Brendon Shank

Ajay Kharbanda, MBA, CMPE, is regional director of Arlington-based Texas Health Resources, a nonprofit healthcare system that serves 16 counties in North and Central Texas with 4,100 beds at 24 acute-care and short-stay hospitals. Kharbanda, chair of SHM’s Administrators Task Force, chatted with The Hospitalist about his work, his involvement in SHM leadership, and how administrators can work with HM to improve the healthcare delivery.

Question: How would you characterize your role?

Answer: I work closely with the medical director of the hospitalist group to support physician practice operations for employed hospitalist physicians.

Q: What do you like most about your job as an administrator?

A: I serve professionals who make a difference in people’s lives, and I work with a specialty that is making a difference in how healthcare is being delivered in the country. Additionally, I work for a health system that has the mission to improve the health of the people in the communities we serve.

As nonphysician administrators, we send a powerful message about our commitment to the specialty of hospital medicine by becoming a member of the society, and we do need to remember that this is a community unique to our needs as hospital medicine practice administrators.—Ajay Kharbanda, MBA, CMPE, regional director, Texas Health Resources, Arlington

Q: What motivated you to join—and lead—SHM’s Administrators Task Force?

A: I have been a member of both MGMA (Medical Group Management Association) and SHM for many years, and I have seen SHM mature in the sense of meeting needs of nonclinicians who are looking for an avenue to network and seek answers to our common issues. I remember going to annual meetings, looking for familiar faces, and seeking out peers among the stream of physicians attending the event. Several of us saw the need for an avenue, especially at the annual meetings, for administrators to huddle and brainstorm.

As nonphysician administrators, we send a powerful message about our commitment to the specialty of hospital medicine by becoming a member of the society, and we do need to remember that this is a community unique to our needs as hospital medicine practice administrators.

Q: How is the task force moving HM forward?

A: The Administrators Task Force (ATF) is helping to develop initiatives and programs that promote and define the role of nonphysician practice administrators in hospital medicine. The ATF is charged with facilitating and enhancing the integration of administrators into the society. We strive to strengthen the society’s ability to fulfill its mission by developing and using the talents of current and future administrative leaders.

Q: How is the ATF helping hospitals improve patient care?

A: I believe it is by strengthening the role of the society. ATF has reached out to administrators nationwide to build awareness of the value of SHM resources, and we advised on the practice management [curriculum] for HM10. Plus, we have created the Web-based Practice Administrators’ Roundtable Series. These quarterly events provide an opportunity to discuss issues of common concern and share best practices around various topics. Following a brief formal presentation, participants are encouraged to take part in the discussion.

We all know that SHM offers a remarkable avenue for clinical knowledge, and we are helping to build an avenue for nonclinicians.

Q: Are there ways for other hospitalists and administrators to get involved with SHM?

A: First, visit the Practice Management Institute Web page at www.hospitalmedicine.org. It has information about the Practice Administrators’ Roundtable Series and resources on staffing and scheduling, career satisfaction, and coding and documentation.

Second, come to HM11, SHM’s annual meeting. We will be hosting a special-interest forum specifically designed for administrators. TH

Brendon Shank is vice president of communications for SHM.

Ajay Kharbanda, MBA, CMPE, is regional director of Arlington-based Texas Health Resources, a nonprofit healthcare system that serves 16 counties in North and Central Texas with 4,100 beds at 24 acute-care and short-stay hospitals. Kharbanda, chair of SHM’s Administrators Task Force, chatted with The Hospitalist about his work, his involvement in SHM leadership, and how administrators can work with HM to improve the healthcare delivery.

Question: How would you characterize your role?

Answer: I work closely with the medical director of the hospitalist group to support physician practice operations for employed hospitalist physicians.

Q: What do you like most about your job as an administrator?

A: I serve professionals who make a difference in people’s lives, and I work with a specialty that is making a difference in how healthcare is being delivered in the country. Additionally, I work for a health system that has the mission to improve the health of the people in the communities we serve.

As nonphysician administrators, we send a powerful message about our commitment to the specialty of hospital medicine by becoming a member of the society, and we do need to remember that this is a community unique to our needs as hospital medicine practice administrators.—Ajay Kharbanda, MBA, CMPE, regional director, Texas Health Resources, Arlington

Q: What motivated you to join—and lead—SHM’s Administrators Task Force?

A: I have been a member of both MGMA (Medical Group Management Association) and SHM for many years, and I have seen SHM mature in the sense of meeting needs of nonclinicians who are looking for an avenue to network and seek answers to our common issues. I remember going to annual meetings, looking for familiar faces, and seeking out peers among the stream of physicians attending the event. Several of us saw the need for an avenue, especially at the annual meetings, for administrators to huddle and brainstorm.

As nonphysician administrators, we send a powerful message about our commitment to the specialty of hospital medicine by becoming a member of the society, and we do need to remember that this is a community unique to our needs as hospital medicine practice administrators.

Q: How is the task force moving HM forward?

A: The Administrators Task Force (ATF) is helping to develop initiatives and programs that promote and define the role of nonphysician practice administrators in hospital medicine. The ATF is charged with facilitating and enhancing the integration of administrators into the society. We strive to strengthen the society’s ability to fulfill its mission by developing and using the talents of current and future administrative leaders.

Q: How is the ATF helping hospitals improve patient care?

A: I believe it is by strengthening the role of the society. ATF has reached out to administrators nationwide to build awareness of the value of SHM resources, and we advised on the practice management [curriculum] for HM10. Plus, we have created the Web-based Practice Administrators’ Roundtable Series. These quarterly events provide an opportunity to discuss issues of common concern and share best practices around various topics. Following a brief formal presentation, participants are encouraged to take part in the discussion.

We all know that SHM offers a remarkable avenue for clinical knowledge, and we are helping to build an avenue for nonclinicians.

Q: Are there ways for other hospitalists and administrators to get involved with SHM?

