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New tracks bring focus to HM18 program
The theme for HM18 could well be “in with the new, and in with the new.”
Conference planners have managed to pack HM18 with five new tracks: Great Debate, Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant (NP/PA), Palliative Care, Seasoning Your Career, and a new Career Development workshop track. And they did this while eliminating only one track that was on the schedule last year – Technology – and without adding any extra days to the meeting.
The trick was including more half-day tracks. With more tracks in smaller time chunks, the schedule provides more flexibility, and attendees have more choices to find what they’re looking for, said Kathleen Finn, MD, MPhil, SFHM, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, Boston, and the HM18 course director.
“We decided, since there were a bunch of themes that we really wanted to cover, we would do half-day tracks. The shorter tracks also are a way to gauge interest in a topic without making a big commitment to it,” Dr. Finn said. “The grouping of topics in smaller tracks in the Day-at-a-Glance helps people easily see a collection of lectures or a theme they might want to attend.”
While choosing themes for the conference, the planners were trying to stay true to their own theme: timeliness.
Assistant course director Dustin Smith, MD, SFHM, an associate professor of medicine at Emory University, Atlanta, said much of the information for this year’s conference came from the 2017 annual meeting, including attendance at sessions, speaker reviews, and session ratings.
“It’s building on momentum from the previous meeting,” he said. “Sometimes we choose things to offer that we know are going to go well, and sometimes we choose things that we hope go well, and all of a sudden we see [that they] go very, very well.” For instance, he said, the topic of sepsis was so popular last year that it has its own pre-course this year.
The data on which the HM18 program is built don’t stop there. The 23 members of the planning committee all bring their own thoughts and experiences, as well as input from colleagues at their own centers. Then there are the submissions for workshop topics: Any SHM member can submit an idea, and those ideas help organizers see patterns of interest that can affect the planning of the rest of the sessions.
Here are more details on the new tracks:
Great Debate
The annual meeting has traditionally had a “Great Debate” on perioperative medicine, but the format – with carefully chosen speakers who are dynamic and entertaining – will be used to cover pulmonary medicine and infectious diseases this year as well.
“It’s a hugely successful talk,” Dr. Finn said. “We can tell by our numbers that lots of people go, and it’s always funny, and it’s a very clever way of discussing the latest literature – by having two very dynamic speakers present a case and then debate the two options of the case and then use the literature to support the answer.”
NP/PA
This track includes topics that are chosen by the committee for advanced practice professionals.
“There are many hospitalist programs that include NP/PAs, and everybody is struggling with how best to incorporate NPs and PAs into the group practice and have everybody work at the top of their license and work well together,” Dr. Finn said.
“The idea, too, is to be very inclusive of all providers and offering a track that focuses on NP/PAs but also includes physicians, physician leaders, and physician administrators,” Dr. Smith said. “It’s not designed for one type of practicing professional; it should be a good educational track for all.”
Palliative Care
This was a topic that had been sprinkled throughout programs in previous years, but Dr. Finn and Dr. Smith said it was considered too important not to have its own track this year.
“I think hospitalists often are the doctors caring for patients at the end of their lives since many Americans die in the hospital,” Dr. Finn said. “As a result, this is a skill set that as hospitalists we need to be very good at.”
Seasoning Your Career
This is a track geared toward one of this year’s themes: With “hospital medicine” now a concept that’s more than 2 decades old, how do hospitalists keep up the momentum in their careers, how do they take stock, how do they make the important decisions they face as they move ahead in their jobs?
“Hospital medicine is now more than 20 years old – many hospitalists are now mid-career,” Dr. Finn said. “This track can help people reflect on and rethink their career. Do you want to expand what you’re doing? Do you want to change it? How do you make this a lifelong career?”
Career Development
There have always been workshops with a career-development focus, but this year, six of them were chosen to be placed under the heading of an official “Career Development” workshop track.
“Are there other skills you want to take on for the second half of your career?” Dr. Finn said. “Do you want to take on leadership? Do you want to learn how to better give your peers feedback? Do you want to promote women in your group? Do you want to prevent burnout or use emotional intelligence to improve your career?”
Aside from the new tracks, the course directors also drew attention to other new elements of the HM18 program.
For instance, there are new topics in the Rapid Fire sessions. In the “Managing the Patient on Your Service: Appendicitis, Bowel, and Biliary Obstruction” session, a general surgeon will talk about how to manage these surgical issues when the patient is on a medical service. In “Interventional Radiology: What Every Hospitalist Needs to Know,” an interventional radiologist will discuss when hospitalists may want to call in an interventional radiologist or refer to a hospital that has an interventional radiologist. And “Vulnerable Populations and Hospitalists” will focus on social determinants of health.
As for catchy Disney-influenced titles, such as “The Mad Hatter: Updates in Delirium” and “Waiting in Line for ‘It’s a Small World’ and Other Things We Do for No Reason,” part of the credit can go to Dr. Finn’s niece. She said she “hired” her to come up with a list of Disney, Pixar, and Harry Potter movies and catchphrases. Then the committee worked them into the session titles.
“One of the hopes for me at this meeting is that people bring their inner child and explore new ideas, new topics, and new career possibilities,” Dr. Finn said.
The theme for HM18 could well be “in with the new, and in with the new.”
Conference planners have managed to pack HM18 with five new tracks: Great Debate, Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant (NP/PA), Palliative Care, Seasoning Your Career, and a new Career Development workshop track. And they did this while eliminating only one track that was on the schedule last year – Technology – and without adding any extra days to the meeting.
The trick was including more half-day tracks. With more tracks in smaller time chunks, the schedule provides more flexibility, and attendees have more choices to find what they’re looking for, said Kathleen Finn, MD, MPhil, SFHM, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, Boston, and the HM18 course director.
“We decided, since there were a bunch of themes that we really wanted to cover, we would do half-day tracks. The shorter tracks also are a way to gauge interest in a topic without making a big commitment to it,” Dr. Finn said. “The grouping of topics in smaller tracks in the Day-at-a-Glance helps people easily see a collection of lectures or a theme they might want to attend.”
While choosing themes for the conference, the planners were trying to stay true to their own theme: timeliness.
Assistant course director Dustin Smith, MD, SFHM, an associate professor of medicine at Emory University, Atlanta, said much of the information for this year’s conference came from the 2017 annual meeting, including attendance at sessions, speaker reviews, and session ratings.
