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Updates from the AMA House of Delegates: November 2020 special meeting
The American Medical Association (AMA) had its November 2020 AMA Special Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates (HOD) from November 13-17.
Delegates from over 170 societies (state societies, specialties, subspecialties, and uniformed services), including physicians, residents, and students, gathered virtually for the meeting(https://tinyurl.com/y7494mwa) to consider a wide array of proposals to help fulfill the AMA’s core mission of promoting medicine and improving public health. The AMA House of Delegates, also known as the “House” or the “HOD,” is the principal policy-making body of the AMA. This democratic forum represents the views and interests of a diverse group of member physicians from more than 170 societies. These delegates meet twice per year to establish policies on health; medical, professional, and governance matters; and the principles within which the AMA’s business activities are conducted.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMA has been the leading physician and patient ally—voicing recommendations to key Congressional leaders and agency staff, state policymakers, and private sector stakeholders. Acting on both federal and state levels, examples of AMA’s recent efforts include actions in financial relief, telehealth, testing and vaccine development, health equity, and more.
CHEST is an active member, and through the HOD and Specialty and Service Society (SSS), CHEST can partner with AMA other societies to support each other on important regulatory issues. CHEST/Allergy Section Council (participants at this meeting were from the AAAAI, AAOA, AASM, ACAAI, ATS, CHEST, and SCCM) met before voting in the House to discuss pending business. The meeting was hosted by the current CHEST/Allergy council chair Dr. Wesley Vander Ark (AMA Delegate AAOA) and Jami Lucas, CEO AAOA.
Policy and resolutions
Overview of the process
Policies originate via resolutions submitted by individuals or societies. These resolutions then go to one of several Reference Committees for open discussion. These committees then report their recommendations back to the HOD, which then discusses and votes on the recommendations. In some instances, the question is referred for further studies by one of several Councils, which reports go to the Board of Trustees or back to the House. Details can be found in the April 2018 CHEST Physician® article on the process. (https://tinyurl.com/yacysxar).
This year, due to the virtual nature, prioritization matrix was utilized and based on urgency. Resolutions were divided into top priority, priority, medium priority, low priority, and not a priority.
The following reference committees convened at this Special Meeting Constitution & Bylaws, Medical Service, Legislation Medical Education, Public Health, Science and Technology, Finance and Medical Practice.
Some of the issues discussed at the House of Delegates are as follows:
Medical education
Continuing board certification (Adapted as a new policy)
The policy states that American Medical Association (AMA), through its Council on Medical Education, continue to work with the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and ABMS member boards to implement key recommendations outlined by the Continuing Board Certification: Vision for the Future Commission in its final report, including the development of new, integrated standards for continuing certification programs by 2020 that will address the Commission’s recommendations for flexibility in knowledge assessment and advancing practice, feedback to diplomates, and consistency.
Graduate medical education and the corporate practice of medicine (modified existing policy)
The existing policy was amended to urge AMA to continue to monitor issues, including waiver of due process requirements, created by corporate-owned graduate medical education sites.
Public health
Bullying in the Practice of Medicine
Health-care organizations, including academic medical centers, should establish policies to prevent and address bullying in their workplaces. An effective workplace policy should:
• Describe the management’s commitment to providing a safe and healthy workplace.
• Show the staff that their leaders are concerned about bullying and unprofessional behavior and that they take it seriously.
• Clearly define workplace violence, harassment, and bullying, specifically including intimidation, threats, and other forms of aggressive behavior.
• Specify to whom the policy applies (ie, medical staff, students, administration, patients, employees, contractors, vendors, etc).
• Define both expected and prohibited behaviors.
• Outline steps for individuals to take when they feel they are a victim of workplace bullying.
• Provide contact information for a confidential means for documenting and reporting incidents.
• Prohibit retaliation and ensure privacy and confidentiality.
• Document training requirements and establish clear expectations about the training objectives.
Availability of personal protective equipment (PPE)
That our American Medical Association actively support that physicians and health-care professionals are empowered to use workplace modifications to continue professional patient care when they determine such action to be appropriate and in the best interest of patient and physician wellbeing. Physicians and health-care professionals must be permitted to use their professional judgment and augment institution-provided PPE with additional, appropriately decontaminated, personally provided personal protective equipment (PPE) without penalty (Directive to Take Action); and be it further that AMA affirm that the medical staff of each healt-care institution should integrally be involved in disaster planning, strategy, and tactical management of ongoing crises (New HOD Policy).
AMA governance and finance
The establishment of private practice physicians’ section was approved.
Medical practice
Merit-based incentive payment system (MIPS)
That our American Medical Association (AMA) support legislation that ensures Medicare physician payment is sufficient to safeguard beneficiary access to care, replaces or supplements budget neutrality in MIPS with incentive payments, or implements positive annual physician payment updates. (Directive to Take Action).
Establishing professional services claims-based payment enhancement for activities associated with the COVID-19 pandemic
American Medical Association work with other interested parties to advocate for regulatory action on the part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to implement a professional services claims-based payment enhancement to help recognize the enhanced, nonseparately reimbursable work performed by physicians during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. (Directive to Take Action).
This is just a small sampling of the activities and more information, including reports from the various Councils, are available on the AMA website, http://ama-assn.org.
CHEST members interested in the AMA policy-making process may observe any AMA-HOD meeting or participate in the AMA’s democratic processes. Attendees will also be able to increase their knowledge and skills at no cost. They will also be able to connect with more than 1,500 peers and other meeting attendees from across the country. CHEST members with the time (there are two 5-day meetings each year) and interest are invited to apply to be an official CHEST delegate to the AMA. Contact Jennifer Nemkovich at [email protected] for details.
Dr. Desai is with the Chicago Chest Center and AMITA Health Suburban Lung Associates; and the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep and Allergy, University of Illinois at Chicago. He is also the CHEST Delegate to the AMA House of Delegates.
The American Medical Association (AMA) had its November 2020 AMA Special Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates (HOD) from November 13-17.
Delegates from over 170 societies (state societies, specialties, subspecialties, and uniformed services), including physicians, residents, and students, gathered virtually for the meeting(https://tinyurl.com/y7494mwa) to consider a wide array of proposals to help fulfill the AMA’s core mission of promoting medicine and improving public health. The AMA House of Delegates, also known as the “House” or the “HOD,” is the principal policy-making body of the AMA. This democratic forum represents the views and interests of a diverse group of member physicians from more than 170 societies. These delegates meet twice per year to establish policies on health; medical, professional, and governance matters; and the principles within which the AMA’s business activities are conducted.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMA has been the leading physician and patient ally—voicing recommendations to key Congressional leaders and agency staff, state policymakers, and private sector stakeholders. Acting on both federal and state levels, examples of AMA’s recent efforts include actions in financial relief, telehealth, testing and vaccine development, health equity, and more.
CHEST is an active member, and through the HOD and Specialty and Service Society (SSS), CHEST can partner with AMA other societies to support each other on important regulatory issues. CHEST/Allergy Section Council (participants at this meeting were from the AAAAI, AAOA, AASM, ACAAI, ATS, CHEST, and SCCM) met before voting in the House to discuss pending business. The meeting was hosted by the current CHEST/Allergy council chair Dr. Wesley Vander Ark (AMA Delegate AAOA) and Jami Lucas, CEO AAOA.
Policy and resolutions
Overview of the process
Policies originate via resolutions submitted by individuals or societies. These resolutions then go to one of several Reference Committees for open discussion. These committees then report their recommendations back to the HOD, which then discusses and votes on the recommendations. In some instances, the question is referred for further studies by one of several Councils, which reports go to the Board of Trustees or back to the House. Details can be found in the April 2018 CHEST Physician® article on the process. (https://tinyurl.com/yacysxar).
This year, due to the virtual nature, prioritization matrix was utilized and based on urgency. Resolutions were divided into top priority, priority, medium priority, low priority, and not a priority.
The following reference committees convened at this Special Meeting Constitution & Bylaws, Medical Service, Legislation Medical Education, Public Health, Science and Technology, Finance and Medical Practice.
Some of the issues discussed at the House of Delegates are as follows:
Medical education
Continuing board certification (Adapted as a new policy)
The policy states that American Medical Association (AMA), through its Council on Medical Education, continue to work with the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and ABMS member boards to implement key recommendations outlined by the Continuing Board Certification: Vision for the Future Commission in its final report, including the development of new, integrated standards for continuing certification programs by 2020 that will address the Commission’s recommendations for flexibility in knowledge assessment and advancing practice, feedback to diplomates, and consistency.
Graduate medical education and the corporate practice of medicine (modified existing policy)
The existing policy was amended to urge AMA to continue to monitor issues, including waiver of due process requirements, created by corporate-owned graduate medical education sites.
Public health
Bullying in the Practice of Medicine
Health-care organizations, including academic medical centers, should establish policies to prevent and address bullying in their workplaces. An effective workplace policy should:
• Describe the management’s commitment to providing a safe and healthy workplace.
• Show the staff that their leaders are concerned about bullying and unprofessional behavior and that they take it seriously.
• Clearly define workplace violence, harassment, and bullying, specifically including intimidation, threats, and other forms of aggressive behavior.
• Specify to whom the policy applies (ie, medical staff, students, administration, patients, employees, contractors, vendors, etc).
• Define both expected and prohibited behaviors.
• Outline steps for individuals to take when they feel they are a victim of workplace bullying.
• Provide contact information for a confidential means for documenting and reporting incidents.
• Prohibit retaliation and ensure privacy and confidentiality.
• Document training requirements and establish clear expectations about the training objectives.
Availability of personal protective equipment (PPE)
That our American Medical Association actively support that physicians and health-care professionals are empowered to use workplace modifications to continue professional patient care when they determine such action to be appropriate and in the best interest of patient and physician wellbeing. Physicians and health-care professionals must be permitted to use their professional judgment and augment institution-provided PPE with additional, appropriately decontaminated, personally provided personal protective equipment (PPE) without penalty (Directive to Take Action); and be it further that AMA affirm that the medical staff of each healt-care institution should integrally be involved in disaster planning, strategy, and tactical management of ongoing crises (New HOD Policy).
AMA governance and finance
The establishment of private practice physicians’ section was approved.
Medical practice
Merit-based incentive payment system (MIPS)
That our American Medical Association (AMA) support legislation that ensures Medicare physician payment is sufficient to safeguard beneficiary access to care, replaces or supplements budget neutrality in MIPS with incentive payments, or implements positive annual physician payment updates. (Directive to Take Action).