A: First, visit the Practice Management Institute Web page at www.hospitalmedicine.org. It has information about the Practice Administrators’ Roundtable Series and resources on staffing and scheduling, career satisfaction, and coding and documentation.

Second, come to HM11, SHM’s annual meeting. We will be hosting a special-interest forum specifically designed for administrators. TH

Brendon Shank is vice president of communications for SHM.

Ajay Kharbanda, MBA, CMPE, is regional director of Arlington-based Texas Health Resources, a nonprofit healthcare system that serves 16 counties in North and Central Texas with 4,100 beds at 24 acute-care and short-stay hospitals. Kharbanda, chair of SHM’s Administrators Task Force, chatted with The Hospitalist about his work, his involvement in SHM leadership, and how administrators can work with HM to improve the healthcare delivery.

Question: How would you characterize your role?

Answer: I work closely with the medical director of the hospitalist group to support physician practice operations for employed hospitalist physicians.

Q: What do you like most about your job as an administrator?

A: I serve professionals who make a difference in people’s lives, and I work with a specialty that is making a difference in how healthcare is being delivered in the country. Additionally, I work for a health system that has the mission to improve the health of the people in the communities we serve.

As nonphysician administrators, we send a powerful message about our commitment to the specialty of hospital medicine by becoming a member of the society, and we do need to remember that this is a community unique to our needs as hospital medicine practice administrators.—Ajay Kharbanda, MBA, CMPE, regional director, Texas Health Resources, Arlington

Q: What motivated you to join—and lead—SHM’s Administrators Task Force?

A: I have been a member of both MGMA (Medical Group Management Association) and SHM for many years, and I have seen SHM mature in the sense of meeting needs of nonclinicians who are looking for an avenue to network and seek answers to our common issues. I remember going to annual meetings, looking for familiar faces, and seeking out peers among the stream of physicians attending the event. Several of us saw the need for an avenue, especially at the annual meetings, for administrators to huddle and brainstorm.

As nonphysician administrators, we send a powerful message about our commitment to the specialty of hospital medicine by becoming a member of the society, and we do need to remember that this is a community unique to our needs as hospital medicine practice administrators.

Q: How is the task force moving HM forward?

A: The Administrators Task Force (ATF) is helping to develop initiatives and programs that promote and define the role of nonphysician practice administrators in hospital medicine. The ATF is charged with facilitating and enhancing the integration of administrators into the society. We strive to strengthen the society’s ability to fulfill its mission by developing and using the talents of current and future administrative leaders.

Q: How is the ATF helping hospitals improve patient care?

A: I believe it is by strengthening the role of the society. ATF has reached out to administrators nationwide to build awareness of the value of SHM resources, and we advised on the practice management [curriculum] for HM10. Plus, we have created the Web-based Practice Administrators’ Roundtable Series. These quarterly events provide an opportunity to discuss issues of common concern and share best practices around various topics. Following a brief formal presentation, participants are encouraged to take part in the discussion.

We all know that SHM offers a remarkable avenue for clinical knowledge, and we are helping to build an avenue for nonclinicians.

Q: Are there ways for other hospitalists and administrators to get involved with SHM?

A: First, visit the Practice Management Institute Web page at www.hospitalmedicine.org. It has information about the Practice Administrators’ Roundtable Series and resources on staffing and scheduling, career satisfaction, and coding and documentation.

Second, come to HM11, SHM’s annual meeting. We will be hosting a special-interest forum specifically designed for administrators. TH

Brendon Shank is vice president of communications for SHM.

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• Administrators in Hospital Medicine
• Canadian Hospitalists
• Comanagement/Consultative Hospital Medicine
• Community-Based Hospitalists
• Early-Career Hospitalists
• Education/Curriculum
• Family Practice Hospitalists
• Geriatric Hospitalists
• Information Technology
• International Hospital Medicine
• Medical Directors/Leadership
• Med-Peds Hospitalists
• Nonphysician Providers
• Pediatric Hospitalists
• Quality Improvement
• Researchers/Academic Hospitalists
• Rural Hospitalists
• VA Hospitalists
• Women in Hospital Medicine

• Administrators in Hospital Medicine
• Canadian Hospitalists
• Comanagement/Consultative Hospital Medicine
• Community-Based Hospitalists
• Early-Career Hospitalists
• Education/Curriculum
• Family Practice Hospitalists
• Geriatric Hospitalists
• Information Technology
• International Hospital Medicine
• Medical Directors/Leadership
• Med-Peds Hospitalists
• Nonphysician Providers
• Pediatric Hospitalists
• Quality Improvement
• Researchers/Academic Hospitalists
• Rural Hospitalists
• VA Hospitalists
• Women in Hospital Medicine

• Administrators in Hospital Medicine
• Canadian Hospitalists
• Comanagement/Consultative Hospital Medicine
• Community-Based Hospitalists
• Early-Career Hospitalists
• Education/Curriculum
• Family Practice Hospitalists
• Geriatric Hospitalists
• Information Technology
• International Hospital Medicine
• Medical Directors/Leadership
• Med-Peds Hospitalists
• Nonphysician Providers
• Pediatric Hospitalists
• Quality Improvement
• Researchers/Academic Hospitalists
• Rural Hospitalists
• VA Hospitalists
• Women in Hospital Medicine

Ask any veteran of an SHM annual meeting, and they’ll tell you that they come for the people.

The unprecedented growth of HM as a specialty means that more hospitalists have chances to connect throughout the year. But the specialty’s relative youth and the demand for hospitalists make networking with peers a key part of the annual meeting experience.

In response to conference attendees, HM11 will have even more networking opportunities built into the schedule than before. Additional time for lunches and breaks are built into the schedule, and the always-popular Special Interest Forums have been moved to the evening of the first day of the regular meeting, May 11.

