We have reached the final day of another SHM annual conference. What a spectacular ride it has been! On the first day, we heard about the success of the first National Hospitalist Day and how hospital medicine continues to evolve with the health care landscape in the United States and beyond. Throughout the course of the meeting, you have learned about critical updates in our specialty that will support hospitalists’ quest to lead the change. As health care transforms, we are well positioned to innovate in support of our peers and patients.
Dr. Chris Frost
The importance of high-value care has been a theme of HM19, balanced with the high value of physician well-being. With inspiring keynotes from Marc Harrison, MD, on influencing lives more effectively and more affordably to approaches to fighting burnout from Tait Shanafelt, MD, hospital medicine as a specialty has the power to transform health care for patients and providers alike. I hope you also had the chance to attend the sessions on clinical updates, diagnostic reasoning, practice management, and career development, to name just a few.
The final day of the meeting is no exception when it comes to impactful topics and memorable sessions. Beginning at 7:30 a.m., you’ll find a number of sessions and workshops to round out your conference experience. Our popular “Stump the Professor” series is back, focused on challenging clinical unknowns. In addition, “Medical Jeopardy,” tips on being a successful teaching attending, best practices for promoting diversity in HMGs, the history of hospitals, and updates on LGBTQ health are just a few of the topics you’ll have a chance to immerse yourself in today.
Because of the proximity to the nation’s capital, we also are looking forward to Hill Day today, when hospitalists will travel to Capitol Hill to meet with legislators to discuss issues and policy affecting hospital medicine. This is yet another example of how hospitalists and SHM are partnering to be a voice for clinicians in important health care policy conversations.
As the conference concludes, I thank you for joining us and being a part of the hospital medicine movement. We hope you will continue to engage with SHM throughout the year as you further connect with colleagues via special interest groups, chapters, and committees. If you’re new to SHM, we invite you to discover all the options that your membership offers. We look forward to seeing you next year at Hospital Medicine 2020 (HM20) in San Diego, from April 15-18!
Dr. Frost is the incoming president of the Society of Hospital Medicine and the national medical director of hospital-based services at LifePoint Health in Brentwood, Tennessee.