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Hospitalist Leadership Connection

This e-mail newsletter focuses on hospitalist management issues. Look for it each week to bring you regulatory news, research, hot topics, and long-term trends in the field of inpatient care.

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Hospitalist Leadership Connection

Issue 46, November 17, 2009

• What method does your hospitalist program use to recruit new hospitalists?

  Take the online poll at HospitalistLeadership.com.

• I can't get no sa-tis-fac-tion

  Communication with doctors is one of the components of the federally mandated Hospital Consumer...

• What are the drawbacks of launching a hospitalist program to reduce ED call burden?

  Although hospitalist programs can be  helpful in reducing on-call burden, they are not a...

• Physician numbers down, recruitment up

  The majority of hospital CEOs (95%) see the physician shortage worsening with the economic...

Issue 45, November 10, 2009

• The Greeley Medical Staff Institute Symposium round-up

  Did you miss the Greeley Medical Staff Institute Symposium last week? You can find all the stories...

• Hospitalist program demographics released

  The hospitals that use the hospitalist model have shorter length of stay, better quality of care...

• Resident duty hour restriction cuts inpatient teaching

  The current 80-hour resident duty restriction, set by the Accreditation Council for Graduate...

Issue 44, November 2, 2009

• The "one-visit follow-up clinic"

  We, as the hospitalist team, will provide one follow-up visit to patients who do not have a primary...

• Editor's note: See you in Naples!

  Will you be joining us at The Greeley Medical Staff Institute Symposium (November 8-9, Naples, FL)?

• Pre-interview questions to ask candidates about work ethic

  Hospitalist program directors can use the following questions to learn more about a hospitalist...

Issue 43, October 28, 2009

• Ask the expert: What are hospitalists’ responsibilities with regard to residents and fellows?

  Some hospitalists may be responsible for overseeing resident and fellow activities. Consider the...

• How does your hospitalist compensation plan measure up?

  Hospitalist program managers should judge any proposed compensation plan based on the following...

• This month in Hospitalist Leadership Advisor

  Don’t forget to check your mailbox (electronic or otherwise) to get the latest hospitalist...

• The Greeley Medical Staff Institute Symposium is just around the corner!

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Issue 42, October 20, 2009

• What the field has to say about OB hospitalist programs

  The HospitalistLeadership.com Blog interviewed members of two OB hospitalist programs about the...

• Hospitalist-led active bed management speeds up ED to ICU throughput

  Researchers at John Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore found that strong hospitalist leadership...

• Hospitalist compensation soaring

  The average hospitalist compensation is $201,000 a year, according to a new Merritt Hawkins &...

Issue 41, October 13, 2009

• Hospitalists require cultural sensitivity for end-of-life care

  With an increasingly diverse patient population, hospitalists require cultural competency to make...

• News round-up: ABFM and ABIM pilot certification for hospitalists

  The American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) and the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM...

• Physician recruitment survey shows hospitalist growth

  Hospitalists are third on the list of most sought-after physicians, after family practice and...

Issue 40, October 6, 2009

• Remember Hospitalist Leadership Connection archives are stored online

  Remember that you can find all the past issues of this e-newsletter online, dating back to 2006.

• The symbiotic case manager-hospitalist relationship

  The case manager-hospitalist relationship can be a “win-win,” says Stefani Daniels...

• Why residents choose internal medicine

  What factors drive residents to pursue internal medicine? Family time is the biggest reason...

• Geriatrician-hospitalist model cut costs and LOS

  A collaborative consultation model between geriatricians and hospitalists can help improve the care...

• How to improve handoffs

  The best way to communicate information during service changes is a verbal handoff with written...

• Physician executives earn more money with business degrees

  One-third of physician executives (33%) possess an MBA, MMM, MPH, or MHA.

Issue 39, September 29, 2009

• Reform: quality, cost, and access...to what?

  Now, we no longer hear President Obama discuss healthcare reform, but health insurance reform.

• OPPE forms simplified

  Thanks to Sharon Chaput, RN, CSHA, director of regulatory and quality management at Brattleboro...