The forums are specially designed to bring hospitalists with common interests together to informally share their experiences. “Many hospitalists across the country are tackling similar challenges,” says Geri Barnes, senior director of education and meetings at SHM. “The Special Interest Forums are an opportunity to build community around those challenges and the best practices they’ve developed.”

For hospitalists looking for face time with SHM leadership, the SHM Town Hall (2 p.m., May 13) offers a once-a-year preview into the society’s vision and the chance to ask the nation’s HM leaders about the specialty and its impact on hospitalists.—BS

Ask any veteran of an SHM annual meeting, and they’ll tell you that they come for the people.

The unprecedented growth of HM as a specialty means that more hospitalists have chances to connect throughout the year. But the specialty’s relative youth and the demand for hospitalists make networking with peers a key part of the annual meeting experience.

In response to conference attendees, HM11 will have even more networking opportunities built into the schedule than before. Additional time for lunches and breaks are built into the schedule, and the always-popular Special Interest Forums have been moved to the evening of the first day of the regular meeting, May 11.

The forums are specially designed to bring hospitalists with common interests together to informally share their experiences. “Many hospitalists across the country are tackling similar challenges,” says Geri Barnes, senior director of education and meetings at SHM. “The Special Interest Forums are an opportunity to build community around those challenges and the best practices they’ve developed.”

For hospitalists looking for face time with SHM leadership, the SHM Town Hall (2 p.m., May 13) offers a once-a-year preview into the society’s vision and the chance to ask the nation’s HM leaders about the specialty and its impact on hospitalists.—BS

Ask any veteran of an SHM annual meeting, and they’ll tell you that they come for the people.

The unprecedented growth of HM as a specialty means that more hospitalists have chances to connect throughout the year. But the specialty’s relative youth and the demand for hospitalists make networking with peers a key part of the annual meeting experience.

In response to conference attendees, HM11 will have even more networking opportunities built into the schedule than before. Additional time for lunches and breaks are built into the schedule, and the always-popular Special Interest Forums have been moved to the evening of the first day of the regular meeting, May 11.

The forums are specially designed to bring hospitalists with common interests together to informally share their experiences. “Many hospitalists across the country are tackling similar challenges,” says Geri Barnes, senior director of education and meetings at SHM. “The Special Interest Forums are an opportunity to build community around those challenges and the best practices they’ve developed.”

For hospitalists looking for face time with SHM leadership, the SHM Town Hall (2 p.m., May 13) offers a once-a-year preview into the society’s vision and the chance to ask the nation’s HM leaders about the specialty and its impact on hospitalists.—BS

Hospitalists of all stripes—educators, practice leaders, clinicians, and others—will find the courses and specialty leaders that can help them advance their careers at HM11, May 10-13 at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas.

HM11 sessions offer an unprecedented diversity of topics in hospital medicine, all presented in nine easy-to-follow tracks based on areas of interest:

• Academics and Research: A track specifically designed for hospitalists in academic medical centers or who are interested in research.
• Clinical 1: This track focuses on the essential topics in adult clinical medicine and emphasizes recent advances in HM that should be incorporated into a hospitalist’s approach to clinical-care delivery.
• Clinical 2: This track presents issues and solutions for additional clinical topics beyond the essentials presented in the Clinical 1 track.
• Evidence-Based Rapid Fire: This track gives participants “rapid bursts” of information and addresses 10 of the most pressing clinical issues in HM, based on the highest level of medical evidence available.
• Palliative Care: The track features presentations by experts with insight into the issues of dealing with death with dignity, advanced pain-management strategies, and issues that go beyond pain management.
• Pediatric: This track will focus on pediatric hospitalist practice management, as well as current clinical issues encountered by pediatric hospitalists.
• Practice Management: This year’s topics will focus on understanding key healthcare reform, financial drivers, employment models, improving patient satisfaction, ED throughput, mitigating legal risks, and the results of the first NPP hospitalist survey.
• Quality: Given the importance of quality and patient safety in the delivery of healthcare, this track will address the imperatives around development and implementation of QI efforts in the hospital.
• Workshops: Back by popular demand, workshop topics were submitted by members, underwent a peer review, and were selected based on their relevancy to hospitalists.

To find out more or register for HM11, visit www.hospitalmedicine2011.org.

Hospitalists of all stripes—educators, practice leaders, clinicians, and others—will find the courses and specialty leaders that can help them advance their careers at HM11, May 10-13 at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas.

HM11 sessions offer an unprecedented diversity of topics in hospital medicine, all presented in nine easy-to-follow tracks based on areas of interest:

• Academics and Research: A track specifically designed for hospitalists in academic medical centers or who are interested in research.
• Clinical 1: This track focuses on the essential topics in adult clinical medicine and emphasizes recent advances in HM that should be incorporated into a hospitalist’s approach to clinical-care delivery.
• Clinical 2: This track presents issues and solutions for additional clinical topics beyond the essentials presented in the Clinical 1 track.
• Evidence-Based Rapid Fire: This track gives participants “rapid bursts” of information and addresses 10 of the most pressing clinical issues in HM, based on the highest level of medical evidence available.
• Palliative Care: The track features presentations by experts with insight into the issues of dealing with death with dignity, advanced pain-management strategies, and issues that go beyond pain management.
• Pediatric: This track will focus on pediatric hospitalist practice management, as well as current clinical issues encountered by pediatric hospitalists.
• Practice Management: This year’s topics will focus on understanding key healthcare reform, financial drivers, employment models, improving patient satisfaction, ED throughput, mitigating legal risks, and the results of the first NPP hospitalist survey.
• Quality: Given the importance of quality and patient safety in the delivery of healthcare, this track will address the imperatives around development and implementation of QI efforts in the hospital.
• Workshops: Back by popular demand, workshop topics were submitted by members, underwent a peer review, and were selected based on their relevancy to hospitalists.

To find out more or register for HM11, visit www.hospitalmedicine2011.org.