“It’s building on momentum from the previous meeting,” he said. “Sometimes we choose things to offer that we know are going to go well, and sometimes we choose things that we hope go well, and all of a sudden we see [that they] go very, very well.” For instance, he said, the topic of sepsis was so popular last year that it has its own pre-course this year.
The data on which the HM18 program is built don’t stop there. The 23 members of the planning committee all bring their own thoughts and experiences, as well as input from colleagues at their own centers. Then there are the submissions for workshop topics: Any SHM member can submit an idea, and those ideas help organizers see patterns of interest that can affect the planning of the rest of the sessions.
Here are more details on the new tracks:
Great Debate
The annual meeting has traditionally had a “Great Debate” on perioperative medicine, but the format – with carefully chosen speakers who are dynamic and entertaining – will be used to cover pulmonary medicine and infectious diseases this year as well.
“It’s a hugely successful talk,” Dr. Finn said. “We can tell by our numbers that lots of people go, and it’s always funny, and it’s a very clever way of discussing the latest literature – by having two very dynamic speakers present a case and then debate the two options of the case and then use the literature to support the answer.”
NP/PA
This track includes topics that are chosen by the committee for advanced practice professionals.
“There are many hospitalist programs that include NP/PAs, and everybody is struggling with how best to incorporate NPs and PAs into the group practice and have everybody work at the top of their license and work well together,” Dr. Finn said.
“The idea, too, is to be very inclusive of all providers and offering a track that focuses on NP/PAs but also includes physicians, physician leaders, and physician administrators,” Dr. Smith said. “It’s not designed for one type of practicing professional; it should be a good educational track for all.”
Palliative Care
This was a topic that had been sprinkled throughout programs in previous years, but Dr. Finn and Dr. Smith said it was considered too important not to have its own track this year.
“I think hospitalists often are the doctors caring for patients at the end of their lives since many Americans die in the hospital,” Dr. Finn said. “As a result, this is a skill set that as hospitalists we need to be very good at.”
Seasoning Your Career
This is a track geared toward one of this year’s themes: With “hospital medicine” now a concept that’s more than 2 decades old, how do hospitalists keep up the momentum in their careers, how do they take stock, how do they make the important decisions they face as they move ahead in their jobs?
“Hospital medicine is now more than 20 years old – many hospitalists are now mid-career,” Dr. Finn said. “This track can help people reflect on and rethink their career. Do you want to expand what you’re doing? Do you want to change it? How do you make this a lifelong career?”
Career Development
There have always been workshops with a career-development focus, but this year, six of them were chosen to be placed under the heading of an official “Career Development” workshop track.
“Are there other skills you want to take on for the second half of your career?” Dr. Finn said. “Do you want to take on leadership? Do you want to learn how to better give your peers feedback? Do you want to promote women in your group? Do you want to prevent burnout or use emotional intelligence to improve your career?”
Aside from the new tracks, the course directors also drew attention to other new elements of the HM18 program.
For instance, there are new topics in the Rapid Fire sessions. In the “Managing the Patient on Your Service: Appendicitis, Bowel, and Biliary Obstruction” session, a general surgeon will talk about how to manage these surgical issues when the patient is on a medical service. In “Interventional Radiology: What Every Hospitalist Needs to Know,” an interventional radiologist will discuss when hospitalists may want to call in an interventional radiologist or refer to a hospital that has an interventional radiologist. And “Vulnerable Populations and Hospitalists” will focus on social determinants of health.
As for catchy Disney-influenced titles, such as “The Mad Hatter: Updates in Delirium” and “Waiting in Line for ‘It’s a Small World’ and Other Things We Do for No Reason,” part of the credit can go to Dr. Finn’s niece. She said she “hired” her to come up with a list of Disney, Pixar, and Harry Potter movies and catchphrases. Then the committee worked them into the session titles.
“One of the hopes for me at this meeting is that people bring their inner child and explore new ideas, new topics, and new career possibilities,” Dr. Finn said.
The theme for HM18 could well be “in with the new, and in with the new.”
Conference planners have managed to pack HM18 with five new tracks: Great Debate, Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant (NP/PA), Palliative Care, Seasoning Your Career, and a new Career Development workshop track. And they did this while eliminating only one track that was on the schedule last year – Technology – and without adding any extra days to the meeting.
The trick was including more half-day tracks. With more tracks in smaller time chunks, the schedule provides more flexibility, and attendees have more choices to find what they’re looking for, said Kathleen Finn, MD, MPhil, SFHM, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, Boston, and the HM18 course director.
“We decided, since there were a bunch of themes that we really wanted to cover, we would do half-day tracks. The shorter tracks also are a way to gauge interest in a topic without making a big commitment to it,” Dr. Finn said. “The grouping of topics in smaller tracks in the Day-at-a-Glance helps people easily see a collection of lectures or a theme they might want to attend.”
While choosing themes for the conference, the planners were trying to stay true to their own theme: timeliness.
Assistant course director Dustin Smith, MD, SFHM, an associate professor of medicine at Emory University, Atlanta, said much of the information for this year’s conference came from the 2017 annual meeting, including attendance at sessions, speaker reviews, and session ratings.
“It’s building on momentum from the previous meeting,” he said. “Sometimes we choose things to offer that we know are going to go well, and sometimes we choose things that we hope go well, and all of a sudden we see [that they] go very, very well.” For instance, he said, the topic of sepsis was so popular last year that it has its own pre-course this year.
The data on which the HM18 program is built don’t stop there. The 23 members of the planning committee all bring their own thoughts and experiences, as well as input from colleagues at their own centers. Then there are the submissions for workshop topics: Any SHM member can submit an idea, and those ideas help organizers see patterns of interest that can affect the planning of the rest of the sessions.
Here are more details on the new tracks:
Great Debate
The annual meeting has traditionally had a “Great Debate” on perioperative medicine, but the format – with carefully chosen speakers who are dynamic and entertaining – will be used to cover pulmonary medicine and infectious diseases this year as well.
“It’s a hugely successful talk,” Dr. Finn said. “We can tell by our numbers that lots of people go, and it’s always funny, and it’s a very clever way of discussing the latest literature – by having two very dynamic speakers present a case and then debate the two options of the case and then use the literature to support the answer.”
NP/PA
This track includes topics that are chosen by the committee for advanced practice professionals.
“There are many hospitalist programs that include NP/PAs, and everybody is struggling with how best to incorporate NPs and PAs into the group practice and have everybody work at the top of their license and work well together,” Dr. Finn said.
“The idea, too, is to be very inclusive of all providers and offering a track that focuses on NP/PAs but also includes physicians, physician leaders, and physician administrators,” Dr. Smith said. “It’s not designed for one type of practicing professional; it should be a good educational track for all.”
