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Some hospitalists not paid for quality improvement duties

Hospitalist Leadership Connection, May 12, 2009

The majority of hospitalist management groups (97%) work on quality initiatives (QI), but about one-tenth of them are not paid for their time or assigned dedicated time allocated for QI activities, according to the recent Society of Hospital Medicine 2008–2009 Focused Survey.

SHM surveyed 145 respondents between November and December 2008, and only 86% said they receive dedicated pay or time for activities such as project planning, project execution, and leadership.

Respondents reported that they most often engage in patient safety, clinical, and systems QI efforts. Their titles included chief quality officer, patient safety officer, and medical director for case management.

The study also notes that that physician compensation based on quality rose from 41% in 2006 to 57% in 2008.

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