Hospitalists of all stripes—educators, practice leaders, clinicians, and others—will find the courses and specialty leaders that can help them advance their careers at HM11, May 10-13 at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas.

HM11 sessions offer an unprecedented diversity of topics in hospital medicine, all presented in nine easy-to-follow tracks based on areas of interest:

• Academics and Research: A track specifically designed for hospitalists in academic medical centers or who are interested in research.
• Clinical 1: This track focuses on the essential topics in adult clinical medicine and emphasizes recent advances in HM that should be incorporated into a hospitalist’s approach to clinical-care delivery.
• Clinical 2: This track presents issues and solutions for additional clinical topics beyond the essentials presented in the Clinical 1 track.
• Evidence-Based Rapid Fire: This track gives participants “rapid bursts” of information and addresses 10 of the most pressing clinical issues in HM, based on the highest level of medical evidence available.
• Palliative Care: The track features presentations by experts with insight into the issues of dealing with death with dignity, advanced pain-management strategies, and issues that go beyond pain management.
• Pediatric: This track will focus on pediatric hospitalist practice management, as well as current clinical issues encountered by pediatric hospitalists.
• Practice Management: This year’s topics will focus on understanding key healthcare reform, financial drivers, employment models, improving patient satisfaction, ED throughput, mitigating legal risks, and the results of the first NPP hospitalist survey.
• Quality: Given the importance of quality and patient safety in the delivery of healthcare, this track will address the imperatives around development and implementation of QI efforts in the hospital.
• Workshops: Back by popular demand, workshop topics were submitted by members, underwent a peer review, and were selected based on their relevancy to hospitalists.

To find out more or register for HM11, visit www.hospitalmedicine2011.org.

Since the beginning of formal medical education, one of the biggest challenges in treating patients has been learning from mistakes. How do providers balance the potentially grave consequences of medical mistakes with the possibilities of improving patient care?

While the conundrum is far from solved, hospitalists at HM11’s “Advanced Interactive Critical Care” pre-course will get hands-on experience in the newest techniques in patient care without affecting real patients. The pre-course will use simulators to replicate real-life situations with critical-care patients.

For the annual meeting’s course director, the simulators are the next step in training hospitalists. “This is really exciting,” says Daniel D. Dressler, MD, MSc, FHM, associate professor and director of internal-medicine teaching services at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. “As an educator, it’s really something unique. We learn the best by actually doing and sometimes making mistakes; it’s better to do that in simulations with expert advisors offering immediate feedback.

“Not only will pre-course attendees get high-quality didactic information, but they will also participate in the simulation of critical-care events with very experienced faculty,” he says.

It’s really something unique. We learn the best by actually doing and sometimes making mistakes; it’s better to do that in simulations.—Daniel D. Dressler, MD, MSc, FHM, associate professor and director of internal-medicine teaching services at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, SHM board member

Pre-course participants will have the option of having more hands-on time with the simulators in lieu of lectures. Dr. Dressler, an SHM board member, calls the opportunity to work on cutting-edge technology “exceedingly unique.”

The primary simulator will look, feel, and sound like a real person with actual physiological parameters. It breathes and has a pulse—or, in some cases, doesn’t have a pulse. Dressler says participants will be in front of a simulated patient who is going through septic shock or having airway or ventilator problems. While interacting with colleagues and instructors, participants will diagnose and treat the simulated patient. The simulator can replicate real-life complications that can result from treatments.

The pre-course materials state that after completing the course, participants will be able to:

• Explain basic and advanced mechanical ventilator physiology and strategies for complex situations, including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and troubleshooting ventilator problems;
• Integrate physiology with treatment of common and less common forms of shock; and
• Apply appropriate sedation and analgesia strategies to minimize delirium in the ICU, and optimize ventilator weaning.

Additionally, the pre-course will present, model, and practice the latest in evidence-based, critical-care practice. Though the pre-course is called “advanced,” it is open to any hospitalist looking to improve their critical-care skills.

“We were getting feedback that people were ready for the next level,” Dr. Dressler says. Along with the basics of critical care (e.g. sepsis, sedation), the pre-course will cover more advanced issues. “We understand that many people have been practicing critical care for a number of years. This course will benefit any hospitalist, regardless of prior critical care experience.”

Led by instructors Kevin Felner, MD, and Brian Kaufman, MD, of New York University Medical Center, “Advanced Interactive Critical Care” begins at 8:50 a.m. May 10. However, the first simulation session begins at 7:20 a.m., and pre-registration is required.

Another new HM11 pre-course will focus solely on using handheld ultrasound devices. The appeal of ultrasounds for use in hospitalists’ rounds is increasing; this course will train hospitalists to use them to look at patients’ vessels, heart, and abdomen.

Hospitalists who take the portable ultrasound pre-course in conjunction with the “Medical Procedures for the Hospitalist” pre-course will receive a full day of the best training in the practice and tools used in medical procedures. The procedures course runs from 8 a.m. to noon May 10. The portable ultrasound course runs from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. Both pre-courses are taught by Bradley T. Rosen, MD, MBA, FHM, of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and Sally Wang, MD, FHM, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. TH

Brendon Shank is SHM’s vice president of communications.

Since the beginning of formal medical education, one of the biggest challenges in treating patients has been learning from mistakes. How do providers balance the potentially grave consequences of medical mistakes with the possibilities of improving patient care?

While the conundrum is far from solved, hospitalists at HM11’s “Advanced Interactive Critical Care” pre-course will get hands-on experience in the newest techniques in patient care without affecting real patients. The pre-course will use simulators to replicate real-life situations with critical-care patients.

For the annual meeting’s course director, the simulators are the next step in training hospitalists. “This is really exciting,” says Daniel D. Dressler, MD, MSc, FHM, associate professor and director of internal-medicine teaching services at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. “As an educator, it’s really something unique. We learn the best by actually doing and sometimes making mistakes; it’s better to do that in simulations with expert advisors offering immediate feedback.