Palliative Care
This was a topic that had been sprinkled throughout programs in previous years, but Dr. Finn and Dr. Smith said it was considered too important not to have its own track this year.
“I think hospitalists often are the doctors caring for patients at the end of their lives since many Americans die in the hospital,” Dr. Finn said. “As a result, this is a skill set that as hospitalists we need to be very good at.”
Seasoning Your Career
This is a track geared toward one of this year’s themes: With “hospital medicine” now a concept that’s more than 2 decades old, how do hospitalists keep up the momentum in their careers, how do they take stock, how do they make the important decisions they face as they move ahead in their jobs?
“Hospital medicine is now more than 20 years old – many hospitalists are now mid-career,” Dr. Finn said. “This track can help people reflect on and rethink their career. Do you want to expand what you’re doing? Do you want to change it? How do you make this a lifelong career?”
Career Development
There have always been workshops with a career-development focus, but this year, six of them were chosen to be placed under the heading of an official “Career Development” workshop track.
“Are there other skills you want to take on for the second half of your career?” Dr. Finn said. “Do you want to take on leadership? Do you want to learn how to better give your peers feedback? Do you want to promote women in your group? Do you want to prevent burnout or use emotional intelligence to improve your career?”
Aside from the new tracks, the course directors also drew attention to other new elements of the HM18 program.
For instance, there are new topics in the Rapid Fire sessions. In the “Managing the Patient on Your Service: Appendicitis, Bowel, and Biliary Obstruction” session, a general surgeon will talk about how to manage these surgical issues when the patient is on a medical service. In “Interventional Radiology: What Every Hospitalist Needs to Know,” an interventional radiologist will discuss when hospitalists may want to call in an interventional radiologist or refer to a hospital that has an interventional radiologist. And “Vulnerable Populations and Hospitalists” will focus on social determinants of health.
As for catchy Disney-influenced titles, such as “The Mad Hatter: Updates in Delirium” and “Waiting in Line for ‘It’s a Small World’ and Other Things We Do for No Reason,” part of the credit can go to Dr. Finn’s niece. She said she “hired” her to come up with a list of Disney, Pixar, and Harry Potter movies and catchphrases. Then the committee worked them into the session titles.
“One of the hopes for me at this meeting is that people bring their inner child and explore new ideas, new topics, and new career possibilities,” Dr. Finn said.
Product Theaters
Monday, April 9
12:15 - 1:15 p.m., Product Theater 1
Resetting Chronic HF Therapy in Hospitalized Patients with HFrEF
Richard Wright, MD
Chairman of the Board, Pacific Heart Institute
Santa Monica, CA
Sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals
12:15 - 1:15 p.m., Product Theater 2
The Role of the Hospitalist in Hepatic Encephalopathy
Hameed Q. Ali, DO, FHM
Clinical Assistant Professor
Department of Internal Medicine
Texas A&M Health Science Center
Temple, Texas
Sponsored by Salix Pharmaceuticals
12:15 - 1:15 p.m., Product Theater 3
Clinical Data and Real-World Evidence to Support NVAF Treatment Decision Making
James F. Neuenschwander II, MD, FACEP
Research Director in the Emergency Department and Attending Physician
Genesis Healthcare Systems
Zanesville, Ohio
Sponsored by Janssen Pharmaceuticals
Tuesday, April 10
12:30 - 1:30 p.m., Product Theater 1
Expert Conversations in Heart Failure: Connecting the Pieces
Thomas Arne, Jr., DO, FACC
Sergey Kachur, MD
Sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals
12:30 - 1:30 p.m., Product Theater 2 Opioid-Induced Constipation
Jeff Gudin, MD
Director, Pain and Palliative Care
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
Englewood, NJ
Sponsored by Salix Pharmaceuticals
12:30 - 1:30 p.m., Product Theater 3
Challenges of Treating DVT and PE in the Hospital and After Discharge
Dr. Andrew Miller, Emergency Medicine, Lehigh Valley Hospital, Allentown, PA
Sponsored by Pfizer
Monday, April 9
12:15 - 1:15 p.m., Product Theater 1
Resetting Chronic HF Therapy in Hospitalized Patients with HFrEF
Richard Wright, MD
Chairman of the Board, Pacific Heart Institute
Santa Monica, CA
Sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals
12:15 - 1:15 p.m., Product Theater 2
The Role of the Hospitalist in Hepatic Encephalopathy
Hameed Q. Ali, DO, FHM
Clinical Assistant Professor
Department of Internal Medicine
Texas A&M Health Science Center
Temple, Texas
Sponsored by Salix Pharmaceuticals
12:15 - 1:15 p.m., Product Theater 3
Clinical Data and Real-World Evidence to Support NVAF Treatment Decision Making
James F. Neuenschwander II, MD, FACEP
Research Director in the Emergency Department and Attending Physician
Genesis Healthcare Systems
Zanesville, Ohio
Sponsored by Janssen Pharmaceuticals
Tuesday, April 10
12:30 - 1:30 p.m., Product Theater 1
Expert Conversations in Heart Failure: Connecting the Pieces
Thomas Arne, Jr., DO, FACC
Sergey Kachur, MD
Sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals
12:30 - 1:30 p.m., Product Theater 2 Opioid-Induced Constipation
Jeff Gudin, MD
Director, Pain and Palliative Care
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
Englewood, NJ
Sponsored by Salix Pharmaceuticals
12:30 - 1:30 p.m., Product Theater 3
Challenges of Treating DVT and PE in the Hospital and After Discharge
Dr. Andrew Miller, Emergency Medicine, Lehigh Valley Hospital, Allentown, PA
Sponsored by Pfizer
Monday, April 9
12:15 - 1:15 p.m., Product Theater 1
Resetting Chronic HF Therapy in Hospitalized Patients with HFrEF
Richard Wright, MD
Chairman of the Board, Pacific Heart Institute
Santa Monica, CA
Sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals
12:15 - 1:15 p.m., Product Theater 2
The Role of the Hospitalist in Hepatic Encephalopathy
Hameed Q. Ali, DO, FHM
Clinical Assistant Professor
Department of Internal Medicine
Texas A&M Health Science Center
Temple, Texas
Sponsored by Salix Pharmaceuticals
12:15 - 1:15 p.m., Product Theater 3
Clinical Data and Real-World Evidence to Support NVAF Treatment Decision Making
James F. Neuenschwander II, MD, FACEP
Research Director in the Emergency Department and Attending Physician
Genesis Healthcare Systems
Zanesville, Ohio
Sponsored by Janssen Pharmaceuticals
Tuesday, April 10
12:30 - 1:30 p.m., Product Theater 1
Expert Conversations in Heart Failure: Connecting the Pieces
Thomas Arne, Jr., DO, FACC
Sergey Kachur, MD
Sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals
12:30 - 1:30 p.m., Product Theater 2 Opioid-Induced Constipation
Jeff Gudin, MD
Director, Pain and Palliative Care
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
Englewood, NJ
Sponsored by Salix Pharmaceuticals
12:30 - 1:30 p.m., Product Theater 3
Challenges of Treating DVT and PE in the Hospital and After Discharge
Dr. Andrew Miller, Emergency Medicine, Lehigh Valley Hospital, Allentown, PA
Sponsored by Pfizer
Value over volume
Kate Goodrich, MD, MHS, chief medical officer at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, opens HM18 on April 9 with a plenary talk focused on the rising cost of health care in the United States, and how hospitalists can be part of the solution.
