM20 Virtual – the first virtual annual conference in the history of SHM. We hope you have enjoyed your experience thus far. What is most exciting about HM20 Virtual is how it exemplifies the agility and innovation that is in the hearts and minds of SHM and hospitalists all around the country and beyond. Because 2020 is shaping up to be anything but ordinary, SHM and its members have had to embrace changes on a scale that has surpassed anything we have seen in most of our careers. SHM is committed to keeping pace with the needs of hospitalists, including the use of virtual meetings to keep us all connected, informed, and engaged.

The full course of sessions for HM20 has a vast array of topics, aimed at quickly and concisely updating our members on core topics. These include clinical updates on common conditions, a half-dozen sessions dedicated to COVID-19, the ever-popular Rapid Fire sessions, an Update in Pediatric Top Articles, a High Value Care session, and special sessions on immigrant hospitalist issues and structural racism. Also included is the Best of Research and Innovations and the Annual Update in Hospital Medicine.

In addition, the “Simulive” sessions offer additional Q&A with the experts; our lineup this week includes many important clinical topics, including heart failure, glucose management, GI emergencies, drug allergies, endocrine emergencies, and balancing being a hospitalist and a parent. (Particularly challenging with COVID-19!) Of note, if you are unable to join any of these sessions live, all 3 weeks of the Simulive sessions will be available on demand after Aug. 31.

We are hopeful this new virtual format will exceed expectations for our members. Our dedicated HM20 faculty and SHM staff have worked tirelessly to make HM20 Virtual a success, and for that, we owe them our gratitude and appreciation. Since this is our “first rodeo,” we are very eager for your feedback on all aspects of this new format. The more we learn now, the better off we will all be with future offerings, so please be candid and honest. With so much change and uncertainty, we hope you continue to find SHM to be a place of consistency and stability, and the “source of truth” for all things hospital medicine.

Dr. Scheurer is chief quality officer and professor of medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston. She is president of SHM.

Hospitalists, welcome to the final week of HM20 Virtual – the first virtual annual conference in the history of SHM. We hope you have enjoyed your experience thus far. What is most exciting about HM20 Virtual is how it exemplifies the agility and innovation that is in the hearts and minds of SHM and hospitalists all around the country and beyond. Because 2020 is shaping up to be anything but ordinary, SHM and its members have had to embrace changes on a scale that has surpassed anything we have seen in most of our careers. SHM is committed to keeping pace with the needs of hospitalists, including the use of virtual meetings to keep us all connected, informed, and engaged.

The full course of sessions for HM20 has a vast array of topics, aimed at quickly and concisely updating our members on core topics. These include clinical updates on common conditions, a half-dozen sessions dedicated to COVID-19, the ever-popular Rapid Fire sessions, an Update in Pediatric Top Articles, a High Value Care session, and special sessions on immigrant hospitalist issues and structural racism. Also included is the Best of Research and Innovations and the Annual Update in Hospital Medicine.

In addition, the “Simulive” sessions offer additional Q&A with the experts; our lineup this week includes many important clinical topics, including heart failure, glucose management, GI emergencies, drug allergies, endocrine emergencies, and balancing being a hospitalist and a parent. (Particularly challenging with COVID-19!) Of note, if you are unable to join any of these sessions live, all 3 weeks of the Simulive sessions will be available on demand after Aug. 31.

We are hopeful this new virtual format will exceed expectations for our members. Our dedicated HM20 faculty and SHM staff have worked tirelessly to make HM20 Virtual a success, and for that, we owe them our gratitude and appreciation. Since this is our “first rodeo,” we are very eager for your feedback on all aspects of this new format. The more we learn now, the better off we will all be with future offerings, so please be candid and honest. With so much change and uncertainty, we hope you continue to find SHM to be a place of consistency and stability, and the “source of truth” for all things hospital medicine.

Dr. Scheurer is chief quality officer and professor of medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston. She is president of SHM.

Hospitalists, welcome to the final week of HM20 Virtual – the first virtual annual conference in the history of SHM. We hope you have enjoyed your experience thus far. What is most exciting about HM20 Virtual is how it exemplifies the agility and innovation that is in the hearts and minds of SHM and hospitalists all around the country and beyond. Because 2020 is shaping up to be anything but ordinary, SHM and its members have had to embrace changes on a scale that has surpassed anything we have seen in most of our careers. SHM is committed to keeping pace with the needs of hospitalists, including the use of virtual meetings to keep us all connected, informed, and engaged.