“Not only will pre-course attendees get high-quality didactic information, but they will also participate in the simulation of critical-care events with very experienced faculty,” he says.

It’s really something unique. We learn the best by actually doing and sometimes making mistakes; it’s better to do that in simulations.—Daniel D. Dressler, MD, MSc, FHM, associate professor and director of internal-medicine teaching services at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, SHM board member

Pre-course participants will have the option of having more hands-on time with the simulators in lieu of lectures. Dr. Dressler, an SHM board member, calls the opportunity to work on cutting-edge technology “exceedingly unique.”

The primary simulator will look, feel, and sound like a real person with actual physiological parameters. It breathes and has a pulse—or, in some cases, doesn’t have a pulse. Dressler says participants will be in front of a simulated patient who is going through septic shock or having airway or ventilator problems. While interacting with colleagues and instructors, participants will diagnose and treat the simulated patient. The simulator can replicate real-life complications that can result from treatments.

The pre-course materials state that after completing the course, participants will be able to:

• Explain basic and advanced mechanical ventilator physiology and strategies for complex situations, including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and troubleshooting ventilator problems;
• Integrate physiology with treatment of common and less common forms of shock; and
• Apply appropriate sedation and analgesia strategies to minimize delirium in the ICU, and optimize ventilator weaning.

Additionally, the pre-course will present, model, and practice the latest in evidence-based, critical-care practice. Though the pre-course is called “advanced,” it is open to any hospitalist looking to improve their critical-care skills.

“We were getting feedback that people were ready for the next level,” Dr. Dressler says. Along with the basics of critical care (e.g. sepsis, sedation), the pre-course will cover more advanced issues. “We understand that many people have been practicing critical care for a number of years. This course will benefit any hospitalist, regardless of prior critical care experience.”

Led by instructors Kevin Felner, MD, and Brian Kaufman, MD, of New York University Medical Center, “Advanced Interactive Critical Care” begins at 8:50 a.m. May 10. However, the first simulation session begins at 7:20 a.m., and pre-registration is required.

Another new HM11 pre-course will focus solely on using handheld ultrasound devices. The appeal of ultrasounds for use in hospitalists’ rounds is increasing; this course will train hospitalists to use them to look at patients’ vessels, heart, and abdomen.

Hospitalists who take the portable ultrasound pre-course in conjunction with the “Medical Procedures for the Hospitalist” pre-course will receive a full day of the best training in the practice and tools used in medical procedures. The procedures course runs from 8 a.m. to noon May 10. The portable ultrasound course runs from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. Both pre-courses are taught by Bradley T. Rosen, MD, MBA, FHM, of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and Sally Wang, MD, FHM, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. TH

Brendon Shank is SHM’s vice president of communications.

Since the beginning of formal medical education, one of the biggest challenges in treating patients has been learning from mistakes. How do providers balance the potentially grave consequences of medical mistakes with the possibilities of improving patient care?

While the conundrum is far from solved, hospitalists at HM11’s “Advanced Interactive Critical Care” pre-course will get hands-on experience in the newest techniques in patient care without affecting real patients. The pre-course will use simulators to replicate real-life situations with critical-care patients.

For the annual meeting’s course director, the simulators are the next step in training hospitalists. “This is really exciting,” says Daniel D. Dressler, MD, MSc, FHM, associate professor and director of internal-medicine teaching services at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. “As an educator, it’s really something unique. We learn the best by actually doing and sometimes making mistakes; it’s better to do that in simulations with expert advisors offering immediate feedback.

“Not only will pre-course attendees get high-quality didactic information, but they will also participate in the simulation of critical-care events with very experienced faculty,” he says.

It’s really something unique. We learn the best by actually doing and sometimes making mistakes; it’s better to do that in simulations.—Daniel D. Dressler, MD, MSc, FHM, associate professor and director of internal-medicine teaching services at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, SHM board member

Pre-course participants will have the option of having more hands-on time with the simulators in lieu of lectures. Dr. Dressler, an SHM board member, calls the opportunity to work on cutting-edge technology “exceedingly unique.”

The primary simulator will look, feel, and sound like a real person with actual physiological parameters. It breathes and has a pulse—or, in some cases, doesn’t have a pulse. Dressler says participants will be in front of a simulated patient who is going through septic shock or having airway or ventilator problems. While interacting with colleagues and instructors, participants will diagnose and treat the simulated patient. The simulator can replicate real-life complications that can result from treatments.

The pre-course materials state that after completing the course, participants will be able to:

• Explain basic and advanced mechanical ventilator physiology and strategies for complex situations, including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and troubleshooting ventilator problems;
• Integrate physiology with treatment of common and less common forms of shock; and
• Apply appropriate sedation and analgesia strategies to minimize delirium in the ICU, and optimize ventilator weaning.

Additionally, the pre-course will present, model, and practice the latest in evidence-based, critical-care practice. Though the pre-course is called “advanced,” it is open to any hospitalist looking to improve their critical-care skills.

“We were getting feedback that people were ready for the next level,” Dr. Dressler says. Along with the basics of critical care (e.g. sepsis, sedation), the pre-course will cover more advanced issues. “We understand that many people have been practicing critical care for a number of years. This course will benefit any hospitalist, regardless of prior critical care experience.”

Led by instructors Kevin Felner, MD, and Brian Kaufman, MD, of New York University Medical Center, “Advanced Interactive Critical Care” begins at 8:50 a.m. May 10. However, the first simulation session begins at 7:20 a.m., and pre-registration is required.

Another new HM11 pre-course will focus solely on using handheld ultrasound devices. The appeal of ultrasounds for use in hospitalists’ rounds is increasing; this course will train hospitalists to use them to look at patients’ vessels, heart, and abdomen.