“What I want people to understand is the evolution within our health care system from one where we pay for volume to paying for value, and the role that Medicare can play in that,” Dr. Goodrich said in an interview. “Medicare has traditionally been sort of a passive payer, if you will, a passive payer of claims without a great deal of emphasis on the cost of care and the quality of care. [Now there is] a groundswell of concern nationally, not just here at CMS but nationwide, around the rising cost of care, and our quality of care is not as good as it should be for the amount that we spend.”
Dr. Goodrich said she will discuss how “that came to be, and what CMS and other payers in the country are trying to do about it.” She said the U.S. is in a “truly transformative era in our health care system in changing how we pay for care, in service of better outcomes for patients and lower costs. I would like to give attendees the larger picture, of how we got here and what’s happening both at CMS and nationally to try and reverse some of those trends.”
As value-based purchasing programs – and the push to pay for value over volume in Medicare and the private sector – continue to become the norm, the expected trend of sicker, more complex patients entering the hospital already is happening, Dr. Goodrich said. She is experiencing it in her own clinical work, which continues in addition to her role at CMS.
“I can confirm from my own personal experience [that] I have absolutely encountered that exact trend,” she said. “I feel like every time I go in the hospital, my patients are sicker and more complex. That is the population of patients that hospitalists are dealing with. That’s why we are actually in that practice. We enjoy taking care of those types of patients and the challenges they bring, both on a clinical level, but I would say also even on a social and economic level.”
Dr. Goodrich said that trend will present one of the key challenges hospitalists face in the future, especially as paying for value entails more two-sided risk.
“In a value-based purchasing world, transitioning to payments based on quality and cost is harder, because by nature the sicker patients cost more and it is harder to improve their outcomes. They come to you already quite sick,” she said. “That’s a dilemma that a lot of hospitalists face, wondering ‘How is this going to affect me if I am already seeing the sickest of the sick?’”
Integration of data and technology innovation will be critical to better serving this sicker population, but physicians currently spend too much time entering data into computers and don’t get much useful information out of it.
“How do we make [health care IT] usable for the average front-line nurse or doctor who didn’t go to school to learn how to code and analyze data?” Dr. Goodrich asked. “How do we get platforms and analytics that are developed using human-centered design principles to make it very understandable and actionable to the front-end clinician, but also to patients and consumers? What is really needed to truly drive improvement is not just access to the data but usability.”
She said this problem is directly related to the usability of electronic health records. “That is a significant focus right now for the Office of the National Coordinator [of Health Information Technology] – to move away from just [adopting] EHRs, to promoting interoperability and also the usability aspects that exactly get to the problems we’ve identified.”
Kate Goodrich, MD, MHS, chief medical officer at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, opens HM18 on April 9 with a plenary talk focused on the rising cost of health care in the United States, and how hospitalists can be part of the solution.
“What I want people to understand is the evolution within our health care system from one where we pay for volume to paying for value, and the role that Medicare can play in that,” Dr. Goodrich said in an interview. “Medicare has traditionally been sort of a passive payer, if you will, a passive payer of claims without a great deal of emphasis on the cost of care and the quality of care. [Now there is] a groundswell of concern nationally, not just here at CMS but nationwide, around the rising cost of care, and our quality of care is not as good as it should be for the amount that we spend.”
Dr. Goodrich said she will discuss how “that came to be, and what CMS and other payers in the country are trying to do about it.” She said the U.S. is in a “truly transformative era in our health care system in changing how we pay for care, in service of better outcomes for patients and lower costs. I would like to give attendees the larger picture, of how we got here and what’s happening both at CMS and nationally to try and reverse some of those trends.”
As value-based purchasing programs – and the push to pay for value over volume in Medicare and the private sector – continue to become the norm, the expected trend of sicker, more complex patients entering the hospital already is happening, Dr. Goodrich said. She is experiencing it in her own clinical work, which continues in addition to her role at CMS.
“I can confirm from my own personal experience [that] I have absolutely encountered that exact trend,” she said. “I feel like every time I go in the hospital, my patients are sicker and more complex. That is the population of patients that hospitalists are dealing with. That’s why we are actually in that practice. We enjoy taking care of those types of patients and the challenges they bring, both on a clinical level, but I would say also even on a social and economic level.”
Dr. Goodrich said that trend will present one of the key challenges hospitalists face in the future, especially as paying for value entails more two-sided risk.
“In a value-based purchasing world, transitioning to payments based on quality and cost is harder, because by nature the sicker patients cost more and it is harder to improve their outcomes. They come to you already quite sick,” she said. “That’s a dilemma that a lot of hospitalists face, wondering ‘How is this going to affect me if I am already seeing the sickest of the sick?’”
Integration of data and technology innovation will be critical to better serving this sicker population, but physicians currently spend too much time entering data into computers and don’t get much useful information out of it.
“How do we make [health care IT] usable for the average front-line nurse or doctor who didn’t go to school to learn how to code and analyze data?” Dr. Goodrich asked. “How do we get platforms and analytics that are developed using human-centered design principles to make it very understandable and actionable to the front-end clinician, but also to patients and consumers? What is really needed to truly drive improvement is not just access to the data but usability.”
She said this problem is directly related to the usability of electronic health records. “That is a significant focus right now for the Office of the National Coordinator [of Health Information Technology] – to move away from just [adopting] EHRs, to promoting interoperability and also the usability aspects that exactly get to the problems we’ve identified.”