• Most hospitals allow physicians to hold privileges without board certification

  Eighty-two percent of all hospitals whose policies require recertification allow surgeons and...

• All board certification equal, study says

  A new study says that the three major board certifying organizations—The American Board of...

Issue 38, September 21, 2009

• R-E-S-P-E-C-T : This is what it means to me

  The secret of gaining respect is to show respect to others.

• Tool: Sample surgical hospitalist clinical responsibilities

  The clinical duties of a surgical hospitalist, or “surgicalist,” vary from one setting...

• Redesign your physician retention plan

  Medical staff professionals and administrative staff members should take an active role in helping...

• Recruitment tip: Engage in the wrap-up discussion

  The goal of each interview is for the candidate to leave wanting the job. That puts the power of...

Issue 37, September 14, 2009

• Hospitalist speakers announced for Greeley Medical Staff Institute Symposium

  HCPro, Inc. and The Greeley Company are pleased to announce this year’s lineup for the...

• Plan for conducting interdisciplinary morning rounds

  The hospitalist must remain in continuous contact with the treatment team during a patient’s...

• A hospitalist remembers Sept. 11

  At 8 a.m. on September 11, 2001 we convened a meeting of the department of medicine at Milford...

• Patient-centered medical home saves money and improves quality

  The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) saves on costs, minimizes clinician burnout, and improves...

• Joint Commission launches Center for Transforming Healthcare for patient safety

  The Joint Commission (formerly JACHO) last week announced the launch of the Center for Transforming...

Issue 36, September 8, 2009

• What's the number one duty of a hospitalist? Patient safety?

  When Robert M. Centor, MD, did his morning rounds, he found one patient named Jones in one room...

• Leadership essential to preventing medical errors

  Effective leadership can prevent medical errors, says The Joint Commission in an Aug. 27 Sentinel...

• Bundling may leave hospitalists vulnerable

  The Phoenix Group, a hospitalist think tank, last week released a white paper, “Hospitalists...

Issue 35, September 1, 2009

• August contest winner announced

  The August giveaway goes to Lana Heavilin, RN, a medical staff office coordinator in the quality...

• Are concierge hospitalists coming?

  I recently had the opportunity to have lunch with a member of the board of directors of a company...

• Do specialty hospitalists have a future in practice or will the trend fade out?

  As emergency department (ED) call panel stipends reach high enough levels, hospitals are taking a...

• Proving the value of hospitalists

  "Hospitals that invest in hospitalists contribute to high quality," said, in the article...

Issue 34, August 25, 2009

• Physicians ready to retire? Part-time work options could be the fix

  Despite findings from government think-tanks that our nation appears to be emerging from economic...

• Contest: Last week to enter August giveaway of Greeley Medical Staff Institute Symposium

  Did you enter the contest this month? Remember: This is the last week to enter the August giveaway...

• Goals of hospitalist palliative care

  The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the population of adults 65 years of age and older will grow...

• White House announces $1.2 billion for EHRs

  Vice President Joe Biden last week announced that $1.2 billion will be dedicated to implementing...

Issue 33, August 14, 2009

• White House launches healthcare reform myth-buster Web site

  WhiteHouse.gov/RealityCheck features video clips of prominent healthcare committee members and...

• Resident hospitalists in teaching hospitals

  In my experience, private practice physicians often hesitate, if not outright refuse, to have...

• Win two free seats to the Greeley Medical Staff Institute Symposium

  Want to attend a live event for hospitalist leadership? The Greeley Medical Staff Institute...

Issue 32, August 11, 2009

• Win two free seats at the Greeley Medical Staff Institute Symposium

  Have you entered this month’s contest for two free seats at the Greeley Medical Staff...

• Three healthcare reform bills compared

  As Congress goes into recess this month, more Americans are wondering what healthcare reform will...

• Inpatient quality data deadline this week

  RHQDAPU-participating hospitals must report inpatient data regarding the new measure of cardiac...

• Hospitalists linked to quality of care, study says

  Researchers found that hospitals with hospitalists—usually nonprofit, large, teaching...