Hospitalists who take the portable ultrasound pre-course in conjunction with the “Medical Procedures for the Hospitalist” pre-course will receive a full day of the best training in the practice and tools used in medical procedures. The procedures course runs from 8 a.m. to noon May 10. The portable ultrasound course runs from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. Both pre-courses are taught by Bradley T. Rosen, MD, MBA, FHM, of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and Sally Wang, MD, FHM, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. TH

Brendon Shank is SHM’s vice president of communications.

Every clinician in HM depends on a smooth-running hospitalist program to ensure the best possible patient care and efficiency. Even though they might not be visible to hospitalized patients, practice administration issues (e.g. compensation and incentives, reporting return on investment, or the Physician’s Quality Reporting System) are vital components to effectively running an HM group. And that’s what explains the growing popularity of SHM’s new resources for administrators.

In 2010, SHM presented five free online discussions for hospitalist practice leaders. Each session in the Practice Administrators’ Roundtable Series began with a formal presentation and was followed with open discussion from administrators and leaders from around the country.

SHM will continue the program in 2011 with such topics as Hospitalist Recruitment, Retention, & Orientation (Feb. 24) and Patient Satisfaction (May 26).

“The response to new programs for hospitalist administrators has been very positive,” says Kim Dickinson, MA, regional COO for Cogent Healthcare and a member of SHM’s Administrators’ Task Force, which has taken the lead on planning the roundtables. “As hospital medicine programs continue to evolve, there will be a growing need to address their administrative issues, too.”

The program will break new ground in 2011 with the first SHM Award for Excellence in Hospital Medicine. The new award, to be presented at HM11, will recognize a physician assistant, nurse practitioner, RN, pharmacist, administrator, case manager, or a nonphysician member of SHM.

“Hospital medicine groups depend on effective leadership, communication and administration,” says SHM president Jeff Wiese, MD, SFHM. “That’s why these new programs are so critical to improving quality, safety, and efficiency in hospital care. It is appropriate then that the best of the best should be recognized in this regard. I am personally excited to present the first SHM Award for Excellence in Hospital Medicine at the SHM annual meeting in Dallas.”

All of the roundtable discussions are archived in SHM’s Practice Management Institute (www.hospitalmedicine.org/practiceresources).

Every clinician in HM depends on a smooth-running hospitalist program to ensure the best possible patient care and efficiency. Even though they might not be visible to hospitalized patients, practice administration issues (e.g. compensation and incentives, reporting return on investment, or the Physician’s Quality Reporting System) are vital components to effectively running an HM group. And that’s what explains the growing popularity of SHM’s new resources for administrators.

In 2010, SHM presented five free online discussions for hospitalist practice leaders. Each session in the Practice Administrators’ Roundtable Series began with a formal presentation and was followed with open discussion from administrators and leaders from around the country.

SHM will continue the program in 2011 with such topics as Hospitalist Recruitment, Retention, & Orientation (Feb. 24) and Patient Satisfaction (May 26).

“The response to new programs for hospitalist administrators has been very positive,” says Kim Dickinson, MA, regional COO for Cogent Healthcare and a member of SHM’s Administrators’ Task Force, which has taken the lead on planning the roundtables. “As hospital medicine programs continue to evolve, there will be a growing need to address their administrative issues, too.”

The program will break new ground in 2011 with the first SHM Award for Excellence in Hospital Medicine. The new award, to be presented at HM11, will recognize a physician assistant, nurse practitioner, RN, pharmacist, administrator, case manager, or a nonphysician member of SHM.

“Hospital medicine groups depend on effective leadership, communication and administration,” says SHM president Jeff Wiese, MD, SFHM. “That’s why these new programs are so critical to improving quality, safety, and efficiency in hospital care. It is appropriate then that the best of the best should be recognized in this regard. I am personally excited to present the first SHM Award for Excellence in Hospital Medicine at the SHM annual meeting in Dallas.”

All of the roundtable discussions are archived in SHM’s Practice Management Institute (www.hospitalmedicine.org/practiceresources).

Every clinician in HM depends on a smooth-running hospitalist program to ensure the best possible patient care and efficiency. Even though they might not be visible to hospitalized patients, practice administration issues (e.g. compensation and incentives, reporting return on investment, or the Physician’s Quality Reporting System) are vital components to effectively running an HM group. And that’s what explains the growing popularity of SHM’s new resources for administrators.

In 2010, SHM presented five free online discussions for hospitalist practice leaders. Each session in the Practice Administrators’ Roundtable Series began with a formal presentation and was followed with open discussion from administrators and leaders from around the country.

SHM will continue the program in 2011 with such topics as Hospitalist Recruitment, Retention, & Orientation (Feb. 24) and Patient Satisfaction (May 26).

“The response to new programs for hospitalist administrators has been very positive,” says Kim Dickinson, MA, regional COO for Cogent Healthcare and a member of SHM’s Administrators’ Task Force, which has taken the lead on planning the roundtables. “As hospital medicine programs continue to evolve, there will be a growing need to address their administrative issues, too.”

The program will break new ground in 2011 with the first SHM Award for Excellence in Hospital Medicine. The new award, to be presented at HM11, will recognize a physician assistant, nurse practitioner, RN, pharmacist, administrator, case manager, or a nonphysician member of SHM.

“Hospital medicine groups depend on effective leadership, communication and administration,” says SHM president Jeff Wiese, MD, SFHM. “That’s why these new programs are so critical to improving quality, safety, and efficiency in hospital care. It is appropriate then that the best of the best should be recognized in this regard. I am personally excited to present the first SHM Award for Excellence in Hospital Medicine at the SHM annual meeting in Dallas.”

All of the roundtable discussions are archived in SHM’s Practice Management Institute (www.hospitalmedicine.org/practiceresources).

Some of the country’s most forward-looking hospitalists will begin the year with the first recognition of Focused Practice in Hospital Medicine (FPHM) from the American Board of Hospital Medicine (ABIM).

