Journal of Hospital Medicine
By now all SHM members should have received the first issue of the JHM. Another project that was years in the making, the journal represents one more important step forward in the growth and maturation of our field. I remember the first discussions at a board meeting several years ago when we decided to develop a journal. We worried whether the field was ready and whether there would be enough content of sufficient quality to support a journal.
One look at JHM and you can see that any worries were unfounded. The quality of the journal and of the content is outstanding. Kudos go to Mark Williams, MD, the editor of JHM, his coeditors, and the many staff at SHM and our publisher, John Wiley & Sons, who brought this to fruition.
As we move ahead with other important initiatives such as certification, the presence of a high quality journal for our field only strengthens our position. Please submit your papers to JHM. Share your work with your colleagues. Contribute to the success of this important publication.
Recognition for Hospitalists
In another sign of the growth of our field, we have been pursuing recognition of expertise in hospital medicine. Unlike the core competencies, resource rooms, and journal that have already come to pass, formal recognition is still a ways off. And while the final outcome is far from certain, the signs all point toward a separate recognition for hospitalists.
There are many details to be worked out. I wish I had more details to share with you, but I can tell you that we are committed to a formal recognition that will have meaning to hospitalists, our employers, our patients, and to a process that is not burdensome. Also, recognition will not involve another test, but will occur during the maintenance of certification process that is currently in place for all physicians certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM). Our initial efforts are with the ABIM because the majority of hospitalists are internists and because the ABIM has been very interested in working with us. I can promise you that once we figure out a process in internal medicine we will use our knowledge to pursue similar certification in pediatrics and family practice.
Public Policy and Advocacy
This year, SHM has taken a big step forward in public policy and advocacy to address the key policy issues affecting hospital medicine. We have a very active public policy committee chaired by Eric Siegal, MD, and a new senior advisor for policy, Laura Allendorf, who have been leading our efforts in this area.
Two key issues being discussed are pay for performance and incentive alignment. Look to The Hospitalist for future articles on these important topics. We also commissioned a white paper on policy issues in hospital medicine that will teach readers about our field and outline our top legislative priorities. This white paper and the recommendations it contains will form the foundation of our first Legislative Day on May 3, 2006 (the precourse day for the annual meeting). Any SHM member who signs up in advance can participate in Legislative Day and have a chance to meet with their elected members of Congress or their staff to educate them about hospitalists and the issues that are important to the field of hospital medicine. Increasingly we see that our new field is raising issues that need to be addressed on the national level. The work of the public policy committee will give a clear voice to SHM in this arena.