Issue 31, August 4, 2009

• Greeley Medical Staff Institute Symposium July winner announced

  Nancy is the July winner for the Greeley Medical Staff Institute Symposium giveaway for two free...

• Consumer Reports Health launches patient satisfaction scores

  Traditionally known for reviewing cars and electronics, Consumer Reports, for the first time in its...

• Hospitalist-orthopedic comanagement improves patient care, study says

  Comangement between hospitalists and orthopedic physicians can help improve surgical care of...

• Acute care hospitals to receive $1.9 billion with 2010 IPPS final rule

  CMS on Friday issued a final inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) rule that would allow...

Issue 30, July 28, 2009

• There's still time to enter the Greeley symposium July giveaway contest

  There’s still time to enter this month’s contest for two free seats at the Greeley...

• Small practice docs opt for hospital employment

  Physicians from small groups are nearly four times more likely to become direct employees of a...

• Doctors learn to say no to patients

  A July 22 BBC News article outlined some tips on how physicians can approach this sometimes...

• Hospitalist core competencies

  As the number of hospitalists has grown, so too has their role within the hospital systems...

Issue 29, July 21, 2009

• Contest to win free seats at the Greeley Medical Staff Institute

  There’s still time to enter this month’s contest for two free seats at the Greeley...

• A contrarian view of hospital medicine

  One of the reasons why hospitalists have become necessary is that hospitals have become...

• Half of PCPs think hospital medicine improves quality

  Only half of primary care physicians (PCPs) feel that the presence of hospitalists improves the...

• Rankings of best hospitals released

  U.S. News & World Report released its annual “America’s Best Hospitals” list...

Issue 28, July 13, 2009

• Enter to win free registration to the Greeley Medical Staff Institute Symposium

  In an effort to make the upcoming Greeley Medical Staff Institute Symposium (November 8-9, 2009...

• Pediatric hospitalists can help cut down on medication errors

  A multidisciplinary team that includes a pediatric hospitalist can help reduce adverse drug events...

• Hospital Compare releases readmission rates

  Adding more clinical data to the public reporting Web site, HospitalCompare, the Hospital Quality...

Issue 27, July 7, 2009

• Save the date: Greeley Medical Staff Institute Symposium November 8-9 in Naples, FL

  The Greeley Medical Staff Institute Symposium is a unique forum created to foster communication...

• Primary care and healthcare reform-Where do we fit in?

  One congressional committee has published a discussion draft on the House healthcare reform bill.

• How to figure out the right number of hospitalists

  Many hospitals now want to know how many hospitalists they need. One approach is to calculate...

• No home health services mean longer hospital stays

  More than half of doctors prolong patient stays in the hospital because of a lack of home health...

Issue 26, June 30, 2009

• Don't forget new media in your recruitment search

  Interactive media has transformed the way job searches are conducted today. Here are tips for how...

• Hospitalists are efficient diagnosticians

  Patients under hospitalist care, particularly intensivist care, experienced shorter length of stay...

• AHRQ posts state snapshots on quality

  The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) recently published online its 2008 State...

• Help patients understand MD, PA, and NP roles

  NPs can practice independently in some states, but not in others. Prepare a “script&rdquo...

Issue 25, June 23, 2009

• Quick, schedule the interview; Not so fast!

  It is crucial to learn as much as possible about candidates before inviting them to interview.

• Stages of hospitalist leadership transition

  As the ranks of hospital medicine continue to swell, the need for leadership development is...

• What makes a successful hospitalist-run short stay?

  Available in one-third of U.S. hospitals, short-stay units are typically located next to emergency...

Issue 24, June 16, 2009

• Health reform and the hospitalist

  Congress is likely to enact some sort of health reform before the year is out, and we can be sure...

• What is the correct term for NPs and PAs?

  Pat Spurlock, assistant director of professional affairs at the American Academy of Physician...

• Paging Dr. Wrong

  One-seventh of pages are sent to the wrong physician, according to a new study, “Frequency...