According to ABIM, “completion of the program identifies diplomates as ABIM board-certified in internal medicine with a Focused Practice in Hospital Medicine.”

The new program, which requires attestations from supervisors, a self-evaluation, and the completion of a secure examination, is the first time the unique skill sets and experience of hospitalists have been recognized by ABIM, the national leader in certification and standards in internal medicine.

SHM’s leadership has played a key role in the development of the FPHM program. SHM president Jeff Wiese, MD, SFHM, chaired the ABIM committee in charge of writing the FPHM exam. “Any serious hospitalist should consider applying for the FPHM designation,” Dr. Wiese says. “It is an important way to continually build credibility for both the individual hospitalist and the specialty.”

Hospitalists can apply for ABIM Focused Practice in Hospital Medicine Maintenance of Certification (MOC) as part of their regular MOC process. Alternatively, you can enter the process before your MOC is due to expire. While the 2011 exam will be held in October, now is the time to begin planning the application process. SHM’s support for the program extends to education for its members, including a pre-course at HM11 dedicated to preparing for the ABIM exam. Pre-course attendees will earn 20 self-evaluation points toward the FPHM designation.

For details on the program and resources for applying for FPHM, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org/moc.

Some of the country’s most forward-looking hospitalists will begin the year with the first recognition of Focused Practice in Hospital Medicine (FPHM) from the American Board of Hospital Medicine (ABIM).

According to ABIM, “completion of the program identifies diplomates as ABIM board-certified in internal medicine with a Focused Practice in Hospital Medicine.”

The new program, which requires attestations from supervisors, a self-evaluation, and the completion of a secure examination, is the first time the unique skill sets and experience of hospitalists have been recognized by ABIM, the national leader in certification and standards in internal medicine.

SHM’s leadership has played a key role in the development of the FPHM program. SHM president Jeff Wiese, MD, SFHM, chaired the ABIM committee in charge of writing the FPHM exam. “Any serious hospitalist should consider applying for the FPHM designation,” Dr. Wiese says. “It is an important way to continually build credibility for both the individual hospitalist and the specialty.”

Hospitalists can apply for ABIM Focused Practice in Hospital Medicine Maintenance of Certification (MOC) as part of their regular MOC process. Alternatively, you can enter the process before your MOC is due to expire. While the 2011 exam will be held in October, now is the time to begin planning the application process. SHM’s support for the program extends to education for its members, including a pre-course at HM11 dedicated to preparing for the ABIM exam. Pre-course attendees will earn 20 self-evaluation points toward the FPHM designation.

For details on the program and resources for applying for FPHM, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org/moc.

Some of the country’s most forward-looking hospitalists will begin the year with the first recognition of Focused Practice in Hospital Medicine (FPHM) from the American Board of Hospital Medicine (ABIM).

According to ABIM, “completion of the program identifies diplomates as ABIM board-certified in internal medicine with a Focused Practice in Hospital Medicine.”

The new program, which requires attestations from supervisors, a self-evaluation, and the completion of a secure examination, is the first time the unique skill sets and experience of hospitalists have been recognized by ABIM, the national leader in certification and standards in internal medicine.

SHM’s leadership has played a key role in the development of the FPHM program. SHM president Jeff Wiese, MD, SFHM, chaired the ABIM committee in charge of writing the FPHM exam. “Any serious hospitalist should consider applying for the FPHM designation,” Dr. Wiese says. “It is an important way to continually build credibility for both the individual hospitalist and the specialty.”

Hospitalists can apply for ABIM Focused Practice in Hospital Medicine Maintenance of Certification (MOC) as part of their regular MOC process. Alternatively, you can enter the process before your MOC is due to expire. While the 2011 exam will be held in October, now is the time to begin planning the application process. SHM’s support for the program extends to education for its members, including a pre-course at HM11 dedicated to preparing for the ABIM exam. Pre-course attendees will earn 20 self-evaluation points toward the FPHM designation.

For details on the program and resources for applying for FPHM, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org/moc.

Health reform continues to be a white-hot topic in hospitals, and SHM is bringing one of Washington’s top experts to speak at HM11.

Bob Kocher, MD, who recently served in the Obama administration as special assistant to the president for healthcare and economic policy and as a member of the National Economic Council, will be the featured speaker on May 11, the first day of HM11 at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas.

Dr. Kocher’s session, “Coming to Your Hospital: Healthcare Reform. What Does This Mean for Hospitalists?” will unravel the complexities in the new health reform laws and dispel myths about its impact on patient care in the hospital.

When he worked at the White House, Dr. Kocher was one of President Obama’s leading shapers of the healthcare reform legislation. Today, he is a principal with the global management-consulting firm McKinsey and Company, where he leads the McKinsey Center for Health Reform. He also is a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform.

“We’re thrilled to bring this kind of top-level perspective to hospitalists at HM11,” says Geri Barnes, senior director for education and meetings at SHM. “His insight can alleviate the confusion and uncertainty that surround a complicated topic like health reform.”

Later that day, hospitalists will provide their perspective on health reform in a session titled “The Biggest Changes in Healthcare Reform: What We Know Now.”

View the complete HM11 schedule at www.hospital medicine2011.org/schedule.

Health reform continues to be a white-hot topic in hospitals, and SHM is bringing one of Washington’s top experts to speak at HM11.

Bob Kocher, MD, who recently served in the Obama administration as special assistant to the president for healthcare and economic policy and as a member of the National Economic Council, will be the featured speaker on May 11, the first day of HM11 at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas.

Dr. Kocher’s session, “Coming to Your Hospital: Healthcare Reform. What Does This Mean for Hospitalists?” will unravel the complexities in the new health reform laws and dispel myths about its impact on patient care in the hospital.

When he worked at the White House, Dr. Kocher was one of President Obama’s leading shapers of the healthcare reform legislation. Today, he is a principal with the global management-consulting firm McKinsey and Company, where he leads the McKinsey Center for Health Reform. He also is a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform.