Establishing professional services claims-based payment enhancement for activities associated with the COVID-19 pandemic
American Medical Association work with other interested parties to advocate for regulatory action on the part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to implement a professional services claims-based payment enhancement to help recognize the enhanced, nonseparately reimbursable work performed by physicians during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. (Directive to Take Action).
This is just a small sampling of the activities and more information, including reports from the various Councils, are available on the AMA website, http://ama-assn.org.
CHEST members interested in the AMA policy-making process may observe any AMA-HOD meeting or participate in the AMA’s democratic processes. Attendees will also be able to increase their knowledge and skills at no cost. They will also be able to connect with more than 1,500 peers and other meeting attendees from across the country. CHEST members with the time (there are two 5-day meetings each year) and interest are invited to apply to be an official CHEST delegate to the AMA. Contact Jennifer Nemkovich at [email protected] for details.
Dr. Desai is with the Chicago Chest Center and AMITA Health Suburban Lung Associates; and the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep and Allergy, University of Illinois at Chicago. He is also the CHEST Delegate to the AMA House of Delegates.
The American Medical Association (AMA) had its November 2020 AMA Special Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates (HOD) from November 13-17.
Delegates from over 170 societies (state societies, specialties, subspecialties, and uniformed services), including physicians, residents, and students, gathered virtually for the meeting(https://tinyurl.com/y7494mwa) to consider a wide array of proposals to help fulfill the AMA’s core mission of promoting medicine and improving public health. The AMA House of Delegates, also known as the “House” or the “HOD,” is the principal policy-making body of the AMA. This democratic forum represents the views and interests of a diverse group of member physicians from more than 170 societies. These delegates meet twice per year to establish policies on health; medical, professional, and governance matters; and the principles within which the AMA’s business activities are conducted.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMA has been the leading physician and patient ally—voicing recommendations to key Congressional leaders and agency staff, state policymakers, and private sector stakeholders. Acting on both federal and state levels, examples of AMA’s recent efforts include actions in financial relief, telehealth, testing and vaccine development, health equity, and more.
CHEST is an active member, and through the HOD and Specialty and Service Society (SSS), CHEST can partner with AMA other societies to support each other on important regulatory issues. CHEST/Allergy Section Council (participants at this meeting were from the AAAAI, AAOA, AASM, ACAAI, ATS, CHEST, and SCCM) met before voting in the House to discuss pending business. The meeting was hosted by the current CHEST/Allergy council chair Dr. Wesley Vander Ark (AMA Delegate AAOA) and Jami Lucas, CEO AAOA.
Policy and resolutions
Overview of the process
Policies originate via resolutions submitted by individuals or societies. These resolutions then go to one of several Reference Committees for open discussion. These committees then report their recommendations back to the HOD, which then discusses and votes on the recommendations. In some instances, the question is referred for further studies by one of several Councils, which reports go to the Board of Trustees or back to the House. Details can be found in the April 2018 CHEST Physician® article on the process. (https://tinyurl.com/yacysxar).
This year, due to the virtual nature, prioritization matrix was utilized and based on urgency. Resolutions were divided into top priority, priority, medium priority, low priority, and not a priority.
The following reference committees convened at this Special Meeting Constitution & Bylaws, Medical Service, Legislation Medical Education, Public Health, Science and Technology, Finance and Medical Practice.
Some of the issues discussed at the House of Delegates are as follows:
Medical education
Continuing board certification (Adapted as a new policy)
The policy states that American Medical Association (AMA), through its Council on Medical Education, continue to work with the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and ABMS member boards to implement key recommendations outlined by the Continuing Board Certification: Vision for the Future Commission in its final report, including the development of new, integrated standards for continuing certification programs by 2020 that will address the Commission’s recommendations for flexibility in knowledge assessment and advancing practice, feedback to diplomates, and consistency.
Graduate medical education and the corporate practice of medicine (modified existing policy)
The existing policy was amended to urge AMA to continue to monitor issues, including waiver of due process requirements, created by corporate-owned graduate medical education sites.
Public health
Bullying in the Practice of Medicine
Health-care organizations, including academic medical centers, should establish policies to prevent and address bullying in their workplaces. An effective workplace policy should:
• Describe the management’s commitment to providing a safe and healthy workplace.
• Show the staff that their leaders are concerned about bullying and unprofessional behavior and that they take it seriously.
• Clearly define workplace violence, harassment, and bullying, specifically including intimidation, threats, and other forms of aggressive behavior.
• Specify to whom the policy applies (ie, medical staff, students, administration, patients, employees, contractors, vendors, etc).
• Define both expected and prohibited behaviors.
• Outline steps for individuals to take when they feel they are a victim of workplace bullying.
• Provide contact information for a confidential means for documenting and reporting incidents.
• Prohibit retaliation and ensure privacy and confidentiality.
• Document training requirements and establish clear expectations about the training objectives.
Availability of personal protective equipment (PPE)
That our American Medical Association actively support that physicians and health-care professionals are empowered to use workplace modifications to continue professional patient care when they determine such action to be appropriate and in the best interest of patient and physician wellbeing. Physicians and health-care professionals must be permitted to use their professional judgment and augment institution-provided PPE with additional, appropriately decontaminated, personally provided personal protective equipment (PPE) without penalty (Directive to Take Action); and be it further that AMA affirm that the medical staff of each healt-care institution should integrally be involved in disaster planning, strategy, and tactical management of ongoing crises (New HOD Policy).
AMA governance and finance
The establishment of private practice physicians’ section was approved.
Medical practice
Merit-based incentive payment system (MIPS)
That our American Medical Association (AMA) support legislation that ensures Medicare physician payment is sufficient to safeguard beneficiary access to care, replaces or supplements budget neutrality in MIPS with incentive payments, or implements positive annual physician payment updates. (Directive to Take Action).
Establishing professional services claims-based payment enhancement for activities associated with the COVID-19 pandemic
American Medical Association work with other interested parties to advocate for regulatory action on the part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to implement a professional services claims-based payment enhancement to help recognize the enhanced, nonseparately reimbursable work performed by physicians during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. (Directive to Take Action).
This is just a small sampling of the activities and more information, including reports from the various Councils, are available on the AMA website, http://ama-assn.org.
CHEST members interested in the AMA policy-making process may observe any AMA-HOD meeting or participate in the AMA’s democratic processes. Attendees will also be able to increase their knowledge and skills at no cost. They will also be able to connect with more than 1,500 peers and other meeting attendees from across the country. CHEST members with the time (there are two 5-day meetings each year) and interest are invited to apply to be an official CHEST delegate to the AMA. Contact Jennifer Nemkovich at [email protected] for details.
Dr. Desai is with the Chicago Chest Center and AMITA Health Suburban Lung Associates; and the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep and Allergy, University of Illinois at Chicago. He is also the CHEST Delegate to the AMA House of Delegates.
Meet the new members of the CHEST Physician® Editorial Board
We’re happy to introduce these new board members whose primary responsibility is the active review each month of potential articles for publication that could have an impact on or be of interest to our health-care professional readership.
Carolyn M. D’Ambrosio, MD, FCCP, is the Program Director for the Harvard-Brigham and Women’s Hospital Fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and is Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Most recently, she was awarded the Pillar Award for Educational Program Leadership, the top award for program directors throughout the Mass General Brigham institutions. In addition to teaching and clinical work, Dr. D’Ambrosio has conducted research on sleep and menopause, sleep and breathing in infants, and participated as the sleep medicine expert in two systemic reviews on home sleep apnea testing and fixed vs auto-titrating CPAP. She continues her work in Medical Ethics as a Senior Ethics Consultant at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Jonathan (Jona) Ludmir, MD, FCCP
After completing internal medicine/pediatrics, cardiology, and critical care training, Dr. Ludmir joined the Massachusetts General Hospital staff as a cardiac intensivist and noninvasive cardiologist. His clinical focus is in the heart center ICU, the echocardiography lab, as well as in outpatient cardiology. Additionally, he is the lead physician for the Family-Centered Care Initiative, where he focuses on incorporating evidence-based guidelines and leads in the science of family-centered cardiovascular care delivery. Dr. Ludmir’s research focuses on identifying and addressing psychological symptoms in the ICU, optimizing ICU communication, and enhancing delivery of family-centered care.
Abbie Begnaud, MD, FCCP
Dr. Begnaud hails from south Louisiana and reveals that she attended her first CHEST Annual Meeting in 2011 in Hawaii, and she was “instantly hooked.” Clinically, she practices general pulmonology, critical care, and interventional pulmonology and focuses her research on lung cancer screening and health disparities. She has been on faculty at the University of Minnesota since 2013 and is passionate about lung cancer, health equity, and mentoring.
Shyam Subramanian, MD , FCCP
Dr. Subramanian is currently the Section Chief for Specialty Clinics and the Division Chief for Pulmonary/Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at Sutter Gould Medical Foundation, Tracy, California.
He previously was Systems Director at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and Section Chief at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Dr. Subramanian currently serves as Chair for the CHEST Clinical Pulmonary NetWork and has previously served as Chair of the Practice Operations NetWork. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Council of NetWorks and the Scientific Program Committee for the CHEST Annual Meeting.
Mary Jo S. Farmer, MD, PhD, FCCP
Dr. Farmer is a pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine physician at Baystate Medical Center (Springfield, MA); Assistant Professor of Medicine University at Massachusetts Medical School – Baystate; and adjunct faculty Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr. Farmer serves as director of pulmonary hypertension services for the Pulmonary & Critical Care Division. Pulmonary vascular disease, interprofessional education, clinical trials research, endobronchial ultrasound, and medical student, resident, and fellow education are her major interests. She is a member of the CHEST Interprofessional NetWork and Clinical Pulmonary NetWork.
We’re happy to introduce these new board members whose primary responsibility is the active review each month of potential articles for publication that could have an impact on or be of interest to our health-care professional readership.
Carolyn M. D’Ambrosio, MD, FCCP, is the Program Director for the Harvard-Brigham and Women’s Hospital Fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and is Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Most recently, she was awarded the Pillar Award for Educational Program Leadership, the top award for program directors throughout the Mass General Brigham institutions. In addition to teaching and clinical work, Dr. D’Ambrosio has conducted research on sleep and menopause, sleep and breathing in infants, and participated as the sleep medicine expert in two systemic reviews on home sleep apnea testing and fixed vs auto-titrating CPAP. She continues her work in Medical Ethics as a Senior Ethics Consultant at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Jonathan (Jona) Ludmir, MD, FCCP
After completing internal medicine/pediatrics, cardiology, and critical care training, Dr. Ludmir joined the Massachusetts General Hospital staff as a cardiac intensivist and noninvasive cardiologist. His clinical focus is in the heart center ICU, the echocardiography lab, as well as in outpatient cardiology. Additionally, he is the lead physician for the Family-Centered Care Initiative, where he focuses on incorporating evidence-based guidelines and leads in the science of family-centered cardiovascular care delivery. Dr. Ludmir’s research focuses on identifying and addressing psychological symptoms in the ICU, optimizing ICU communication, and enhancing delivery of family-centered care.