• Teaching bedside skills in decline

  Only 17% of hospitalist teaching time is spent at the patient’s bedside, according to a new...

Issue 23, June 9, 2009

• The rise of the laborist and surgicalist

  One controversial application of this concept is the laborist, who specializes in infant delivery.

• Is there a national standard for ED call compensation?

  Is there a national standard? The answer is really, no; it’s very community dependent.

• Lack of inpatient beds is major cause of ED crowding

  Crowding in the emergency department (ED) is caused, in part, because of a lack of inpatient beds...

• New bill aims to save primary care

  Congress addressed the national shortage of primary care providers (PCP) with a new bill...

• White House announces new healthcare jobs in Roadmap to Recovery plan

  During the administration's second 100 days, the White House aims to quadruple the number of jobs...

Issue 22, June 2, 2009

• Price dropped on new physician-hospital alignment audio conference

  HCPro, Inc., understands that budgets are tight, so we've dropped the price from $269 to $199 on an...

• Demonstrating value: Proof in dollars

  When presenting savings from length-of-stay reduction, remember to acknowledge revenue lost on...

• Involve case managers in leadership decisions

  One way to improve the hospitalist-case manager relationship is to involve leaders from both...

• Most pediatric hospitalist programs subsidized by hospitals

  Out of the 77 hospital executive respondents, 78% of those hospitals subsidized their pediatric...

Issue 21, May 22, 2009

• Last chance to register: Surgical hospitalist Web cast tomorrow

  Just a reminder that you can still register for Thursday’s Webcast, Surgical Hospitalist...

• Happy spouse = Happy physician + recruitment success

  Organizational “fit” and “family” considerations are the two most important...

• Update: Changing IOM resident work hours to cost billions more, study says

  Despite initial reports that the cost of implementing suggested resident work hour changes from the...

• Sen. Baucus talks about healthcare reform

  The Hospitalist, a Society of Hospital Medicine publication, interviewed Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont...

Issue 20, May 19, 2009

• Call for questions: Surgical hospitalist webcast airs next week

  A crisis in access to emergency surgical care has emerged during the past decade, according to John...

• Post-SHM ’09 blog roundup

  The Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) 2009 Annual Meeting wrapped up on Sunday in Chicago. The SHM...

• Survey details NP and PA salary

  According to the survey of 2,300 medical practices in the greater Philadelphia area, the overall...

Issue 19, May 12, 2009

• Blogging live from SHM annual meeting

  Like many of you, HCPro and HospitalistLeadership.com will be attending the Annual Society of...

• The paradox of specialty hospitals

  Recent conflicts between specialty and general hospitals is an issue that gets to the heart of the...

• Questions to ask new hospitalist recruits

  It’s important to set the stage with the question, but then get off the stage and let them...

• Some hospitalists not paid for quality improvement duties

  The majority of hospitalist management groups (97%) work on quality initiatives (QI), but about...

• Bill proposed to create White House quality improvement office

  Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-WV), Sheldon White (D-RI), and Congresswoman Diana DeGette...

Issue 18, May 5, 2009

• Resident moonlighting should be prohibited

  The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) released a letter to the Accreditation Council...

• Free Greeley white paper: Physician-hospital alignment

  What do a fed-up ED on-call surgeon, disgruntled specialists, and a cross CEO all have in common...

• New Medicare enrollment rules = revenue at risk

  In case you missed this—and apparently many practices did—the new rule shortens the...

Issue 17, April 28, 2009

• How do hospitalist leaders like to get the news?

  HCPro wants to deliver the most important information in the best format for you. Please take a...

• Surgical hospital program report card dashboard

  If you are interested in how another surgical hospitalist program might compare or need data to...

• The great hospitalist scheduling debate

  There are options designed to ease your scheduling pain, including traditional, block, and...

• MGMA releases daily on-call compensation by specialty

  The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) recently released its 2009 report, “Medical...

• Fewer inpatient and elective cases, more ED cases on the rise

  With the economic downturn, more Americans are forgoing inpatient and elective services and seeking...