“We’re thrilled to bring this kind of top-level perspective to hospitalists at HM11,” says Geri Barnes, senior director for education and meetings at SHM. “His insight can alleviate the confusion and uncertainty that surround a complicated topic like health reform.”

Later that day, hospitalists will provide their perspective on health reform in a session titled “The Biggest Changes in Healthcare Reform: What We Know Now.”

View the complete HM11 schedule at www.hospital medicine2011.org/schedule.

Health reform continues to be a white-hot topic in hospitals, and SHM is bringing one of Washington’s top experts to speak at HM11.

Bob Kocher, MD, who recently served in the Obama administration as special assistant to the president for healthcare and economic policy and as a member of the National Economic Council, will be the featured speaker on May 11, the first day of HM11 at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas.

Dr. Kocher’s session, “Coming to Your Hospital: Healthcare Reform. What Does This Mean for Hospitalists?” will unravel the complexities in the new health reform laws and dispel myths about its impact on patient care in the hospital.

When he worked at the White House, Dr. Kocher was one of President Obama’s leading shapers of the healthcare reform legislation. Today, he is a principal with the global management-consulting firm McKinsey and Company, where he leads the McKinsey Center for Health Reform. He also is a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform.

“We’re thrilled to bring this kind of top-level perspective to hospitalists at HM11,” says Geri Barnes, senior director for education and meetings at SHM. “His insight can alleviate the confusion and uncertainty that surround a complicated topic like health reform.”

Later that day, hospitalists will provide their perspective on health reform in a session titled “The Biggest Changes in Healthcare Reform: What We Know Now.”

View the complete HM11 schedule at www.hospital medicine2011.org/schedule.

Just 15 years since the term “hospitalist” was first coined, hospital medicine and SHM are on the leading edge of unprecedented growth and influence within healthcare.

New data from the American Hospital Association estimate that there are now more than 34,000 hospitalists in service in hospitals throughout the country. And those hospitals quickly are becoming the front line in the transformation of healthcare.

The growth and influence of the specialty creates opportunities for hospitalists of all stripes and interests to develop professionally and exercise new leadership—inside their hospitals and throughout their communities.

Through new quality-improvement (QI) programs, online events, and face-to-face meetings, SHM is creating a platform for ambitious, patient-focused hospitalists to lead and collaborate.

“This is a new era of unprecedented opportunity for hospitalists,” says SHM president Jeff Wiese, MD, SFHM. “The demand for our skills is evident. Our numbers and credibility as a specialty continue to grow. And now, hospitalists have the tools to implement real change that will improve patient care and how it is delivered.”

But the scope of the HM movement shouldn’t deter hospitalists from taking the first step, Dr. Wiese says.

“It all starts with registering for the annual meeting for the first time, or applying for SHM’s Leadership Academy, or downloading the Project BOOST toolkit to reduce readmissions in your hospital, or attending an online webinar,” says Dr. Wiese.

For many hospitalists, that first step has led to additional opportunities for collaboration with leaders in the specialty, bringing new skill sets to their hospitals, and improving their careers.

Just 15 years since the term “hospitalist” was first coined, hospital medicine and SHM are on the leading edge of unprecedented growth and influence within healthcare.

New data from the American Hospital Association estimate that there are now more than 34,000 hospitalists in service in hospitals throughout the country. And those hospitals quickly are becoming the front line in the transformation of healthcare.

The growth and influence of the specialty creates opportunities for hospitalists of all stripes and interests to develop professionally and exercise new leadership—inside their hospitals and throughout their communities.

Through new quality-improvement (QI) programs, online events, and face-to-face meetings, SHM is creating a platform for ambitious, patient-focused hospitalists to lead and collaborate.

“This is a new era of unprecedented opportunity for hospitalists,” says SHM president Jeff Wiese, MD, SFHM. “The demand for our skills is evident. Our numbers and credibility as a specialty continue to grow. And now, hospitalists have the tools to implement real change that will improve patient care and how it is delivered.”

But the scope of the HM movement shouldn’t deter hospitalists from taking the first step, Dr. Wiese says.

“It all starts with registering for the annual meeting for the first time, or applying for SHM’s Leadership Academy, or downloading the Project BOOST toolkit to reduce readmissions in your hospital, or attending an online webinar,” says Dr. Wiese.

For many hospitalists, that first step has led to additional opportunities for collaboration with leaders in the specialty, bringing new skill sets to their hospitals, and improving their careers.

Just 15 years since the term “hospitalist” was first coined, hospital medicine and SHM are on the leading edge of unprecedented growth and influence within healthcare.

New data from the American Hospital Association estimate that there are now more than 34,000 hospitalists in service in hospitals throughout the country. And those hospitals quickly are becoming the front line in the transformation of healthcare.

The growth and influence of the specialty creates opportunities for hospitalists of all stripes and interests to develop professionally and exercise new leadership—inside their hospitals and throughout their communities.

Through new quality-improvement (QI) programs, online events, and face-to-face meetings, SHM is creating a platform for ambitious, patient-focused hospitalists to lead and collaborate.

“This is a new era of unprecedented opportunity for hospitalists,” says SHM president Jeff Wiese, MD, SFHM. “The demand for our skills is evident. Our numbers and credibility as a specialty continue to grow. And now, hospitalists have the tools to implement real change that will improve patient care and how it is delivered.”

But the scope of the HM movement shouldn’t deter hospitalists from taking the first step, Dr. Wiese says.

“It all starts with registering for the annual meeting for the first time, or applying for SHM’s Leadership Academy, or downloading the Project BOOST toolkit to reduce readmissions in your hospital, or attending an online webinar,” says Dr. Wiese.

For many hospitalists, that first step has led to additional opportunities for collaboration with leaders in the specialty, bringing new skill sets to their hospitals, and improving their careers.