Kate Goodrich, MD, MHS, chief medical officer at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, opens HM18 on April 9 with a plenary talk focused on the rising cost of health care in the United States, and how hospitalists can be part of the solution.
“What I want people to understand is the evolution within our health care system from one where we pay for volume to paying for value, and the role that Medicare can play in that,” Dr. Goodrich said in an interview. “Medicare has traditionally been sort of a passive payer, if you will, a passive payer of claims without a great deal of emphasis on the cost of care and the quality of care. [Now there is] a groundswell of concern nationally, not just here at CMS but nationwide, around the rising cost of care, and our quality of care is not as good as it should be for the amount that we spend.”
Dr. Goodrich said she will discuss how “that came to be, and what CMS and other payers in the country are trying to do about it.” She said the U.S. is in a “truly transformative era in our health care system in changing how we pay for care, in service of better outcomes for patients and lower costs. I would like to give attendees the larger picture, of how we got here and what’s happening both at CMS and nationally to try and reverse some of those trends.”
As value-based purchasing programs – and the push to pay for value over volume in Medicare and the private sector – continue to become the norm, the expected trend of sicker, more complex patients entering the hospital already is happening, Dr. Goodrich said. She is experiencing it in her own clinical work, which continues in addition to her role at CMS.
“I can confirm from my own personal experience [that] I have absolutely encountered that exact trend,” she said. “I feel like every time I go in the hospital, my patients are sicker and more complex. That is the population of patients that hospitalists are dealing with. That’s why we are actually in that practice. We enjoy taking care of those types of patients and the challenges they bring, both on a clinical level, but I would say also even on a social and economic level.”
Dr. Goodrich said that trend will present one of the key challenges hospitalists face in the future, especially as paying for value entails more two-sided risk.
“In a value-based purchasing world, transitioning to payments based on quality and cost is harder, because by nature the sicker patients cost more and it is harder to improve their outcomes. They come to you already quite sick,” she said. “That’s a dilemma that a lot of hospitalists face, wondering ‘How is this going to affect me if I am already seeing the sickest of the sick?’”
Integration of data and technology innovation will be critical to better serving this sicker population, but physicians currently spend too much time entering data into computers and don’t get much useful information out of it.
“How do we make [health care IT] usable for the average front-line nurse or doctor who didn’t go to school to learn how to code and analyze data?” Dr. Goodrich asked. “How do we get platforms and analytics that are developed using human-centered design principles to make it very understandable and actionable to the front-end clinician, but also to patients and consumers? What is really needed to truly drive improvement is not just access to the data but usability.”
She said this problem is directly related to the usability of electronic health records. “That is a significant focus right now for the Office of the National Coordinator [of Health Information Technology] – to move away from just [adopting] EHRs, to promoting interoperability and also the usability aspects that exactly get to the problems we’ve identified.”
Global attendees: Visit the International Lounge
Over the past several years, the Society of Hospital Medicine has become more involved in developing global relationships in an attempt to become a resource for hospital medicine movements in other countries. As part of this initiative, HM18 will host an International Lounge on Tuesday, April 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Anaheim Room at the Orlando Marriott World Center.
“SHM has been taking a more deliberate approach to cultivating international relationships,” said Ethan Gray, CAE, vice president of membership for the society. “Although we are still in the beginning phases of establishing a global footprint that will provide enduring resources that respond to the needs of international members similar to those we provide to our U.S. members, we are making efforts toward that end.”
The International Lounge at HM18 is one such effort. Its purpose is to provide worldwide attendees with enhanced networking opportunities, information on how to launch an SHM chapter, and the opportunity to interact with SHM staff and board leaders.
“On Monday, HM18 will be hosting an International Special Interest Forum, which will allow global participants to share their experiences and interact with thought leaders from the United States and abroad, including SHM board members,” continued Mr. Gray. “The International Lounge is an extension of our global outreach at the annual meeting.”
The International Lounge will offer informal networking. As the SHM staff liaison, Mr. Gray will be on hand to answer any questions from and interact with global attendees. SHM board members also will be available on a rotating schedule throughout the day to network, dialogue, and share their knowledge and expertise.
As SHM expands its international activities, it is dedicating staff resources at its Philadelphia headquarters to international chapter development, including facilitating virtual communities on its Hospital Medical Exchange (HMX).
“Those visiting the lounge will be able to pick up a written fact sheet on the elements needed to create an SHM chapter,” stated Mr. Gray. “And, I will be available to discuss chapter launch requisites and any other questions they might have.”
Items covered in the fact sheet will include criteria for establishing an SHM international chapter, definition of a potential chapter’s geographic area, and the requirements for demonstrating necessary interest and leadership at the local level. It also will describe the SHM resources that will be available to international chapters – dedicated staff and physician leader liaisons, data support and management, creation of a chapter-specific HMX community to facilitate virtual networking and communications, meeting support, and counsel on how to build and maintain chapter audience and membership.
In addition, the lounge will have a global map that identifies geographic concentrations of international attendees and photos from recent international chapter meetings.
SHM has been surveying the field beyond U.S. borders through the initiation of conversations with organizations abroad. These efforts allow the society to learn from and support hospital medicine leaders and health systems around the world.
“The hospital medicine movement is in various stages of development outside the United States,” explained Mr. Gray. “Many factors influence the rate at which a hospital medicine model can become implemented, including the structure of the health system, education and training curricula, existing scope of practice and care-delivery constructs, fluidity of government and systems, and other factors.
“We urge participants from abroad to visit the International Lounge to meet and share information with their counterparts from other countries, learn more about SHM and what it has to offer, find out about the potential for launching an SHM chapter, and interact with SHM staff and board members,” concluded Mr. Gray. “We have so much to learn from each other.”
International Lounge
Tuesday, April 10, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Anaheim Room
Over the past several years, the Society of Hospital Medicine has become more involved in developing global relationships in an attempt to become a resource for hospital medicine movements in other countries. As part of this initiative, HM18 will host an International Lounge on Tuesday, April 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Anaheim Room at the Orlando Marriott World Center.
“SHM has been taking a more deliberate approach to cultivating international relationships,” said Ethan Gray, CAE, vice president of membership for the society. “Although we are still in the beginning phases of establishing a global footprint that will provide enduring resources that respond to the needs of international members similar to those we provide to our U.S. members, we are making efforts toward that end.”
The International Lounge at HM18 is one such effort. Its purpose is to provide worldwide attendees with enhanced networking opportunities, information on how to launch an SHM chapter, and the opportunity to interact with SHM staff and board leaders.