Issue 16, April 21, 2009

• Key educational strengths of an academic surgical hospitalist program

  Time must be allocated to complete teaching responsibilities, which may include preparing lectures...

• Down economy makes recruiting physicians from afar more difficult

  As a recruitment incentive, most medical groups (96%) stated they offer relocation assistance for...

• Hospital Compare preview reports posted

  Hospitals and quality improvement organizations may be interested to know that the Centers for...

• AHA takes stance on resident work hour rules

  The American Hospital Association (AHA) on Monday released a statement to the Accreditation Council...

Issue 15, April 14, 2009

• Focus on hospitalist leadership responsibilities

  Effective hospitalist leaders must balance their clinical responsibilities with their...

• Unintended consequences of EMRs?

  “Will the federal EMR really reduce healthcare costs?” At least one physician thinks...

• CMS Care Transitions Project aims to reduce hospital readmissions

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Monday announced 14 community locations...

• White House creates Office of Health Reform

  President Barak Obama last week declared an executive order, announcing the White House Office of...

Issue 14, April 7, 2009

• Does medical home = medical village = global hospital payments?

  The “medical village” has huge implications for hospitalists (and every physician who...

• U.S. hospitals lack EMRs

  Only 1.5% of U.S. hospitals have a comprehensive electronic records systems in all clinical units...

• Physician assistant statistics at a glance

  The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the total number or PA positions will...

• Economic woes rise; hospital margins drop

  “Hospitals are struggling to make ends meet, [and] more than half in the red,&rdquo...

Issue 13, March 31, 2009

• What's on your reading list?

  If you are managing a hospitalist program, or are otherwise interested in the business of medicine...

• Pediatric hospitalist trends

  A new study provides what authors call the “most comprehensive information” on...

• Add neurohospitalists to the list of specialty hospitalists

  Neurology hospitalists, called neurohospitalists, are on the rise, according to a new study...

• Hospitalist services could improve trauma outcomes

  More than 90% of trauma patients should be admitted by a trauma surgeon in accordance with...

• ABMS announces new MOC details

  The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) last Thursday announced new requirements for...

Issue 12, March 24, 2009

• Physician job (dis)satisfaction factors

  Among all survey respondents, 66% of the AMGA medical group members confirmed that they poll their...

• Calculating an ROI for a surgical hospitalist program

  As with other hospitalist programs, a precise return on investment (ROI) is difficult to capture...

• ED-to-inpatient sign-out voicemails eases communication

  What is a better method of sign-out communication—a conversation about the transfer of a...

• Comparative effectiveness council formed

  The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) last week announced the 15 members of the Federal...

Issue 11, March 17, 2009

• SHM retracts message about ABHM certification

  The Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) recently posted a retraction of its Jan. 14th message to SHM...

• Hospitalist numbers and care rising

  A new study confirms what many have suspected for a long time; the number of hospitalists is on the...

• Hospitalist versus non-hospitalist outcomes

  Hospitalists improve patient outcomes, quality, and cost reduction, according to a study by the...

• Healthcare reform and comparative effectiveness research

  The recent Stimulus Package includes $1.1 billion for “comparative effectiveness...

Issue 10, March 10, 2009

• One is six patients is difficult, say female doctors

  Physicians say that for every six patients they see, one is difficult, according to a new study...

• Happy Patient Safety Awareness Week!

  March 8-14 is National Patient Safety Awareness Week, a week dedicated to drawing attention to...

• The rapture of the seven-on/seven-off schedule

  The seven-on/seven-off schedule holds a strange fascination for hospitalists, especially those who...

• Approaching ED Call Compensation as a Negotiation

  What happens when a neurosurgeon is paid $2,000 to take ED call but rarely comes into the hospital...

Issue 9, March 3, 2009

• Hospitalists and PAs save more lives than residents

  Mortality rates were significantly lower on the hospitalist-PA service compared to the resident...

• Patient handoff training useful for interns

  A new study from the University of Colorado School of Medicine, indicates that formal patient...

• More advanced practitioners on the horizon

  Medical organizations are increasing the number of advanced practitioners (PAs, NPs, and certified...

