Sometimes the final day of a convention is nothing more than the “getaway day.”
But not at HM17. Not this year.
The finale of the 2017 annual meeting is capped off, as has become tradition, by a speech from the dean of hospital medicine: Robert Wachter, MD, MHM. The last time Dr. Wachter gave his address from a Vegas stage, it ended with him in head-to-toe Elton John regalia. While there’s no guarantee of a wardrobe reprisal, the annual address from the man who helped name the specialty promises to entertain and inform, said HM17 course director Lenny Feldman, MD, SFHM.
Dr. Leonard Feldman
“Whether he is entertaining and educating us through song or through one of his engaging and thoughtful presentations, I know that everyone is going to really enjoy what he has to say,” Dr. Feldman said. “He is the thought leader, the father of hospital medicine, and it is a privilege to get to hear from him every year at the end of every meeting. I’m truly looking forward to it, and I know it’s one of the reasons that people stick around on the last day. … It is well worth the wait.”
However, Dr. Wachter’s words – this year titled “Planning for the Future in a World of Constant Change: What Should Hospitalists Do?” – aren’t the final day’s only lure.
Two of this year’s newest educational tracks – Health Policy and Medical Education – debut today and offer five courses focusing on niche areas interesting to many hospitalists. Also today is the annual Potpurri track, which highlights off-beat topics such as “Case-Based Approach to Difficult Conversations” and “The History of Medicine: Discoveries that Shaped Our Profession.”
“These sessions are unique but have a wide range of appeal,” Dr. Feldman said. “Attendees are going to have a great time delving into these topics.”