Abbie Begnaud, MD, FCCP
Dr. Begnaud hails from south Louisiana and reveals that she attended her first CHEST Annual Meeting in 2011 in Hawaii, and she was “instantly hooked.” Clinically, she practices general pulmonology, critical care, and interventional pulmonology and focuses her research on lung cancer screening and health disparities. She has been on faculty at the University of Minnesota since 2013 and is passionate about lung cancer, health equity, and mentoring.
Shyam Subramanian, MD , FCCP
Dr. Subramanian is currently the Section Chief for Specialty Clinics and the Division Chief for Pulmonary/Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at Sutter Gould Medical Foundation, Tracy, California.
He previously was Systems Director at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and Section Chief at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Dr. Subramanian currently serves as Chair for the CHEST Clinical Pulmonary NetWork and has previously served as Chair of the Practice Operations NetWork. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Council of NetWorks and the Scientific Program Committee for the CHEST Annual Meeting.
Mary Jo S. Farmer, MD, PhD, FCCP
Dr. Farmer is a pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine physician at Baystate Medical Center (Springfield, MA); Assistant Professor of Medicine University at Massachusetts Medical School – Baystate; and adjunct faculty Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr. Farmer serves as director of pulmonary hypertension services for the Pulmonary & Critical Care Division. Pulmonary vascular disease, interprofessional education, clinical trials research, endobronchial ultrasound, and medical student, resident, and fellow education are her major interests. She is a member of the CHEST Interprofessional NetWork and Clinical Pulmonary NetWork.
We’re happy to introduce these new board members whose primary responsibility is the active review each month of potential articles for publication that could have an impact on or be of interest to our health-care professional readership.
Carolyn M. D’Ambrosio, MD, FCCP, is the Program Director for the Harvard-Brigham and Women’s Hospital Fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and is Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Most recently, she was awarded the Pillar Award for Educational Program Leadership, the top award for program directors throughout the Mass General Brigham institutions. In addition to teaching and clinical work, Dr. D’Ambrosio has conducted research on sleep and menopause, sleep and breathing in infants, and participated as the sleep medicine expert in two systemic reviews on home sleep apnea testing and fixed vs auto-titrating CPAP. She continues her work in Medical Ethics as a Senior Ethics Consultant at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Jonathan (Jona) Ludmir, MD, FCCP
After completing internal medicine/pediatrics, cardiology, and critical care training, Dr. Ludmir joined the Massachusetts General Hospital staff as a cardiac intensivist and noninvasive cardiologist. His clinical focus is in the heart center ICU, the echocardiography lab, as well as in outpatient cardiology. Additionally, he is the lead physician for the Family-Centered Care Initiative, where he focuses on incorporating evidence-based guidelines and leads in the science of family-centered cardiovascular care delivery. Dr. Ludmir’s research focuses on identifying and addressing psychological symptoms in the ICU, optimizing ICU communication, and enhancing delivery of family-centered care.
Abbie Begnaud, MD, FCCP
Dr. Begnaud hails from south Louisiana and reveals that she attended her first CHEST Annual Meeting in 2011 in Hawaii, and she was “instantly hooked.” Clinically, she practices general pulmonology, critical care, and interventional pulmonology and focuses her research on lung cancer screening and health disparities. She has been on faculty at the University of Minnesota since 2013 and is passionate about lung cancer, health equity, and mentoring.
Shyam Subramanian, MD , FCCP
Dr. Subramanian is currently the Section Chief for Specialty Clinics and the Division Chief for Pulmonary/Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at Sutter Gould Medical Foundation, Tracy, California.
He previously was Systems Director at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and Section Chief at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Dr. Subramanian currently serves as Chair for the CHEST Clinical Pulmonary NetWork and has previously served as Chair of the Practice Operations NetWork. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Council of NetWorks and the Scientific Program Committee for the CHEST Annual Meeting.
Mary Jo S. Farmer, MD, PhD, FCCP
Dr. Farmer is a pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine physician at Baystate Medical Center (Springfield, MA); Assistant Professor of Medicine University at Massachusetts Medical School – Baystate; and adjunct faculty Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr. Farmer serves as director of pulmonary hypertension services for the Pulmonary & Critical Care Division. Pulmonary vascular disease, interprofessional education, clinical trials research, endobronchial ultrasound, and medical student, resident, and fellow education are her major interests. She is a member of the CHEST Interprofessional NetWork and Clinical Pulmonary NetWork.
How the Foundation’s virtual listening tour aims to help patients like James
Constance Baker was juggling the dual stresses of mothering a newborn and raising a teenager when she noticed a skin patch on her father looked discolored. His breathing soon became labored, and the skin on his hands turned calloused. Then he passed out. Initially, doctors thought his problems were cardiovascular.
Since James didn’t have a primary doctor, Constance repeatedly took him to the emergency room to receive care. His frequent visits attracted the attention of a medical intern who ordered tests and asked James to see a specialist. More than half a year later, Constance and James met pulmonologist Dr. Demondes Haynes and learned the cause of James’ troubled breathing. James has a rare disease called scleroderma, which hardens patches of skin and created scarring of his lung tissue. He also had pulmonary hypertension. James needed rapid intervention with a complicated regimen of medication.
At first, James didn’t want to go along with the program, but Dr. Haynes’ attentive and gentle nature changed his mind. “Dr. Haynes always made us comfortable, taking the time to listen and show us his concern. He even explained that we wouldn’t have to worry about paying for anything, which was a huge relief.”
Before Dr. Haynes, James and Constance had never met a doctor who didn’t treat them like a case file. “He actually acknowledged our circumstances, which meant he acknowledged us.”
As a native Mississippian, Dr. Haynes knows the plight of many of his patients. “Not everyone with lung disease can access a pulmonologist, like me, and not everyone can afford appropriate treatment. You have to recognize these disparities in order to build a relationship of trust with your patients.”
James was ready to start treatment with Dr. Haynes’ guidance, but since he couldn’t read, he couldn’t understand how to put the medication together. That’s when Constance had to step up. They worked together to change and clean the tubing to the port by his heart and make his medication. “We leaned on each other a lot during that time, and you know what? We made it through.”
Even though James’ disease can be debilitating at times, and his care can seem completely overwhelming, Constance wouldn’t have it any other way. “It’s always been my father and I, just us two. He’s always taken care of me, and now it’s my turn to take care of him.”
Unfortunately, Constance and James’ story is not unique. So many patients don’t have access to doctors, specialists, and caregivers, and many aren’t empowered enough to take
their medications. These stories don’t get posted on Instagram and they don’t make the evening news. Underprivileged and underserved patients have been left behind – left without a voice.
That’s why the foundation launched its virtual listening tours across America in September. Our tours give patients, caregivers, and physicians the opportunity to raise issues that they believe are impacting health care in their communities.
How can physicians work to understand their patients better? How can patients learn to trust their providers? These are all the questions we aim to answer.
James is doing as well as he is because of his relationship with Dr. Haynes. What can we do with that information? We can listen, we can learn, and we can spread the word.
Read more about the work of the CHEST Foundation in its 2020 Impact Report at chestfoundation.org.
Constance Baker was juggling the dual stresses of mothering a newborn and raising a teenager when she noticed a skin patch on her father looked discolored. His breathing soon became labored, and the skin on his hands turned calloused. Then he passed out. Initially, doctors thought his problems were cardiovascular.
Since James didn’t have a primary doctor, Constance repeatedly took him to the emergency room to receive care. His frequent visits attracted the attention of a medical intern who ordered tests and asked James to see a specialist. More than half a year later, Constance and James met pulmonologist Dr. Demondes Haynes and learned the cause of James’ troubled breathing. James has a rare disease called scleroderma, which hardens patches of skin and created scarring of his lung tissue. He also had pulmonary hypertension. James needed rapid intervention with a complicated regimen of medication.
At first, James didn’t want to go along with the program, but Dr. Haynes’ attentive and gentle nature changed his mind. “Dr. Haynes always made us comfortable, taking the time to listen and show us his concern. He even explained that we wouldn’t have to worry about paying for anything, which was a huge relief.”
Before Dr. Haynes, James and Constance had never met a doctor who didn’t treat them like a case file. “He actually acknowledged our circumstances, which meant he acknowledged us.”
As a native Mississippian, Dr. Haynes knows the plight of many of his patients. “Not everyone with lung disease can access a pulmonologist, like me, and not everyone can afford appropriate treatment. You have to recognize these disparities in order to build a relationship of trust with your patients.”
James was ready to start treatment with Dr. Haynes’ guidance, but since he couldn’t read, he couldn’t understand how to put the medication together. That’s when Constance had to step up. They worked together to change and clean the tubing to the port by his heart and make his medication. “We leaned on each other a lot during that time, and you know what? We made it through.”
Even though James’ disease can be debilitating at times, and his care can seem completely overwhelming, Constance wouldn’t have it any other way. “It’s always been my father and I, just us two. He’s always taken care of me, and now it’s my turn to take care of him.”
Unfortunately, Constance and James’ story is not unique. So many patients don’t have access to doctors, specialists, and caregivers, and many aren’t empowered enough to take
their medications. These stories don’t get posted on Instagram and they don’t make the evening news. Underprivileged and underserved patients have been left behind – left without a voice.
That’s why the foundation launched its virtual listening tours across America in September. Our tours give patients, caregivers, and physicians the opportunity to raise issues that they believe are impacting health care in their communities.
How can physicians work to understand their patients better? How can patients learn to trust their providers? These are all the questions we aim to answer.
James is doing as well as he is because of his relationship with Dr. Haynes. What can we do with that information? We can listen, we can learn, and we can spread the word.
Read more about the work of the CHEST Foundation in its 2020 Impact Report at chestfoundation.org.
Constance Baker was juggling the dual stresses of mothering a newborn and raising a teenager when she noticed a skin patch on her father looked discolored. His breathing soon became labored, and the skin on his hands turned calloused. Then he passed out. Initially, doctors thought his problems were cardiovascular.