Issue 8, February 24, 2009

• ABPS releases details about board certification requirements

  ABPS is a multi-specialty physician board with 3,800 current members and was established in 1950...

• Who is a qualified hospitalist?

  The recent formation of the American Board of Hospital Medicine (ABHM) creates a new wrinkle in the...

• ACGME changes resident rules in internal medicine inpatient rotations

  The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) approved changes for internal...

• Sneak peek to medical staff leadership workshop on credentialing and privileging

  HCPro, Inc. has teamed up with the Greeley Company to provide a three-part series of virtual...

Issue 7, February 17, 2009

• Last call for speakers: Greeley Medical Staff Institute Symposium

  Are you interested in sharing your strategies for tackling contemporary medical staff challenges...

• Recruiting and J-1 visa candidates

  Kirk Mathews, CEO, principal, and founder of Inpatient Management Inc., in St. Louis, talks about...

• American Board of Physician Specialties releases board details

  The American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS) released a statement to HCPro last week...

• President signs economic bill to jumpstart healthcare reform

  President Barack Obama signed the economic stimulus bill into law on Tuesday, estimated at $787...

Issue 6, February 10, 2009

• A shout-out to primary care

  Although some have predicted that the hospitalist movement trend will lead to the death of the...

• Top 10 tips for running committees

  Organizing this extracurricular activity can be very time consuming, but you can streamline your...

• Patients don't know doctor's name

  The majority of hospital patients can not identify a single doctor assigned to their care...

Issue 5, February 3, 2009

• Editor's pick: Medical staff virtual workshop

  HCPro has partnered with The Greeley Medical Staff Institute to host a series of three virtual...

• Hospitalists need office space, too

  The hospitalist office acts as a “coordination center” for the hospitalists&rsquo...

• Clinical information technology reduces inpatient deaths and cuts costs

  Researchers studied more than 167,000 patients admitted to urban Texas hospitals between 2005 and...

• Tips to combat board certification scams

  The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) issued a warning in October, cautioning against...

Issue 4, January 27, 2009

• Call for seminar speakers

  HCPro and The Greeley Medical Staff Institute are currently looking for hospitalist program...

• Moving up to the C-suite

  Is there a C-suite position in your future? The medical director of a hospitalist program could be...

• The Joint Commission adds patient satisfaction to Quality Check

  The Joint Commission last week announced hospitals and consumers can now find patient satisfaction...

• Hard economic times hit inpatient programs

  Nearly half of U.S. hospitals are postponing capital projects because of the economic crisis...

• First board certification for hospitalists announced -- with caution

  The American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS) this month announced the new American Board of...

Issue 3, January 20, 2009

• Medical staff virtual workshop

  HCPro partnered with The Greeley Medical Staff Institute to host a series of three virtual seminars...

• WHO surgical checklist reduces inpatient complication and deaths

  The World Health Organization (WHO) last week released a safe surgery checklist that can reduce...

• Continuity of care decreases at end of life

  During the 1990s and early 2000s, continuity of care from home to hospital declined, according to a...

• Readmissions rate: Hospitalist service vs. resident service

  Resident-staffed services have a higher unscheduled readmission rate compared to hospitalist...

Issue 2, January 13, 2009

• Tip: Creating hospitalists from residents

  Read a exclusive tip from this month’s Hospitalist Leadership Advisor feature story on how to...

• Sample pro forma for hospitalist specialities

  Find a sample pro forma and total costs of a hospital with a orthopedic, OB, and general surgery...

• Half of hospitals utilize hospitalists, study says

  Four out of five large hospitals utilize hospitalists, that is, 83% of hospitals with 200 or more...

Issue 1, January 6, 2009

• Hospitalist documentation Q&A

  Can the physician write the ICD-9 in the progress notes?

• Recruitment tip 2: Interview questions you should not ask

  Although you want to get to know your candidate at the interview, some questions should be taboo to...

• Recruitment tip 1: Interview questions you should ask

  Interviewing candidates involves breaking the ice. Create an event where the candidate can be...