It also makes transitions of care smoother and less disruptive, he says, “because a patient is simply transferred from one hospitalist in a group to another or often maintaining that same hospitalist in the post-acute-care setting.”
Dr. Muldoon says the new track is of value to any hospitalist, whether they actually work in post-acute care or not.
“A hospitalist would be hard-pressed to provide knowledgeable input into where a patient should receive post-acute care without a working knowledge of which patients should be directed to which post-acute-care setting,” he says.
Doctor-Patient Relationship
This topic was a pre-course last year, and organizers decided to make this a full track on the final day of the meeting schedule.
“It’s really about communication style,” Dr. Mattison says. “There’s one session called ‘The Language of Empathy and Engagement: Communication Essentials for Patient-Centered Care.’ There’s one on unconscious biases and our underlying assumptions and how it affects how we care for patients. [Another is focused] on improving the patient experience in the hospital.”
Co-Management/ Perioperative Medicine
“There are a lot of challenges around anticoagulation management, optimizing patients’ physical heath prior to the surgery, what things should we be doing, what medications should we be giving, what ones shouldn’t we be giving,” Dr. Mattison says. “It’s an evolving field that has, every year, new information.”
Hidden Gems
Dr. Mattison draws special attention to “Work-Life Balance: Is It Possible?” (Tuesday, March 8, 4:20–5:40 p.m.). This year, this problem—all too familiar to hospitalists—will be addressed in a panel discussion, which is a change from previous years.
“There’s been, year after year after year, a lot of discussion around, how can I make my job manageable if my boss isn’t listening to me or is not attuned to work-life balance? How can I navigate this process?” she says. “I’m hopeful that the panel discussion will provide people with some real examples and strategies for success.”
She also draws attention to the session “Perioperative Pitfalls: Overcoming Common Challenges in Managing Medical Problems in Surgical Patients” (Monday, March 7, 3:05–4:20 p.m.).
“There are some true leaders in perioperative management, and they’re going to come together and have a panel discussion,” she says. “It’ll be an opportunity to see some of the great minds think, if you will.” TH
Thomas R. Collins is a freelance writer in South Florida.