Since James didn’t have a primary doctor, Constance repeatedly took him to the emergency room to receive care. His frequent visits attracted the attention of a medical intern who ordered tests and asked James to see a specialist. More than half a year later, Constance and James met pulmonologist Dr. Demondes Haynes and learned the cause of James’ troubled breathing. James has a rare disease called scleroderma, which hardens patches of skin and created scarring of his lung tissue. He also had pulmonary hypertension. James needed rapid intervention with a complicated regimen of medication.
At first, James didn’t want to go along with the program, but Dr. Haynes’ attentive and gentle nature changed his mind. “Dr. Haynes always made us comfortable, taking the time to listen and show us his concern. He even explained that we wouldn’t have to worry about paying for anything, which was a huge relief.”
Before Dr. Haynes, James and Constance had never met a doctor who didn’t treat them like a case file. “He actually acknowledged our circumstances, which meant he acknowledged us.”
As a native Mississippian, Dr. Haynes knows the plight of many of his patients. “Not everyone with lung disease can access a pulmonologist, like me, and not everyone can afford appropriate treatment. You have to recognize these disparities in order to build a relationship of trust with your patients.”
James was ready to start treatment with Dr. Haynes’ guidance, but since he couldn’t read, he couldn’t understand how to put the medication together. That’s when Constance had to step up. They worked together to change and clean the tubing to the port by his heart and make his medication. “We leaned on each other a lot during that time, and you know what? We made it through.”
Even though James’ disease can be debilitating at times, and his care can seem completely overwhelming, Constance wouldn’t have it any other way. “It’s always been my father and I, just us two. He’s always taken care of me, and now it’s my turn to take care of him.”
Unfortunately, Constance and James’ story is not unique. So many patients don’t have access to doctors, specialists, and caregivers, and many aren’t empowered enough to take
their medications. These stories don’t get posted on Instagram and they don’t make the evening news. Underprivileged and underserved patients have been left behind – left without a voice.
That’s why the foundation launched its virtual listening tours across America in September. Our tours give patients, caregivers, and physicians the opportunity to raise issues that they believe are impacting health care in their communities.
How can physicians work to understand their patients better? How can patients learn to trust their providers? These are all the questions we aim to answer.
James is doing as well as he is because of his relationship with Dr. Haynes. What can we do with that information? We can listen, we can learn, and we can spread the word.
Read more about the work of the CHEST Foundation in its 2020 Impact Report at chestfoundation.org.
This month in CHEST
Editor’s picks
Original Research
A behaviour change intervention aimed at increasing physical activity improves clinical control in adults with asthma: a randomised controlled trial. By Dr. C. Carvalho, et al.
Critically ill adults with COVID-19 in New Orleans and care with an evidence-based protocol. By Dr. D. Janz, et al.
Mortality trends of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in the United States from 2004 to 2017.By Dr. N. Jeganathan, et al.
United States Pulmonary Hypertension Scientific Registry (USPHSR): Baseline characteristics. By Dr. J. Badlam, et al.
CHEST Review
Pulmonary exacerbations in adults with cystic fibrosis: A grown-up issue in a changing CF landscape. By Dr. G. Stanford, et al.
Computed tomography imaging and comorbidities in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Beyond lung cancer screening. By Dr. J. Bon, et al.
How I Do It
The PERT concept: A step-by-step approach to managing PE. By Dr. B. Rivera-Lebron, et al.
Special Feature
A brief overview of the national outbreak of e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) and the primary causes. By Dr. E. Kiernan, et al.
Editor’s picks
Editor’s picks
Original Research
A behaviour change intervention aimed at increasing physical activity improves clinical control in adults with asthma: a randomised controlled trial. By Dr. C. Carvalho, et al.
Critically ill adults with COVID-19 in New Orleans and care with an evidence-based protocol. By Dr. D. Janz, et al.
Mortality trends of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in the United States from 2004 to 2017.By Dr. N. Jeganathan, et al.
United States Pulmonary Hypertension Scientific Registry (USPHSR): Baseline characteristics. By Dr. J. Badlam, et al.
CHEST Review
Pulmonary exacerbations in adults with cystic fibrosis: A grown-up issue in a changing CF landscape. By Dr. G. Stanford, et al.
Computed tomography imaging and comorbidities in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Beyond lung cancer screening. By Dr. J. Bon, et al.
How I Do It
The PERT concept: A step-by-step approach to managing PE. By Dr. B. Rivera-Lebron, et al.
Special Feature
A brief overview of the national outbreak of e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) and the primary causes. By Dr. E. Kiernan, et al.
Original Research
A behaviour change intervention aimed at increasing physical activity improves clinical control in adults with asthma: a randomised controlled trial. By Dr. C. Carvalho, et al.
Critically ill adults with COVID-19 in New Orleans and care with an evidence-based protocol. By Dr. D. Janz, et al.
Mortality trends of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in the United States from 2004 to 2017.By Dr. N. Jeganathan, et al.
United States Pulmonary Hypertension Scientific Registry (USPHSR): Baseline characteristics. By Dr. J. Badlam, et al.
CHEST Review
Pulmonary exacerbations in adults with cystic fibrosis: A grown-up issue in a changing CF landscape. By Dr. G. Stanford, et al.
Computed tomography imaging and comorbidities in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Beyond lung cancer screening. By Dr. J. Bon, et al.
How I Do It
The PERT concept: A step-by-step approach to managing PE. By Dr. B. Rivera-Lebron, et al.
Special Feature
A brief overview of the national outbreak of e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) and the primary causes. By Dr. E. Kiernan, et al.
Cardiovascular Medicine and Surgery
Cardiovascular Medicine and Surgery
Use of hepatitis C donors in thoracic organ transplantation: Reportedly associated with increased risk of rejection
Mark Jay Zucker, MD, JD, FCCP
Vice-Chair
Transplanting organs from hepatitis C (HCV) antibody and/or antigen-positive donors is associated with a greater than 8%-90% likelihood that the recipient will acquire the infection. Several studies reported that if HCV conversion happened, the outcomes in both heart and lung recipients were worse, even if treated with interferon/ribavirin (Haji SA, et al J Heart Lung Transplant. 2004;23:277; Wang BY, et al. Ann Thorac Surg. 2010 May;89[5]:1645; Carreno MC, et al. J Heart Lung Transplant. 2001;20(2):224). Thus, despite the shortage of thoracic organ donors and high wait-list mortality, the practice was strongly discouraged.
In 2016, the successful use of a direct-acting antiviral (DAA) for 12 weeks to eliminate HCV in a lung transplant recipient of a seropositive organ was published (Khan B, et al. Am J Transplant. 2017;17:1129). Two years later, the outcomes of seronegative heart (n=8) or lung (n=36) transplant recipients receiving organs from seropositive donors were presented (Woolley AE, et al. N Engl J Med. 2019;380:1606). Forty-two of the patients had viremia within days of the operation. All patients were treated with 4 weeks of a DAA and, of the 35 patients available for 6-month analysis, viral load was undetectable in all. Of concern, however—more cellular rejection requiring treatment was seen in the lung recipients of HCV+ donors compared with recipients of HCV- donors. The difference was not statistically significant.
The largest analysis of the safety of HCV+ donors in HCV- thoracic organ transplant recipients involved 343 heart transplant recipients (Kilic A, et al. J Am Heart Assoc. 2020;9(2):e014495). No differences were noted in outcomes, strokes, need for dialysis, or incidence of treated rejection during the first year. However, the observation regarding rejection was not subsequently confirmed by the NYU team (Gidea CG, et al. J Heart Lung Transplant. 2020;39:1199). Of 22 HCV- recipients of an HCV donor with viremia, the rate of rejection was 64% vs 18% in 28 patients receiving a donor without viremia (through day 180 (P=.001)).
In summary, the ability of DAAs to render 97%-99% of immunosuppressed transplant recipients HCV seronegative has transformed the landscape and HCV viremia in the donor (or recipient) and is no longer an absolute contraindication to transplantation. However, more information is needed as to whether there is an increased incidence of rejection.
Cardiovascular Medicine and Surgery
Use of hepatitis C donors in thoracic organ transplantation: Reportedly associated with increased risk of rejection
Mark Jay Zucker, MD, JD, FCCP
Vice-Chair
Transplanting organs from hepatitis C (HCV) antibody and/or antigen-positive donors is associated with a greater than 8%-90% likelihood that the recipient will acquire the infection. Several studies reported that if HCV conversion happened, the outcomes in both heart and lung recipients were worse, even if treated with interferon/ribavirin (Haji SA, et al J Heart Lung Transplant. 2004;23:277; Wang BY, et al. Ann Thorac Surg. 2010 May;89[5]:1645; Carreno MC, et al. J Heart Lung Transplant. 2001;20(2):224). Thus, despite the shortage of thoracic organ donors and high wait-list mortality, the practice was strongly discouraged.
In 2016, the successful use of a direct-acting antiviral (DAA) for 12 weeks to eliminate HCV in a lung transplant recipient of a seropositive organ was published (Khan B, et al. Am J Transplant. 2017;17:1129). Two years later, the outcomes of seronegative heart (n=8) or lung (n=36) transplant recipients receiving organs from seropositive donors were presented (Woolley AE, et al. N Engl J Med. 2019;380:1606). Forty-two of the patients had viremia within days of the operation. All patients were treated with 4 weeks of a DAA and, of the 35 patients available for 6-month analysis, viral load was undetectable in all. Of concern, however—more cellular rejection requiring treatment was seen in the lung recipients of HCV+ donors compared with recipients of HCV- donors. The difference was not statistically significant.
The largest analysis of the safety of HCV+ donors in HCV- thoracic organ transplant recipients involved 343 heart transplant recipients (Kilic A, et al. J Am Heart Assoc. 2020;9(2):e014495). No differences were noted in outcomes, strokes, need for dialysis, or incidence of treated rejection during the first year. However, the observation regarding rejection was not subsequently confirmed by the NYU team (Gidea CG, et al. J Heart Lung Transplant. 2020;39:1199). Of 22 HCV- recipients of an HCV donor with viremia, the rate of rejection was 64% vs 18% in 28 patients receiving a donor without viremia (through day 180 (P=.001)).
In summary, the ability of DAAs to render 97%-99% of immunosuppressed transplant recipients HCV seronegative has transformed the landscape and HCV viremia in the donor (or recipient) and is no longer an absolute contraindication to transplantation. However, more information is needed as to whether there is an increased incidence of rejection.
