As SHM has developed its resources to help hospitalists improve glycemic control, reduce unnecessary DVTs and PEs, and improve the transitions of care, SHM has engaged in partnerships with government agencies, foundations, and industry as well.
“SHM’s leadership recognizes that it has a fiduciary responsibility to its members—a responsibility to provide expert direction, and necessary resources, to enable the hospitalist to ensure the best possible care of his or her patients, and to advance the quality of the hospital system,” says SHM President Jeff Wiese, MD, SFHM. “But SHM cannot do this alone, and when external partnerships are established, it is the organization’s responsibility to enter into these partnerships judiciously, and to be fully transparent to the membership with respect to the arrangements of these partnerships.
“We are confident that no other organization has a more robust disclosure policy than SHM.”
Today’s Nominations, Tomorrow’s Leaders
HM leaders aren’t born that way—they’re nominated.
SHM is accepting nominations for its board election; new members will take office in May at HM11 in Dallas.
The nomination deadline is Oct. 31. Online ballots will be available to all SHM members in late 2010. The results of the election will be announced online in early 2011.
Nominees must be SHM members in good standing. SHM members may nominate themselves or be nominated by another SHM member. Nominations must include a letter of nomination, a one-page CV, and a recent photo.
The nomination committee considers candidates based on length of SHM membership, activity as a hospitalist and SHM member, the prominence of the candidate within the specialty, and a number of other factors.
Board members serve a three-year term and normally serve on one or more committees.
“Participating in SHM’s leadership is one of the best ways to help guide the future of hospital medicine,” says Larry Wellikson, MD, SFHM, CEO of SHM. “That begins by submitting a board nomination to SHM this year.”
Chapter Updates
Chicago
The Chicago chapter met May 19 at Sullivan’s Steakhouse. Twenty-five hospitalists from the Chicago area, including hospitalists at Loyola Hospital, Lutheran General Hospital, Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Trinity Hospital, Silver Cross, and Evanston Hospital, as well as hospitalist groups like Cogent and Vista, attended the meeting.
Dr. Robin Ross of Season Hospice and Palliative Care, which sponsored the event, presented clinical pearls for end-of-life care for the busy hospitalist. The meeting also featured a town-hall discussion, with topics relevant to everyday hospitalist practice—coding, consultations, and the use of observation units. Notification of chapter elections were summated to all chapter members in July and August.
Harrisburg/South Central Pennsylvania
Thirty hospitalists representing six HM programs attended the Harrisburg/South Central Pennsylvania chapter of SHM June 9 at Passage to India in Harrisburg.
Eric Kupersmith, MD, SFHM, division head of the hospitalist program at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, N.J., led an open discussion regarding “Transition of Care and the Hospitalist’s Role.” Chapter members had the opportunity to discuss how each individual program actively seeks to decrease readmission rates. Discharge-planning specifics generated group discussion, and a handful of hospitalists offered testimonials about what is working in their practices.
The meeting was sponsored by Merck.
A BOOST for all seasons: Discharge improvement resources now available year round
When Project BOOST (Better Outcomes for Older Adults through Safer Transitions), SHM’s groundbreaking program to reduce readmissions, first began in 2008, hospital sites applied to participate in a yearlong program of one-on-one mentorships, regular sessions to share best practices, and a resource toolkit.