The full course of sessions for HM20 has a vast array of topics, aimed at quickly and concisely updating our members on core topics. These include clinical updates on common conditions, a half-dozen sessions dedicated to COVID-19, the ever-popular Rapid Fire sessions, an Update in Pediatric Top Articles, a High Value Care session, and special sessions on immigrant hospitalist issues and structural racism. Also included is the Best of Research and Innovations and the Annual Update in Hospital Medicine.

In addition, the “Simulive” sessions offer additional Q&A with the experts; our lineup this week includes many important clinical topics, including heart failure, glucose management, GI emergencies, drug allergies, endocrine emergencies, and balancing being a hospitalist and a parent. (Particularly challenging with COVID-19!) Of note, if you are unable to join any of these sessions live, all 3 weeks of the Simulive sessions will be available on demand after Aug. 31.

We are hopeful this new virtual format will exceed expectations for our members. Our dedicated HM20 faculty and SHM staff have worked tirelessly to make HM20 Virtual a success, and for that, we owe them our gratitude and appreciation. Since this is our “first rodeo,” we are very eager for your feedback on all aspects of this new format. The more we learn now, the better off we will all be with future offerings, so please be candid and honest. With so much change and uncertainty, we hope you continue to find SHM to be a place of consistency and stability, and the “source of truth” for all things hospital medicine.

Dr. Scheurer is chief quality officer and professor of medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston. She is president of SHM.

The Society of Hospital Medicine prides itself on bringing a broad range of experts together with the largest gathering of hospitalists at any conference – virtual or otherwise! Hospitalists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, executives, pharmacists, educators, and practitioners of many hospital-based specialties make HM20 Virtual a unique educational experience.

We know that patients depend on you to have pertinent, updated, and timely information for their acute care needs. HM20 Virtual can provide the information you need to stay abreast in this complex and ever-changing year. From COVID-19 to common diagnosis, from racism/bias to blood glucose, from peds to pulmonary embolism, HM20 Virtual covers important topics for all acute care and hospital clinicians and professionals.

This year’s conference is something new. To meet the ever-changing challenges that the year 2020 has brought all of us, HM20 Virtual has addressed one of the limitations of an online conference: personal interactions. With Simulive sessions, you will have the opportunity to chat with fellow participants and interact with the expert faculty in real time! Of course, all Simulive sessions will be available on demand after the fact for those of you who need alternate times to watch.

Be sure to attend some (or all!) of this week’s Simulive sessions. There is something for everyone:

• On Tuesday, Aug. 18, Sam Brondfield, MD, will discuss oncologic work-ups, and James Kim, MD, will make antibiotics simple (where was Dr. Kim for my medical school training?).
• Wednesday, Aug. 19, circles back to another epidemic, the opioid crisis, presented by Theresa Vettese, MD. Dr. Alfred Burger updates us on Clinical Practice Guidelines, and Jeff Trost, MD, brings us up to speed on the effects of COVID-19 and the heart.
• Thursday, Aug. 20, wraps up week 2 of HM20 Virtual with Population Health by Adam Myers, MD, and Updates in Pneumonia by Joanna Bonsall, MD.

The personal interactions don’t have to stop there! HM20 Virtual also features Special Interest Forums. Check out the list and find out how to join by visiting the HM20 Virtual website.

We look forward to “seeing” you at HM20 Virtual. We always want your feedback; however, in this socially distanced, travel-limited world, your input is more important now than ever. Be sure to let us know how this new format works for your learning, networking, and professional needs.

On behalf of the SHM board of directors, the SHM staff, and myself, we hope you enjoy HM20 Virtual. Through this meeting’s rich selection of educational opportunities – and the innovative approaches in a world dominated by the coronavirus – SHM continues to further its mission to promote excellence in the practice of hospital medicine. SHM remains at the forefront of health care today, empowering hospitalists and transforming patient care.

Dr. Howell is CEO of the Society of Hospital Medicine.

The Society of Hospital Medicine prides itself on bringing a broad range of experts together with the largest gathering of hospitalists at any conference – virtual or otherwise! Hospitalists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, executives, pharmacists, educators, and practitioners of many hospital-based specialties make HM20 Virtual a unique educational experience.

We know that patients depend on you to have pertinent, updated, and timely information for their acute care needs. HM20 Virtual can provide the information you need to stay abreast in this complex and ever-changing year. From COVID-19 to common diagnosis, from racism/bias to blood glucose, from peds to pulmonary embolism, HM20 Virtual covers important topics for all acute care and hospital clinicians and professionals.