Cardiovascular Medicine and Surgery
Use of hepatitis C donors in thoracic organ transplantation: Reportedly associated with increased risk of rejection
Mark Jay Zucker, MD, JD, FCCP
Vice-Chair
Transplanting organs from hepatitis C (HCV) antibody and/or antigen-positive donors is associated with a greater than 8%-90% likelihood that the recipient will acquire the infection. Several studies reported that if HCV conversion happened, the outcomes in both heart and lung recipients were worse, even if treated with interferon/ribavirin (Haji SA, et al J Heart Lung Transplant. 2004;23:277; Wang BY, et al. Ann Thorac Surg. 2010 May;89[5]:1645; Carreno MC, et al. J Heart Lung Transplant. 2001;20(2):224). Thus, despite the shortage of thoracic organ donors and high wait-list mortality, the practice was strongly discouraged.
In 2016, the successful use of a direct-acting antiviral (DAA) for 12 weeks to eliminate HCV in a lung transplant recipient of a seropositive organ was published (Khan B, et al. Am J Transplant. 2017;17:1129). Two years later, the outcomes of seronegative heart (n=8) or lung (n=36) transplant recipients receiving organs from seropositive donors were presented (Woolley AE, et al. N Engl J Med. 2019;380:1606). Forty-two of the patients had viremia within days of the operation. All patients were treated with 4 weeks of a DAA and, of the 35 patients available for 6-month analysis, viral load was undetectable in all. Of concern, however—more cellular rejection requiring treatment was seen in the lung recipients of HCV+ donors compared with recipients of HCV- donors. The difference was not statistically significant.
The largest analysis of the safety of HCV+ donors in HCV- thoracic organ transplant recipients involved 343 heart transplant recipients (Kilic A, et al. J Am Heart Assoc. 2020;9(2):e014495). No differences were noted in outcomes, strokes, need for dialysis, or incidence of treated rejection during the first year. However, the observation regarding rejection was not subsequently confirmed by the NYU team (Gidea CG, et al. J Heart Lung Transplant. 2020;39:1199). Of 22 HCV- recipients of an HCV donor with viremia, the rate of rejection was 64% vs 18% in 28 patients receiving a donor without viremia (through day 180 (P=.001)).
In summary, the ability of DAAs to render 97%-99% of immunosuppressed transplant recipients HCV seronegative has transformed the landscape and HCV viremia in the donor (or recipient) and is no longer an absolute contraindication to transplantation. However, more information is needed as to whether there is an increased incidence of rejection.
This month in the journal CHEST®
Editor’s picks
Power Outage: An Ignored Risk Factor for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ExacerbationsBy Dr. Wangjian Zhang, et al.
PROPHETIC: Prospective Identification of Pneumonia in Hospitalized Patients in the ICU By Dr. Stephen P. Bergin, et al.
Chronic Beryllium Disease: Update on a Moving Target By Dr. Maeve MacMurdo, et al.
Development of Learning Curves for Bronchoscopy: Results of a Multicenter Study of Pulmonary Trainees By Dr. Nha Voduc, et al.
Bias and Racism Teaching Rounds at an Academic Medical Center By Dr. Quinn Capers, IV, et al.
Editor’s picks
Editor’s picks
Power Outage: An Ignored Risk Factor for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ExacerbationsBy Dr. Wangjian Zhang, et al.
PROPHETIC: Prospective Identification of Pneumonia in Hospitalized Patients in the ICU By Dr. Stephen P. Bergin, et al.
Chronic Beryllium Disease: Update on a Moving Target By Dr. Maeve MacMurdo, et al.
Development of Learning Curves for Bronchoscopy: Results of a Multicenter Study of Pulmonary Trainees By Dr. Nha Voduc, et al.
Bias and Racism Teaching Rounds at an Academic Medical Center By Dr. Quinn Capers, IV, et al.
Power Outage: An Ignored Risk Factor for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ExacerbationsBy Dr. Wangjian Zhang, et al.
PROPHETIC: Prospective Identification of Pneumonia in Hospitalized Patients in the ICU By Dr. Stephen P. Bergin, et al.
Chronic Beryllium Disease: Update on a Moving Target By Dr. Maeve MacMurdo, et al.
Development of Learning Curves for Bronchoscopy: Results of a Multicenter Study of Pulmonary Trainees By Dr. Nha Voduc, et al.
Bias and Racism Teaching Rounds at an Academic Medical Center By Dr. Quinn Capers, IV, et al.
Launching a virtual Listening Tour
How do we discuss race and lung health issues that impact our most deserving, underserved communities? Continuously and uncomfortably. As the Executive Director of the CHEST Foundation and as a young Black man, I am hopeful that we, as CHEST, can lead these uncomfortable conversations to better our communities. Our ability to listen and deliver support to our most-deserving communities is critical in how we fulfill our mission. CHEST continues to be a leader in lung health because we choose to give a voice and a platform in support of better lung health – especially to those who are disproportionately affected by lung disease, specifically addressing the quality of care they receive and bringing to light the fact that too often these patients are forgotten by the rest of society.
As cases of COVID-19 and civil unrest continue to swell across our nation, we, the CHEST Foundation, have launched a virtual Listening Tour. We are taking this pragmatic, and more importantly, passionate approach to addressing health disparities by identifying and addressing barriers and issues affecting our most deserving and disproportionately underserved communities. By bringing together these communities’ patients and caregivers, local leaders, involved businesses, and our CHEST members in a virtual community gathering, we intend to clearly define the needs of each community, elevate those needs to a national level, and work to collaborate with and support these local communities and leaders to address their most-pressing issues.
Stories are what connect us and move us forward. We are confident that this virtual Listening Tour will be an opportunity for constituents to tell their own stories and learn from each other, while allowing the CHEST organization, through the CHEST Foundation, to act as the arbiter for pulmonary health and provide a path forward to create equity for those suffering from chronic lung disease.
We need your support to challenge these longstanding disparities in chest medicine. Help us advance these critical conversations and move the needle toward equality by contributing today at chestfoundation.org/donate.
How do we discuss race and lung health issues that impact our most deserving, underserved communities? Continuously and uncomfortably. As the Executive Director of the CHEST Foundation and as a young Black man, I am hopeful that we, as CHEST, can lead these uncomfortable conversations to better our communities. Our ability to listen and deliver support to our most-deserving communities is critical in how we fulfill our mission. CHEST continues to be a leader in lung health because we choose to give a voice and a platform in support of better lung health – especially to those who are disproportionately affected by lung disease, specifically addressing the quality of care they receive and bringing to light the fact that too often these patients are forgotten by the rest of society.
As cases of COVID-19 and civil unrest continue to swell across our nation, we, the CHEST Foundation, have launched a virtual Listening Tour. We are taking this pragmatic, and more importantly, passionate approach to addressing health disparities by identifying and addressing barriers and issues affecting our most deserving and disproportionately underserved communities. By bringing together these communities’ patients and caregivers, local leaders, involved businesses, and our CHEST members in a virtual community gathering, we intend to clearly define the needs of each community, elevate those needs to a national level, and work to collaborate with and support these local communities and leaders to address their most-pressing issues.
Stories are what connect us and move us forward. We are confident that this virtual Listening Tour will be an opportunity for constituents to tell their own stories and learn from each other, while allowing the CHEST organization, through the CHEST Foundation, to act as the arbiter for pulmonary health and provide a path forward to create equity for those suffering from chronic lung disease.
We need your support to challenge these longstanding disparities in chest medicine. Help us advance these critical conversations and move the needle toward equality by contributing today at chestfoundation.org/donate.
How do we discuss race and lung health issues that impact our most deserving, underserved communities? Continuously and uncomfortably. As the Executive Director of the CHEST Foundation and as a young Black man, I am hopeful that we, as CHEST, can lead these uncomfortable conversations to better our communities. Our ability to listen and deliver support to our most-deserving communities is critical in how we fulfill our mission. CHEST continues to be a leader in lung health because we choose to give a voice and a platform in support of better lung health – especially to those who are disproportionately affected by lung disease, specifically addressing the quality of care they receive and bringing to light the fact that too often these patients are forgotten by the rest of society.
As cases of COVID-19 and civil unrest continue to swell across our nation, we, the CHEST Foundation, have launched a virtual Listening Tour. We are taking this pragmatic, and more importantly, passionate approach to addressing health disparities by identifying and addressing barriers and issues affecting our most deserving and disproportionately underserved communities. By bringing together these communities’ patients and caregivers, local leaders, involved businesses, and our CHEST members in a virtual community gathering, we intend to clearly define the needs of each community, elevate those needs to a national level, and work to collaborate with and support these local communities and leaders to address their most-pressing issues.
Stories are what connect us and move us forward. We are confident that this virtual Listening Tour will be an opportunity for constituents to tell their own stories and learn from each other, while allowing the CHEST organization, through the CHEST Foundation, to act as the arbiter for pulmonary health and provide a path forward to create equity for those suffering from chronic lung disease.
We need your support to challenge these longstanding disparities in chest medicine. Help us advance these critical conversations and move the needle toward equality by contributing today at chestfoundation.org/donate.
This month in the journal CHEST®
Editor’s picks
International perspective on the new 2019 IDSA/ATS CAP guideline: A critical appraisal by a global expert panel. By Dr. Mathias Pletz, et al.
Development of an accurate bedside swallowing evaluation decision tree algorithm for detecting aspiration in acute respiratory failure survivors. By Dr. Marc Moss, et al.
How I Do It: Managing fatigue in patients with interstitial lung disease. By Dr. Marlies Wijsenbeek, et al.
Life-threatening and non-life-threatening complications associated with coughing: A scoping review. By Dr. Richard S. Irwin, MD, Master FCCP, et al.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Professional Transport Operations: Safety, Regulatory, and Economic Impact. By Dr. Indira Gurubhagavatula, et al.
Editor’s picks
Editor’s picks
International perspective on the new 2019 IDSA/ATS CAP guideline: A critical appraisal by a global expert panel. By Dr. Mathias Pletz, et al.
Development of an accurate bedside swallowing evaluation decision tree algorithm for detecting aspiration in acute respiratory failure survivors. By Dr. Marc Moss, et al.
How I Do It: Managing fatigue in patients with interstitial lung disease. By Dr. Marlies Wijsenbeek, et al.
Life-threatening and non-life-threatening complications associated with coughing: A scoping review. By Dr. Richard S. Irwin, MD, Master FCCP, et al.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Professional Transport Operations: Safety, Regulatory, and Economic Impact. By Dr. Indira Gurubhagavatula, et al.
International perspective on the new 2019 IDSA/ATS CAP guideline: A critical appraisal by a global expert panel. By Dr. Mathias Pletz, et al.
Development of an accurate bedside swallowing evaluation decision tree algorithm for detecting aspiration in acute respiratory failure survivors. By Dr. Marc Moss, et al.
How I Do It: Managing fatigue in patients with interstitial lung disease. By Dr. Marlies Wijsenbeek, et al.