“On Monday, HM18 will be hosting an International Special Interest Forum, which will allow global participants to share their experiences and interact with thought leaders from the United States and abroad, including SHM board members,” continued Mr. Gray. “The International Lounge is an extension of our global outreach at the annual meeting.”
The International Lounge will offer informal networking. As the SHM staff liaison, Mr. Gray will be on hand to answer any questions from and interact with global attendees. SHM board members also will be available on a rotating schedule throughout the day to network, dialogue, and share their knowledge and expertise.
As SHM expands its international activities, it is dedicating staff resources at its Philadelphia headquarters to international chapter development, including facilitating virtual communities on its Hospital Medical Exchange (HMX).
“Those visiting the lounge will be able to pick up a written fact sheet on the elements needed to create an SHM chapter,” stated Mr. Gray. “And, I will be available to discuss chapter launch requisites and any other questions they might have.”
Items covered in the fact sheet will include criteria for establishing an SHM international chapter, definition of a potential chapter’s geographic area, and the requirements for demonstrating necessary interest and leadership at the local level. It also will describe the SHM resources that will be available to international chapters – dedicated staff and physician leader liaisons, data support and management, creation of a chapter-specific HMX community to facilitate virtual networking and communications, meeting support, and counsel on how to build and maintain chapter audience and membership.
In addition, the lounge will have a global map that identifies geographic concentrations of international attendees and photos from recent international chapter meetings.
SHM has been surveying the field beyond U.S. borders through the initiation of conversations with organizations abroad. These efforts allow the society to learn from and support hospital medicine leaders and health systems around the world.
“The hospital medicine movement is in various stages of development outside the United States,” explained Mr. Gray. “Many factors influence the rate at which a hospital medicine model can become implemented, including the structure of the health system, education and training curricula, existing scope of practice and care-delivery constructs, fluidity of government and systems, and other factors.
“We urge participants from abroad to visit the International Lounge to meet and share information with their counterparts from other countries, learn more about SHM and what it has to offer, find out about the potential for launching an SHM chapter, and interact with SHM staff and board members,” concluded Mr. Gray. “We have so much to learn from each other.”
International Lounge
Tuesday, April 10, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Anaheim Room
Over the past several years, the Society of Hospital Medicine has become more involved in developing global relationships in an attempt to become a resource for hospital medicine movements in other countries. As part of this initiative, HM18 will host an International Lounge on Tuesday, April 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Anaheim Room at the Orlando Marriott World Center.
“SHM has been taking a more deliberate approach to cultivating international relationships,” said Ethan Gray, CAE, vice president of membership for the society. “Although we are still in the beginning phases of establishing a global footprint that will provide enduring resources that respond to the needs of international members similar to those we provide to our U.S. members, we are making efforts toward that end.”
The International Lounge at HM18 is one such effort. Its purpose is to provide worldwide attendees with enhanced networking opportunities, information on how to launch an SHM chapter, and the opportunity to interact with SHM staff and board leaders.
“On Monday, HM18 will be hosting an International Special Interest Forum, which will allow global participants to share their experiences and interact with thought leaders from the United States and abroad, including SHM board members,” continued Mr. Gray. “The International Lounge is an extension of our global outreach at the annual meeting.”
The International Lounge will offer informal networking. As the SHM staff liaison, Mr. Gray will be on hand to answer any questions from and interact with global attendees. SHM board members also will be available on a rotating schedule throughout the day to network, dialogue, and share their knowledge and expertise.
As SHM expands its international activities, it is dedicating staff resources at its Philadelphia headquarters to international chapter development, including facilitating virtual communities on its Hospital Medical Exchange (HMX).
“Those visiting the lounge will be able to pick up a written fact sheet on the elements needed to create an SHM chapter,” stated Mr. Gray. “And, I will be available to discuss chapter launch requisites and any other questions they might have.”
Items covered in the fact sheet will include criteria for establishing an SHM international chapter, definition of a potential chapter’s geographic area, and the requirements for demonstrating necessary interest and leadership at the local level. It also will describe the SHM resources that will be available to international chapters – dedicated staff and physician leader liaisons, data support and management, creation of a chapter-specific HMX community to facilitate virtual networking and communications, meeting support, and counsel on how to build and maintain chapter audience and membership.
In addition, the lounge will have a global map that identifies geographic concentrations of international attendees and photos from recent international chapter meetings.
SHM has been surveying the field beyond U.S. borders through the initiation of conversations with organizations abroad. These efforts allow the society to learn from and support hospital medicine leaders and health systems around the world.
“The hospital medicine movement is in various stages of development outside the United States,” explained Mr. Gray. “Many factors influence the rate at which a hospital medicine model can become implemented, including the structure of the health system, education and training curricula, existing scope of practice and care-delivery constructs, fluidity of government and systems, and other factors.
“We urge participants from abroad to visit the International Lounge to meet and share information with their counterparts from other countries, learn more about SHM and what it has to offer, find out about the potential for launching an SHM chapter, and interact with SHM staff and board members,” concluded Mr. Gray. “We have so much to learn from each other.”
International Lounge
Tuesday, April 10, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Anaheim Room
The Resident and Student Luncheon exposes future hospitalists to professional possibilities
“Trainees can ask hospitalists who are administrative leaders, QI gurus, medical educators, global health hospitalists, pediatricians, and researchers about their day-to-day life and what they love about their careers,” stated Darlene B. Tad-y, MD, SFHM, who is an associate professor and hospitalist at the University of Colorado Hospital, Denver. “It’s a great way for trainees to build their network in hospital medicine in addition to learning about the diverse careers available in our field.”
The luncheon is structured in such a way to maximizes attendees’ exposure and interaction with experienced hospitalists. Brian Kwan, MD, FHM, an associate professor of health science at the University of California, San Diego, and a hospitalist, elaborated on the sessions design.
“Each round table features a speaker that will highlight a different topic, including but not limited to medical education, executive leadership, global and rural health, quality improvement, advocacy, and informatics,” said Dr. Kwan.
But the session is not limited to a one-way presentation. “Conversations are facilitated by members of the SHM Physicians in Training (PIT) Committee,” he said. To maximize their exposure, “attendees will have an opportunity to select one table for the main meal and a different one for dessert, so that they have the opportunity to hear from more than one speaker.”
Dr. Kwan and Dr. Tad-y said they believe that this type of exposure is important in the professional development of medical students and residents.
