Unveiling the hospitalist specialty code
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced in November the official implementation date for the Medicare physician specialty code for hospitalists. On April 3, “hospitalist” will be an official specialty designation under Medicare; the code will be C6. Starting on that date, hospitalists can change their specialty designation on the Medicare enrollment application (Form CMS-855I) or through CMS’ online portal (Provider Enrollment, Chain, and Ownership System, or PECOS).
Appropriate use of specialty codes helps distinguish differences among providers and improves the quality of utilization data. SHM applied for a specialty code for hospitalists nearly 3 years ago, and CMS approved the application in February 2016.
Stand with your fellow hospitalists and make sure to declare, “I’m a C6.”
Develop curricula to educate, engage medical students and residents
The ACGME requirements for training in quality and safety are changing – it is no longer an elective. As sponsoring institutions’ residency and fellowship programs mobilize to meet these requirements, leaders may find few faculty members are comfortable enough with the material to teach and create educational content for trainees. These faculty need further development.
Sponsored by SHM, the Quality and Safety Educators Academy (QSEA) responds to that demand by providing medical educators with the knowledge and tools to integrate quality improvement and safety concepts into their curricula. The 2017 meeting is Feb. 26-28 at the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel in Arizona.
This 2½ day meeting aims to fill the current gaps for faculty by offering basic concepts and educational tools in quality improvement and patient safety. Material is presented in an interactive way, providing guidance on career and curriculum development and establishing a national network of quality and safety educators.
For more information and to register, visit www.shmqsea.org.
EHRs: blessing or curse?
SHM’s Health Information Technology (HIT) Committee invited you to participate in a brief survey to inform your experiences with inpatient electronic health record (EHR) systems. The results will serve as a foundation for a white paper to be written by the HIT Committee addressing hospitalists’ attitudes toward EHR systems. It will be released next month, so stay tuned then to view the final paper.
SHM chapters: Your connection to local education, networking, leadership opportunities
SHM offers various opportunities to grow professionally, expand your CV, and engage with other hospitalists. With more than 50 chapters across the country, you can network, learn, teach, and continue to improve patient care at a local level. Find a chapter in your area or start a chapter today by visiting www.hospitalmedicine.org/chapters.
Enhance opioid safety for inpatients
SHM enrolled 10 hospitals into a second mentored implementation cohort around Reducing Adverse Drug Events Related to Opioids (RADEO). The program is now in its second month as the sites work with their mentors to enhance safety for patients in the hospital who are prescribed opioid medications by:
- Developing a needs assessment.
- Putting in place formal selections of data collection measures.
- Beginning to take outcomes and process data collection on intervention units.
- Starting to design and implement key interventions.
Even if you’re not in this mentored implementation cohort, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org/RADEO and view the online toolkit or download the implementation guide.
Earn recognition for your research with SHM’s Junior Investigator Award
The SHM Junior Investigator Award was created for junior/early-stage investigators, defined as faculty in the first 5 years of their most recent position/appointment. Applicants must be a hospitalist or clinician-investigators whose research interests focus on the care of hospitalized patients, the organization of hospitals, or the practice of hospitalists. Applicants must be members of SHM in good standing. Nominations from mentors and self-nominations are both welcome.
The winner will be invited to receive the award during SHM’s annual meeting, HM17, May 1-4, at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. The winner will receive complimentary registration for this meeting as well as a complimentary 1-year membership to SHM.
For more information on the application process, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org/juniorinvestigator.