Life-threatening and non-life-threatening complications associated with coughing: A scoping review. By Dr. Richard S. Irwin, MD, Master FCCP, et al.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Professional Transport Operations: Safety, Regulatory, and Economic Impact. By Dr. Indira Gurubhagavatula, et al.
CHEST and ATS respond to proposed fee schedule
CHEST and the American Thoracic Society (ATS) submitted joint comments regarding the proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for 2021 to CMS Administrator Seema Verma on topics of direct interest to members. The letter focuses on:
Medicare payment for critical care services: Further to the joint letter from CHEST, ATS, and the Society of Critical Care Medicine to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Azar (see article in September 2020 Washington Watchline), the concerns related to the proposed 8% reduction in reimbursement for critical care services are explained, particularly relating to the role of critical care providers during the pandemic. They call for waiving budget neutrality or utilizing the public health emergency declaration to ensure appropriate patient care.
E/M payment changes: ATS and CHEST voice support for the proposed changes to evaluation and management (E/M) office visits and the increased reimbursement for the cognitive component of E/M medicine. They urge CMS to use its authority to waive the budget neutrality requirements while implementing the E/M changes.
Adoption of RUC-recommended values for pulmonary services: They urge CMS to finalize values for specific pulmonary services while acknowledging thanks for the adoption of the Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC)-recommended physician work values for a range of Current Procedural Terminology codes.
Telehealth services: While commending CMS for actions related to telehealth to provide care during the pandemic, they suggest it is now appropriate to sunset the telehealth listing for critical care services as providers have acquired additional experience in treating COVID-19.
GPC1X descriptors and utilization projections: They urge CMS to clarify the descriptors and seek additional comments on primary and ongoing health-care services.
Watch for reports of ongoing efforts from CHEST as the fee schedule process continues. Details of other activities in support of CHEST members appear in the November issue of Washington Watchline.
Reprinted from the November 2020 issue of Washington Watchline.
CHEST and the American Thoracic Society (ATS) submitted joint comments regarding the proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for 2021 to CMS Administrator Seema Verma on topics of direct interest to members. The letter focuses on:
Medicare payment for critical care services: Further to the joint letter from CHEST, ATS, and the Society of Critical Care Medicine to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Azar (see article in September 2020 Washington Watchline), the concerns related to the proposed 8% reduction in reimbursement for critical care services are explained, particularly relating to the role of critical care providers during the pandemic. They call for waiving budget neutrality or utilizing the public health emergency declaration to ensure appropriate patient care.
E/M payment changes: ATS and CHEST voice support for the proposed changes to evaluation and management (E/M) office visits and the increased reimbursement for the cognitive component of E/M medicine. They urge CMS to use its authority to waive the budget neutrality requirements while implementing the E/M changes.
Adoption of RUC-recommended values for pulmonary services: They urge CMS to finalize values for specific pulmonary services while acknowledging thanks for the adoption of the Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC)-recommended physician work values for a range of Current Procedural Terminology codes.
Telehealth services: While commending CMS for actions related to telehealth to provide care during the pandemic, they suggest it is now appropriate to sunset the telehealth listing for critical care services as providers have acquired additional experience in treating COVID-19.
GPC1X descriptors and utilization projections: They urge CMS to clarify the descriptors and seek additional comments on primary and ongoing health-care services.
Watch for reports of ongoing efforts from CHEST as the fee schedule process continues. Details of other activities in support of CHEST members appear in the November issue of Washington Watchline.
Reprinted from the November 2020 issue of Washington Watchline.
CHEST and the American Thoracic Society (ATS) submitted joint comments regarding the proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for 2021 to CMS Administrator Seema Verma on topics of direct interest to members. The letter focuses on:
Medicare payment for critical care services: Further to the joint letter from CHEST, ATS, and the Society of Critical Care Medicine to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Azar (see article in September 2020 Washington Watchline), the concerns related to the proposed 8% reduction in reimbursement for critical care services are explained, particularly relating to the role of critical care providers during the pandemic. They call for waiving budget neutrality or utilizing the public health emergency declaration to ensure appropriate patient care.
E/M payment changes: ATS and CHEST voice support for the proposed changes to evaluation and management (E/M) office visits and the increased reimbursement for the cognitive component of E/M medicine. They urge CMS to use its authority to waive the budget neutrality requirements while implementing the E/M changes.
Adoption of RUC-recommended values for pulmonary services: They urge CMS to finalize values for specific pulmonary services while acknowledging thanks for the adoption of the Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC)-recommended physician work values for a range of Current Procedural Terminology codes.
Telehealth services: While commending CMS for actions related to telehealth to provide care during the pandemic, they suggest it is now appropriate to sunset the telehealth listing for critical care services as providers have acquired additional experience in treating COVID-19.
GPC1X descriptors and utilization projections: They urge CMS to clarify the descriptors and seek additional comments on primary and ongoing health-care services.
Watch for reports of ongoing efforts from CHEST as the fee schedule process continues. Details of other activities in support of CHEST members appear in the November issue of Washington Watchline.
Reprinted from the November 2020 issue of Washington Watchline.
President’s final report
As I am writing my final presidential report, my presidential year is coming to a close. It was certainly not what I could have anticipated, but an incredible opportunity for my personal and professional growth, and a year in which CHEST adapted and grew, as well. We accomplished a great deal during this unprecedented year, and I will take this opportunity for a year-in-review!
In the winter, As COVID-19 appeared across the globe, we established a COVID-19 Task Force led by then incoming President, Dr. Steve Simpson, with the goal of keeping our members updated on the latest research and clinical management of COVID-19 illness, as well as distilling and delivering the latest COVID-19 related information quickly to those on the front lines. We have held weekly COVID-19 webinars, disseminated infographics, and developed an interactive COVID-19 quiz. CHEST also published several COVID-19-related guideline statements and expert panel reports on bronchoscopy, tracheostomy, lung nodule management, and venous thromboembolism in the setting of COVID-19.
Knowing the stress that our health-care workers were under, we also established a CHEST Wellness Center. This longitudinal, webinar-based curriculum, led by Dr. Alex Niven, had its impetus with COVID-19 but will continue and be extended to general wellness topics.
In March, we joined forces with NAMDRC, under the CHEST umbrella and a combination of our board members and their former board members now make up our Health Policy and Advocacy Committee (HPAC), led by Drs. Neil Freedman and Jim Lamberti, with CHEST Past-President, Dr. John Studdard, also actively involved. Our HPAC is already focusing on home ventilation and competitive bidding, oxygen prescribing, education and access, pulmonary rehabilitation, and tobacco and vaping. The monthly Washington Watchline online publication features the latest on advocacy-related issues of interest to our membership. Last month, the HPAC held a multiorganizational technical expert panel meeting on nocturnal noninvasive ventilation, with plans to submit a manuscript on outcomes from the meeting to the journal CHEST®. These activities are an answer to our member’s requests and needs in the areas of advocacy.
With the onset of the pandemic, we pivoted the delivery of our signature education to virtual platforms beginning with a successful global congress in Bologna in June with 3,500 registered attendees. This was a wonderful way to provide education to our global audience. I want to thank co-chairs Dr. Bill Kelly and Dr. Girolamo Pelaia, and Dr. Francesco de Blasio from our Italian Delegation for their innovative leadership. In August, we held our first virtual Board Review Courses in Pulmonary Medicine, Critical Care Medicine, and Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine, attended by 775 registered attendees complete with didactic sessions, audience response sessions, SEEK sessions and live Q&A with the faculty. The on-demand versions of these courses are also available.
The CHEST® journal, in its second year with Dr. Peter Mazzone at the helm, continues to be a leading source of clinically relevant research and patient management guidance for pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine clinicians worldwide. The year 2020 has been a year like no other -- submission rates have doubled since the start of the pandemic, with nearly 5,000 manuscript submissions so far, this year. The journal has rapidly built a robust and growing COVID-19 topic collection, with relevant original research, guidelines, commentaries, and more, published online, within days of acceptance. The journal will continue to seek innovative ways to meet the needs of its readers and contributors during this time when our members and their patients urgently need current and high-quality information.
This year, CHEST hit a publishing milestone, with the publication of SEEK Critical Care 30, and the SEEK program is celebrating 30 years! Those who registered for CHEST 2020 by October 15 received the announcement regarding the commemorative “30 years of SEEK” collection.
Our Guidelines Oversight Committee has continued to publish evidence-based guidelines in the areas of cough and cryobiopsy, with a guideline on hypersensitivity pneumonitis and updated guidelines in our core topics of lung cancer and venous thromboembolism in the works.
Under the leadership of Dr. Aneesa Das, the NetWorks Task Force started work to accomplish the goal of increasing member engagement and reach by developing pilot projects focusing on infographics interviews with key opinion leaders and social media communications. Additionally, the Digital Strategy Task Force launched a redesigned website for the Foundation, which you can see at chestfoundation.org, and look for exciting changes coming to the CHEST website in the very near future.
We have continued our collaborative partnerships with our sister societies. We established the volunteer clinician matching program with the American Thoracic Society (ATS) to send clinicians to areas of need during the pandemic, and partnered on other COVID-19 related activities. We held a virtual fellow’s graduation with ATS and the Association of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Program Directors. CHEST leadership attended the Asian Pacific Respiratory Society in Vietnam in November, the Society of Critical Care Medicine, and Forum of International Respiratory Societies in February and the recent virtual meetings of ATS, European Respiratory Society, and the Brazilian Thoracic Society.
The CHEST Foundation has continued on their mission to champion lung health and make a difference through their successful fundraising. This was highlighted with a tremendous foundation gala in San Antonio in December, The Golden Era of Erin Popovich, attended by more than 500 people. Since COVID-19, the Foundation held several creative virtual fundraising events ranging from wine tastings to poker night to bingo night to a recent trivia night, as well as actively participating in COVID-19-related campaigns, such as the partnership with ATS for COVID-19 public service announcements directed to those affected by COVID-19, and other fundraising campaigns, such as the Buy-a-Mask Give-a-Mask campaign. In addition, the Foundation has continued with their support for clinical research grants, community service grants, and patient education resources and toolkits. For example, they have developed an oxygen tool kit to provide access and empowerment to patients in need.
Thank you to all our donors for continuing to support these CHEST Foundation initiatives. The Foundation couldn’t continue to do this amazing work to create an impact and raise awareness for lung health without you.