“We believe it is critical for students and residents to be exposed to hospitalists working at the forefront of our field who inspire and can provide a glimpse at different HM career paths and practices. Invited speakers are selected by the PIT Committee, and the luncheon serves as a launching point for networking and potential mentorship. Engaging residents and students is critical to sustaining our pipeline for future hospitalist leaders,” Dr. Kwan said.
Dr. Tad-y stated that this could be a defining professional moment for many of the attendees. “The resident or student may even meet their next project or career mentor, as well as potential peers or project partners.”
Resident and Student Luncheon
April 9, Monday, 12-1 p.m.
New York/New Orleans Room
“Trainees can ask hospitalists who are administrative leaders, QI gurus, medical educators, global health hospitalists, pediatricians, and researchers about their day-to-day life and what they love about their careers,” stated Darlene B. Tad-y, MD, SFHM, who is an associate professor and hospitalist at the University of Colorado Hospital, Denver. “It’s a great way for trainees to build their network in hospital medicine in addition to learning about the diverse careers available in our field.”
The luncheon is structured in such a way to maximizes attendees’ exposure and interaction with experienced hospitalists. Brian Kwan, MD, FHM, an associate professor of health science at the University of California, San Diego, and a hospitalist, elaborated on the sessions design.
“Each round table features a speaker that will highlight a different topic, including but not limited to medical education, executive leadership, global and rural health, quality improvement, advocacy, and informatics,” said Dr. Kwan.
But the session is not limited to a one-way presentation. “Conversations are facilitated by members of the SHM Physicians in Training (PIT) Committee,” he said. To maximize their exposure, “attendees will have an opportunity to select one table for the main meal and a different one for dessert, so that they have the opportunity to hear from more than one speaker.”
Dr. Kwan and Dr. Tad-y said they believe that this type of exposure is important in the professional development of medical students and residents.
“We believe it is critical for students and residents to be exposed to hospitalists working at the forefront of our field who inspire and can provide a glimpse at different HM career paths and practices. Invited speakers are selected by the PIT Committee, and the luncheon serves as a launching point for networking and potential mentorship. Engaging residents and students is critical to sustaining our pipeline for future hospitalist leaders,” Dr. Kwan said.
Dr. Tad-y stated that this could be a defining professional moment for many of the attendees. “The resident or student may even meet their next project or career mentor, as well as potential peers or project partners.”
Resident and Student Luncheon
April 9, Monday, 12-1 p.m.
New York/New Orleans Room
“Trainees can ask hospitalists who are administrative leaders, QI gurus, medical educators, global health hospitalists, pediatricians, and researchers about their day-to-day life and what they love about their careers,” stated Darlene B. Tad-y, MD, SFHM, who is an associate professor and hospitalist at the University of Colorado Hospital, Denver. “It’s a great way for trainees to build their network in hospital medicine in addition to learning about the diverse careers available in our field.”
The luncheon is structured in such a way to maximizes attendees’ exposure and interaction with experienced hospitalists. Brian Kwan, MD, FHM, an associate professor of health science at the University of California, San Diego, and a hospitalist, elaborated on the sessions design.
“Each round table features a speaker that will highlight a different topic, including but not limited to medical education, executive leadership, global and rural health, quality improvement, advocacy, and informatics,” said Dr. Kwan.
But the session is not limited to a one-way presentation. “Conversations are facilitated by members of the SHM Physicians in Training (PIT) Committee,” he said. To maximize their exposure, “attendees will have an opportunity to select one table for the main meal and a different one for dessert, so that they have the opportunity to hear from more than one speaker.”
Dr. Kwan and Dr. Tad-y said they believe that this type of exposure is important in the professional development of medical students and residents.
“We believe it is critical for students and residents to be exposed to hospitalists working at the forefront of our field who inspire and can provide a glimpse at different HM career paths and practices. Invited speakers are selected by the PIT Committee, and the luncheon serves as a launching point for networking and potential mentorship. Engaging residents and students is critical to sustaining our pipeline for future hospitalist leaders,” Dr. Kwan said.
Dr. Tad-y stated that this could be a defining professional moment for many of the attendees. “The resident or student may even meet their next project or career mentor, as well as potential peers or project partners.”
Resident and Student Luncheon
April 9, Monday, 12-1 p.m.
New York/New Orleans Room
Fun in the Florida sun
Chris Harrington knows that not all the benefits of attending the Society of Hospital Medicine’s annual meetings come from the lectures and courses; there is the formation of friendships that endure.
“I am very grateful to SHM for allowing me the opportunity to accompany Bob to their annual conferences and leadership academies over the years,” said Mrs. Harrington, spouse of former SHM president Robert Harrington Jr., MD, SFHM in an interview.
“It truly has been a rewarding experience for me both as a spouse to travel with my husband and spend time with our friends, and as a health care professional to witness the tremendous growth of SHM membership and the educational and networking opportunities it provides to its members. Watching SHM become even more innovative in universally improving patient care has been an amazing experience as well.
“It is through many SHM conferences that Bob and I have met some wonderful people and have formed many lasting friendships that we will be forever grateful for,” she said.
Mrs. Harrington has some suggestions for activities in Orlando, starting with the Walt Disney World Resort theme parks, which are convenient to the meeting headquarters at the Orlando World Center Marriott. Other popular spots for those with kids (or the young at heart) include SeaWorld Orlando, Legoland Florida, and Universal’s Islands of Adventure, notably the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and the Jurassic Park River Adventure attractions.
Within the Orlando World Center Marriott, families can check out the pool complex with its waterslides and slide tower, as well as the kids’ activity center, interactive game room, and table tennis. The resort also offers full-day (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or half-day (10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. or 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.) Kid’s World programs and evening Kid’s Night Out programs (6-10 p.m.) for children aged 4-12, so parents get some time to themselves.
For the fitness enthusiasts, “bring your golf clubs, tennis rackets, and running shoes,” Mrs. Harrington said. The resort offers eight tennis courts, volleyball courts, swimming pools for laps, and Hawk’s Landing, a championship golf course that includes a Jack Nicklaus Academy of Golf, should the urge for instruction strike.
Runners, set your alarms for the 5K SHM Fun Run at 6 a.m. on April 10. The Harringtons said they will sign up and be at the start line after a quick visit to the resort’s in-house Starbucks.
“If you want to unwind after a day of meetings and workshops or rejuvenate after a workout, make an appointment (as soon as possible) at the resort’s full service spa,” Mrs. Harrington advised. Spa services include manicures/pedicures, facials, and even couple’s massages, she noted.
Other activities for individuals and families include ZE Segway Tours, the nearby town of Celebration, and the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe.