This year’s conference is something new. To meet the ever-changing challenges that the year 2020 has brought all of us, HM20 Virtual has addressed one of the limitations of an online conference: personal interactions. With Simulive sessions, you will have the opportunity to chat with fellow participants and interact with the expert faculty in real time! Of course, all Simulive sessions will be available on demand after the fact for those of you who need alternate times to watch.

Be sure to attend some (or all!) of this week’s Simulive sessions. There is something for everyone:

• On Tuesday, Aug. 18, Sam Brondfield, MD, will discuss oncologic work-ups, and James Kim, MD, will make antibiotics simple (where was Dr. Kim for my medical school training?).
• Wednesday, Aug. 19, circles back to another epidemic, the opioid crisis, presented by Theresa Vettese, MD. Dr. Alfred Burger updates us on Clinical Practice Guidelines, and Jeff Trost, MD, brings us up to speed on the effects of COVID-19 and the heart.
• Thursday, Aug. 20, wraps up week 2 of HM20 Virtual with Population Health by Adam Myers, MD, and Updates in Pneumonia by Joanna Bonsall, MD.

The personal interactions don’t have to stop there! HM20 Virtual also features Special Interest Forums. Check out the list and find out how to join by visiting the HM20 Virtual website.

We look forward to “seeing” you at HM20 Virtual. We always want your feedback; however, in this socially distanced, travel-limited world, your input is more important now than ever. Be sure to let us know how this new format works for your learning, networking, and professional needs.

On behalf of the SHM board of directors, the SHM staff, and myself, we hope you enjoy HM20 Virtual. Through this meeting’s rich selection of educational opportunities – and the innovative approaches in a world dominated by the coronavirus – SHM continues to further its mission to promote excellence in the practice of hospital medicine. SHM remains at the forefront of health care today, empowering hospitalists and transforming patient care.

Dr. Howell is CEO of the Society of Hospital Medicine.

The Society of Hospital Medicine prides itself on bringing a broad range of experts together with the largest gathering of hospitalists at any conference – virtual or otherwise! Hospitalists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, executives, pharmacists, educators, and practitioners of many hospital-based specialties make HM20 Virtual a unique educational experience.

We know that patients depend on you to have pertinent, updated, and timely information for their acute care needs. HM20 Virtual can provide the information you need to stay abreast in this complex and ever-changing year. From COVID-19 to common diagnosis, from racism/bias to blood glucose, from peds to pulmonary embolism, HM20 Virtual covers important topics for all acute care and hospital clinicians and professionals.

This year’s conference is something new. To meet the ever-changing challenges that the year 2020 has brought all of us, HM20 Virtual has addressed one of the limitations of an online conference: personal interactions. With Simulive sessions, you will have the opportunity to chat with fellow participants and interact with the expert faculty in real time! Of course, all Simulive sessions will be available on demand after the fact for those of you who need alternate times to watch.

Be sure to attend some (or all!) of this week’s Simulive sessions. There is something for everyone:

• On Tuesday, Aug. 18, Sam Brondfield, MD, will discuss oncologic work-ups, and James Kim, MD, will make antibiotics simple (where was Dr. Kim for my medical school training?).
• Wednesday, Aug. 19, circles back to another epidemic, the opioid crisis, presented by Theresa Vettese, MD. Dr. Alfred Burger updates us on Clinical Practice Guidelines, and Jeff Trost, MD, brings us up to speed on the effects of COVID-19 and the heart.
• Thursday, Aug. 20, wraps up week 2 of HM20 Virtual with Population Health by Adam Myers, MD, and Updates in Pneumonia by Joanna Bonsall, MD.

The personal interactions don’t have to stop there! HM20 Virtual also features Special Interest Forums. Check out the list and find out how to join by visiting the HM20 Virtual website.

We look forward to “seeing” you at HM20 Virtual. We always want your feedback; however, in this socially distanced, travel-limited world, your input is more important now than ever. Be sure to let us know how this new format works for your learning, networking, and professional needs.

On behalf of the SHM board of directors, the SHM staff, and myself, we hope you enjoy HM20 Virtual. Through this meeting’s rich selection of educational opportunities – and the innovative approaches in a world dominated by the coronavirus – SHM continues to further its mission to promote excellence in the practice of hospital medicine. SHM remains at the forefront of health care today, empowering hospitalists and transforming patient care.

Dr. Howell is CEO of the Society of Hospital Medicine.