As the movement to combat racism and racial disparity swept across our nation, we issued a statement of equity in early June. In September, the CHEST Foundation launched the first of a series of Listening Tours to hear from community needs in the areas of trust, access, and equity. Information from these tours will be used to launch a designated fund to have the power to transform these needs into action. CHEST is now actively developing a strategic plan focusing on how CHEST can make an impactful difference in this arena. We want to ensure we take this essential time to listen, reflect, and make appropriate plans for ways we can truly make a difference. Expect more to come on this in the coming year.
The year concluded with CHEST 2020. CHEST 2020 had the highest number of case reports and abstracts ever submitted to a CHEST Annual meeting, and a total registration of more than 4,000. At CHEST 2020, you had an opportunity to see a reimagined virtual annual meeting with combinations of interactive live and prerecorded didactic sessions, audience response sessions, live Q&A with the faculty, educational games at the CHEST Gaming Hub, CHEST Challenge Championship, networking opportunities, narrated abstracts, case reports, original research presentations, COVID-19 update sessions, industry-sponsored programs, a virtual exhibit hall, and surprises, to deliver the in–person CHEST experience virtually. In addition, this came with the greatest number of CME/MOC credits we have ever offered! And, CHEST 2020 education will continue throughout the year with ongoing postgraduate courses creating the ultimate longitudinal educational experience. While nothing can replace the opportunity to connect with our community in person, I hope you found that this year’s meeting provided a wealth of learning, connection, and fun.
My sincere thanks to the CHEST 2020 Program Chair, Dr. Victor Test, to the entire Scientific Program Committee, and to our incredible CHEST staff, for the immense amount of hard work over the past year to reimagine CHEST 2020 and make it a reality. Little did Victor know that he would be planning three meetings, a live meeting, a hybrid meeting, and, ultimately, a virtual meeting. Thank you for all you did to make CHEST 2020 a meeting to remember. We plan to continue our efforts to maintain and grow educational innovation year-round through more e-learning, virtual learning, and, hopefully soon, live learning, both locally, nationally, and internationally.
As my year closes, you are in excellent hands with Dr. Steven Simpson, your 83rd President, who will lead the organization forward. You will hear more from him, but you are in the hands of a thoughtful and dedicated leader with a long history of CHEST experience, strong expertise in critical care, and a thought leader in the COVID-19 pandemic, including serving on the NIH COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel.
There are so many people to thank! I want to thank my family, my husband and children, and my work family, the faculty and fellows of my division, for their unwavering support. I also want to thank my Co-President lineage group for their counsel and wisdom, several Past Presidents who I have called on over this past year for advice, Drs. John Studdard, Gerard Silvestri, and Darcy Marciniuk among others, the Board (who I only saw face-to-face once!), our CHEST leadership and educators, and the incredible CHEST staff, the Executive Leadership Team, and our superb, hard-working CEO/EVP Bob Musacchio. Last, and most importantly, I would like to thank our members for being in the trenches this year as we all dealt with COVID-19. You are the heroes! At the beginning of my term last year, I told you that my goal was to be “the welcoming home” for interprofessional health-care team members seeking to obtain the best possible educational experiences and patient outcomes. I had no idea how absolutely needed this would be for our chest medicine family this year. CHEST has always been your connection to relevant clinical information and late-breaking updates in our field – but this year, our CHEST community has been even more than that. Through this year of crisis and change, you all have shown resilience; a resilience molded by being flexible. Not only have you embodied flexibility at your home institutions, you’ve embodied flexibility in your learning, teaching, and connecting. You’ve joined us as we’ve reimagined what learning at CHEST is all about – I sincerely thank you for that!
As I am writing my final presidential report, my presidential year is coming to a close. It was certainly not what I could have anticipated, but an incredible opportunity for my personal and professional growth, and a year in which CHEST adapted and grew, as well. We accomplished a great deal during this unprecedented year, and I will take this opportunity for a year-in-review!
In the winter, As COVID-19 appeared across the globe, we established a COVID-19 Task Force led by then incoming President, Dr. Steve Simpson, with the goal of keeping our members updated on the latest research and clinical management of COVID-19 illness, as well as distilling and delivering the latest COVID-19 related information quickly to those on the front lines. We have held weekly COVID-19 webinars, disseminated infographics, and developed an interactive COVID-19 quiz. CHEST also published several COVID-19-related guideline statements and expert panel reports on bronchoscopy, tracheostomy, lung nodule management, and venous thromboembolism in the setting of COVID-19.
Knowing the stress that our health-care workers were under, we also established a CHEST Wellness Center. This longitudinal, webinar-based curriculum, led by Dr. Alex Niven, had its impetus with COVID-19 but will continue and be extended to general wellness topics.
In March, we joined forces with NAMDRC, under the CHEST umbrella and a combination of our board members and their former board members now make up our Health Policy and Advocacy Committee (HPAC), led by Drs. Neil Freedman and Jim Lamberti, with CHEST Past-President, Dr. John Studdard, also actively involved. Our HPAC is already focusing on home ventilation and competitive bidding, oxygen prescribing, education and access, pulmonary rehabilitation, and tobacco and vaping. The monthly Washington Watchline online publication features the latest on advocacy-related issues of interest to our membership. Last month, the HPAC held a multiorganizational technical expert panel meeting on nocturnal noninvasive ventilation, with plans to submit a manuscript on outcomes from the meeting to the journal CHEST®. These activities are an answer to our member’s requests and needs in the areas of advocacy.
With the onset of the pandemic, we pivoted the delivery of our signature education to virtual platforms beginning with a successful global congress in Bologna in June with 3,500 registered attendees. This was a wonderful way to provide education to our global audience. I want to thank co-chairs Dr. Bill Kelly and Dr. Girolamo Pelaia, and Dr. Francesco de Blasio from our Italian Delegation for their innovative leadership. In August, we held our first virtual Board Review Courses in Pulmonary Medicine, Critical Care Medicine, and Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine, attended by 775 registered attendees complete with didactic sessions, audience response sessions, SEEK sessions and live Q&A with the faculty. The on-demand versions of these courses are also available.
The CHEST® journal, in its second year with Dr. Peter Mazzone at the helm, continues to be a leading source of clinically relevant research and patient management guidance for pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine clinicians worldwide. The year 2020 has been a year like no other -- submission rates have doubled since the start of the pandemic, with nearly 5,000 manuscript submissions so far, this year. The journal has rapidly built a robust and growing COVID-19 topic collection, with relevant original research, guidelines, commentaries, and more, published online, within days of acceptance. The journal will continue to seek innovative ways to meet the needs of its readers and contributors during this time when our members and their patients urgently need current and high-quality information.
This year, CHEST hit a publishing milestone, with the publication of SEEK Critical Care 30, and the SEEK program is celebrating 30 years! Those who registered for CHEST 2020 by October 15 received the announcement regarding the commemorative “30 years of SEEK” collection.
Our Guidelines Oversight Committee has continued to publish evidence-based guidelines in the areas of cough and cryobiopsy, with a guideline on hypersensitivity pneumonitis and updated guidelines in our core topics of lung cancer and venous thromboembolism in the works.
Under the leadership of Dr. Aneesa Das, the NetWorks Task Force started work to accomplish the goal of increasing member engagement and reach by developing pilot projects focusing on infographics interviews with key opinion leaders and social media communications. Additionally, the Digital Strategy Task Force launched a redesigned website for the Foundation, which you can see at chestfoundation.org, and look for exciting changes coming to the CHEST website in the very near future.
We have continued our collaborative partnerships with our sister societies. We established the volunteer clinician matching program with the American Thoracic Society (ATS) to send clinicians to areas of need during the pandemic, and partnered on other COVID-19 related activities. We held a virtual fellow’s graduation with ATS and the Association of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Program Directors. CHEST leadership attended the Asian Pacific Respiratory Society in Vietnam in November, the Society of Critical Care Medicine, and Forum of International Respiratory Societies in February and the recent virtual meetings of ATS, European Respiratory Society, and the Brazilian Thoracic Society.
The CHEST Foundation has continued on their mission to champion lung health and make a difference through their successful fundraising. This was highlighted with a tremendous foundation gala in San Antonio in December, The Golden Era of Erin Popovich, attended by more than 500 people. Since COVID-19, the Foundation held several creative virtual fundraising events ranging from wine tastings to poker night to bingo night to a recent trivia night, as well as actively participating in COVID-19-related campaigns, such as the partnership with ATS for COVID-19 public service announcements directed to those affected by COVID-19, and other fundraising campaigns, such as the Buy-a-Mask Give-a-Mask campaign. In addition, the Foundation has continued with their support for clinical research grants, community service grants, and patient education resources and toolkits. For example, they have developed an oxygen tool kit to provide access and empowerment to patients in need.
Thank you to all our donors for continuing to support these CHEST Foundation initiatives. The Foundation couldn’t continue to do this amazing work to create an impact and raise awareness for lung health without you.
As the movement to combat racism and racial disparity swept across our nation, we issued a statement of equity in early June. In September, the CHEST Foundation launched the first of a series of Listening Tours to hear from community needs in the areas of trust, access, and equity. Information from these tours will be used to launch a designated fund to have the power to transform these needs into action. CHEST is now actively developing a strategic plan focusing on how CHEST can make an impactful difference in this arena. We want to ensure we take this essential time to listen, reflect, and make appropriate plans for ways we can truly make a difference. Expect more to come on this in the coming year.
The year concluded with CHEST 2020. CHEST 2020 had the highest number of case reports and abstracts ever submitted to a CHEST Annual meeting, and a total registration of more than 4,000. At CHEST 2020, you had an opportunity to see a reimagined virtual annual meeting with combinations of interactive live and prerecorded didactic sessions, audience response sessions, live Q&A with the faculty, educational games at the CHEST Gaming Hub, CHEST Challenge Championship, networking opportunities, narrated abstracts, case reports, original research presentations, COVID-19 update sessions, industry-sponsored programs, a virtual exhibit hall, and surprises, to deliver the in–person CHEST experience virtually. In addition, this came with the greatest number of CME/MOC credits we have ever offered! And, CHEST 2020 education will continue throughout the year with ongoing postgraduate courses creating the ultimate longitudinal educational experience. While nothing can replace the opportunity to connect with our community in person, I hope you found that this year’s meeting provided a wealth of learning, connection, and fun.
My sincere thanks to the CHEST 2020 Program Chair, Dr. Victor Test, to the entire Scientific Program Committee, and to our incredible CHEST staff, for the immense amount of hard work over the past year to reimagine CHEST 2020 and make it a reality. Little did Victor know that he would be planning three meetings, a live meeting, a hybrid meeting, and, ultimately, a virtual meeting. Thank you for all you did to make CHEST 2020 a meeting to remember. We plan to continue our efforts to maintain and grow educational innovation year-round through more e-learning, virtual learning, and, hopefully soon, live learning, both locally, nationally, and internationally.
As my year closes, you are in excellent hands with Dr. Steven Simpson, your 83rd President, who will lead the organization forward. You will hear more from him, but you are in the hands of a thoughtful and dedicated leader with a long history of CHEST experience, strong expertise in critical care, and a thought leader in the COVID-19 pandemic, including serving on the NIH COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel.
There are so many people to thank! I want to thank my family, my husband and children, and my work family, the faculty and fellows of my division, for their unwavering support. I also want to thank my Co-President lineage group for their counsel and wisdom, several Past Presidents who I have called on over this past year for advice, Drs. John Studdard, Gerard Silvestri, and Darcy Marciniuk among others, the Board (who I only saw face-to-face once!), our CHEST leadership and educators, and the incredible CHEST staff, the Executive Leadership Team, and our superb, hard-working CEO/EVP Bob Musacchio. Last, and most importantly, I would like to thank our members for being in the trenches this year as we all dealt with COVID-19. You are the heroes! At the beginning of my term last year, I told you that my goal was to be “the welcoming home” for interprofessional health-care team members seeking to obtain the best possible educational experiences and patient outcomes. I had no idea how absolutely needed this would be for our chest medicine family this year. CHEST has always been your connection to relevant clinical information and late-breaking updates in our field – but this year, our CHEST community has been even more than that. Through this year of crisis and change, you all have shown resilience; a resilience molded by being flexible. Not only have you embodied flexibility at your home institutions, you’ve embodied flexibility in your learning, teaching, and connecting. You’ve joined us as we’ve reimagined what learning at CHEST is all about – I sincerely thank you for that!
As I am writing my final presidential report, my presidential year is coming to a close. It was certainly not what I could have anticipated, but an incredible opportunity for my personal and professional growth, and a year in which CHEST adapted and grew, as well. We accomplished a great deal during this unprecedented year, and I will take this opportunity for a year-in-review!
In the winter, As COVID-19 appeared across the globe, we established a COVID-19 Task Force led by then incoming President, Dr. Steve Simpson, with the goal of keeping our members updated on the latest research and clinical management of COVID-19 illness, as well as distilling and delivering the latest COVID-19 related information quickly to those on the front lines. We have held weekly COVID-19 webinars, disseminated infographics, and developed an interactive COVID-19 quiz. CHEST also published several COVID-19-related guideline statements and expert panel reports on bronchoscopy, tracheostomy, lung nodule management, and venous thromboembolism in the setting of COVID-19.
Knowing the stress that our health-care workers were under, we also established a CHEST Wellness Center. This longitudinal, webinar-based curriculum, led by Dr. Alex Niven, had its impetus with COVID-19 but will continue and be extended to general wellness topics.
In March, we joined forces with NAMDRC, under the CHEST umbrella and a combination of our board members and their former board members now make up our Health Policy and Advocacy Committee (HPAC), led by Drs. Neil Freedman and Jim Lamberti, with CHEST Past-President, Dr. John Studdard, also actively involved. Our HPAC is already focusing on home ventilation and competitive bidding, oxygen prescribing, education and access, pulmonary rehabilitation, and tobacco and vaping. The monthly Washington Watchline online publication features the latest on advocacy-related issues of interest to our membership. Last month, the HPAC held a multiorganizational technical expert panel meeting on nocturnal noninvasive ventilation, with plans to submit a manuscript on outcomes from the meeting to the journal CHEST®. These activities are an answer to our member’s requests and needs in the areas of advocacy.
With the onset of the pandemic, we pivoted the delivery of our signature education to virtual platforms beginning with a successful global congress in Bologna in June with 3,500 registered attendees. This was a wonderful way to provide education to our global audience. I want to thank co-chairs Dr. Bill Kelly and Dr. Girolamo Pelaia, and Dr. Francesco de Blasio from our Italian Delegation for their innovative leadership. In August, we held our first virtual Board Review Courses in Pulmonary Medicine, Critical Care Medicine, and Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine, attended by 775 registered attendees complete with didactic sessions, audience response sessions, SEEK sessions and live Q&A with the faculty. The on-demand versions of these courses are also available.
The CHEST® journal, in its second year with Dr. Peter Mazzone at the helm, continues to be a leading source of clinically relevant research and patient management guidance for pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine clinicians worldwide. The year 2020 has been a year like no other -- submission rates have doubled since the start of the pandemic, with nearly 5,000 manuscript submissions so far, this year. The journal has rapidly built a robust and growing COVID-19 topic collection, with relevant original research, guidelines, commentaries, and more, published online, within days of acceptance. The journal will continue to seek innovative ways to meet the needs of its readers and contributors during this time when our members and their patients urgently need current and high-quality information.
This year, CHEST hit a publishing milestone, with the publication of SEEK Critical Care 30, and the SEEK program is celebrating 30 years! Those who registered for CHEST 2020 by October 15 received the announcement regarding the commemorative “30 years of SEEK” collection.
Our Guidelines Oversight Committee has continued to publish evidence-based guidelines in the areas of cough and cryobiopsy, with a guideline on hypersensitivity pneumonitis and updated guidelines in our core topics of lung cancer and venous thromboembolism in the works.
Under the leadership of Dr. Aneesa Das, the NetWorks Task Force started work to accomplish the goal of increasing member engagement and reach by developing pilot projects focusing on infographics interviews with key opinion leaders and social media communications. Additionally, the Digital Strategy Task Force launched a redesigned website for the Foundation, which you can see at chestfoundation.org, and look for exciting changes coming to the CHEST website in the very near future.
We have continued our collaborative partnerships with our sister societies. We established the volunteer clinician matching program with the American Thoracic Society (ATS) to send clinicians to areas of need during the pandemic, and partnered on other COVID-19 related activities. We held a virtual fellow’s graduation with ATS and the Association of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Program Directors. CHEST leadership attended the Asian Pacific Respiratory Society in Vietnam in November, the Society of Critical Care Medicine, and Forum of International Respiratory Societies in February and the recent virtual meetings of ATS, European Respiratory Society, and the Brazilian Thoracic Society.
The CHEST Foundation has continued on their mission to champion lung health and make a difference through their successful fundraising. This was highlighted with a tremendous foundation gala in San Antonio in December, The Golden Era of Erin Popovich, attended by more than 500 people. Since COVID-19, the Foundation held several creative virtual fundraising events ranging from wine tastings to poker night to bingo night to a recent trivia night, as well as actively participating in COVID-19-related campaigns, such as the partnership with ATS for COVID-19 public service announcements directed to those affected by COVID-19, and other fundraising campaigns, such as the Buy-a-Mask Give-a-Mask campaign. In addition, the Foundation has continued with their support for clinical research grants, community service grants, and patient education resources and toolkits. For example, they have developed an oxygen tool kit to provide access and empowerment to patients in need.
Thank you to all our donors for continuing to support these CHEST Foundation initiatives. The Foundation couldn’t continue to do this amazing work to create an impact and raise awareness for lung health without you.
As the movement to combat racism and racial disparity swept across our nation, we issued a statement of equity in early June. In September, the CHEST Foundation launched the first of a series of Listening Tours to hear from community needs in the areas of trust, access, and equity. Information from these tours will be used to launch a designated fund to have the power to transform these needs into action. CHEST is now actively developing a strategic plan focusing on how CHEST can make an impactful difference in this arena. We want to ensure we take this essential time to listen, reflect, and make appropriate plans for ways we can truly make a difference. Expect more to come on this in the coming year.
The year concluded with CHEST 2020. CHEST 2020 had the highest number of case reports and abstracts ever submitted to a CHEST Annual meeting, and a total registration of more than 4,000. At CHEST 2020, you had an opportunity to see a reimagined virtual annual meeting with combinations of interactive live and prerecorded didactic sessions, audience response sessions, live Q&A with the faculty, educational games at the CHEST Gaming Hub, CHEST Challenge Championship, networking opportunities, narrated abstracts, case reports, original research presentations, COVID-19 update sessions, industry-sponsored programs, a virtual exhibit hall, and surprises, to deliver the in–person CHEST experience virtually. In addition, this came with the greatest number of CME/MOC credits we have ever offered! And, CHEST 2020 education will continue throughout the year with ongoing postgraduate courses creating the ultimate longitudinal educational experience. While nothing can replace the opportunity to connect with our community in person, I hope you found that this year’s meeting provided a wealth of learning, connection, and fun.
My sincere thanks to the CHEST 2020 Program Chair, Dr. Victor Test, to the entire Scientific Program Committee, and to our incredible CHEST staff, for the immense amount of hard work over the past year to reimagine CHEST 2020 and make it a reality. Little did Victor know that he would be planning three meetings, a live meeting, a hybrid meeting, and, ultimately, a virtual meeting. Thank you for all you did to make CHEST 2020 a meeting to remember. We plan to continue our efforts to maintain and grow educational innovation year-round through more e-learning, virtual learning, and, hopefully soon, live learning, both locally, nationally, and internationally.
As my year closes, you are in excellent hands with Dr. Steven Simpson, your 83rd President, who will lead the organization forward. You will hear more from him, but you are in the hands of a thoughtful and dedicated leader with a long history of CHEST experience, strong expertise in critical care, and a thought leader in the COVID-19 pandemic, including serving on the NIH COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel.
There are so many people to thank! I want to thank my family, my husband and children, and my work family, the faculty and fellows of my division, for their unwavering support. I also want to thank my Co-President lineage group for their counsel and wisdom, several Past Presidents who I have called on over this past year for advice, Drs. John Studdard, Gerard Silvestri, and Darcy Marciniuk among others, the Board (who I only saw face-to-face once!), our CHEST leadership and educators, and the incredible CHEST staff, the Executive Leadership Team, and our superb, hard-working CEO/EVP Bob Musacchio. Last, and most importantly, I would like to thank our members for being in the trenches this year as we all dealt with COVID-19. You are the heroes! At the beginning of my term last year, I told you that my goal was to be “the welcoming home” for interprofessional health-care team members seeking to obtain the best possible educational experiences and patient outcomes. I had no idea how absolutely needed this would be for our chest medicine family this year. CHEST has always been your connection to relevant clinical information and late-breaking updates in our field – but this year, our CHEST community has been even more than that. Through this year of crisis and change, you all have shown resilience; a resilience molded by being flexible. Not only have you embodied flexibility at your home institutions, you’ve embodied flexibility in your learning, teaching, and connecting. You’ve joined us as we’ve reimagined what learning at CHEST is all about – I sincerely thank you for that!