Spouses seeking some shopping during meeting time may enjoy nearby outlet malls, the Florida Mall, and the high-end shops of the Mall at Millenia, Mrs Harrington said. One of her favorite “hidden gems” for out-of-town shopping is Park Avenue in Winter Park, which has many boutiques and restaurants. Mount Dora, a small town once known as the Antiques Capital of Florida, includes a wide variety of specialty shops, she noted, and foodies should explore the East End Market, an Orlando neighborhood market and cultural food hub inspired by Central Florida’s local farmers and food artisans.
When it’s time for dining out in Orlando, Mrs. Harrington recommended the Big Fin Seafood Kitchen, a family-owned upscale casual restaurant serving lobster, snow crabs, fresh raw oysters, sushi rolls, steaks, and pasta with an option for outdoor dining on a covered balcony. Christini’s Ristorante Italiano, the most-awarded fine dining Italian restaurant in Orlando for more than 30 years, is consistently popular, and Vines Grille and Wine Bar, “a gem on Orlando’s Restaurant Row,” Mrs. Harrington said, is a great choice for happy hour and features jazz and blues in the evenings starting about 7 p.m.
Finally, “I would recommend meeting some SHM staff members either at registration or between meetings,” Mrs. Harrington advised. “They have been so welcoming to me over the years and have been a great resource and support system. Also, be open to meeting other spouses at group outings, dinners, or networking events whenever you have the opportunity, as they might become a treasured friend,” she said.
Chris Harrington knows that not all the benefits of attending the Society of Hospital Medicine’s annual meetings come from the lectures and courses; there is the formation of friendships that endure.
“I am very grateful to SHM for allowing me the opportunity to accompany Bob to their annual conferences and leadership academies over the years,” said Mrs. Harrington, spouse of former SHM president Robert Harrington Jr., MD, SFHM in an interview.
“It truly has been a rewarding experience for me both as a spouse to travel with my husband and spend time with our friends, and as a health care professional to witness the tremendous growth of SHM membership and the educational and networking opportunities it provides to its members. Watching SHM become even more innovative in universally improving patient care has been an amazing experience as well.
“It is through many SHM conferences that Bob and I have met some wonderful people and have formed many lasting friendships that we will be forever grateful for,” she said.
Mrs. Harrington has some suggestions for activities in Orlando, starting with the Walt Disney World Resort theme parks, which are convenient to the meeting headquarters at the Orlando World Center Marriott. Other popular spots for those with kids (or the young at heart) include SeaWorld Orlando, Legoland Florida, and Universal’s Islands of Adventure, notably the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and the Jurassic Park River Adventure attractions.
Within the Orlando World Center Marriott, families can check out the pool complex with its waterslides and slide tower, as well as the kids’ activity center, interactive game room, and table tennis. The resort also offers full-day (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or half-day (10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. or 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.) Kid’s World programs and evening Kid’s Night Out programs (6-10 p.m.) for children aged 4-12, so parents get some time to themselves.
For the fitness enthusiasts, “bring your golf clubs, tennis rackets, and running shoes,” Mrs. Harrington said. The resort offers eight tennis courts, volleyball courts, swimming pools for laps, and Hawk’s Landing, a championship golf course that includes a Jack Nicklaus Academy of Golf, should the urge for instruction strike.
Runners, set your alarms for the 5K SHM Fun Run at 6 a.m. on April 10. The Harringtons said they will sign up and be at the start line after a quick visit to the resort’s in-house Starbucks.
“If you want to unwind after a day of meetings and workshops or rejuvenate after a workout, make an appointment (as soon as possible) at the resort’s full service spa,” Mrs. Harrington advised. Spa services include manicures/pedicures, facials, and even couple’s massages, she noted.
Other activities for individuals and families include ZE Segway Tours, the nearby town of Celebration, and the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe.
Spouses seeking some shopping during meeting time may enjoy nearby outlet malls, the Florida Mall, and the high-end shops of the Mall at Millenia, Mrs Harrington said. One of her favorite “hidden gems” for out-of-town shopping is Park Avenue in Winter Park, which has many boutiques and restaurants. Mount Dora, a small town once known as the Antiques Capital of Florida, includes a wide variety of specialty shops, she noted, and foodies should explore the East End Market, an Orlando neighborhood market and cultural food hub inspired by Central Florida’s local farmers and food artisans.
When it’s time for dining out in Orlando, Mrs. Harrington recommended the Big Fin Seafood Kitchen, a family-owned upscale casual restaurant serving lobster, snow crabs, fresh raw oysters, sushi rolls, steaks, and pasta with an option for outdoor dining on a covered balcony. Christini’s Ristorante Italiano, the most-awarded fine dining Italian restaurant in Orlando for more than 30 years, is consistently popular, and Vines Grille and Wine Bar, “a gem on Orlando’s Restaurant Row,” Mrs. Harrington said, is a great choice for happy hour and features jazz and blues in the evenings starting about 7 p.m.
Finally, “I would recommend meeting some SHM staff members either at registration or between meetings,” Mrs. Harrington advised. “They have been so welcoming to me over the years and have been a great resource and support system. Also, be open to meeting other spouses at group outings, dinners, or networking events whenever you have the opportunity, as they might become a treasured friend,” she said.
Chris Harrington knows that not all the benefits of attending the Society of Hospital Medicine’s annual meetings come from the lectures and courses; there is the formation of friendships that endure.
“I am very grateful to SHM for allowing me the opportunity to accompany Bob to their annual conferences and leadership academies over the years,” said Mrs. Harrington, spouse of former SHM president Robert Harrington Jr., MD, SFHM in an interview.
“It truly has been a rewarding experience for me both as a spouse to travel with my husband and spend time with our friends, and as a health care professional to witness the tremendous growth of SHM membership and the educational and networking opportunities it provides to its members. Watching SHM become even more innovative in universally improving patient care has been an amazing experience as well.
“It is through many SHM conferences that Bob and I have met some wonderful people and have formed many lasting friendships that we will be forever grateful for,” she said.
Mrs. Harrington has some suggestions for activities in Orlando, starting with the Walt Disney World Resort theme parks, which are convenient to the meeting headquarters at the Orlando World Center Marriott. Other popular spots for those with kids (or the young at heart) include SeaWorld Orlando, Legoland Florida, and Universal’s Islands of Adventure, notably the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and the Jurassic Park River Adventure attractions.
Within the Orlando World Center Marriott, families can check out the pool complex with its waterslides and slide tower, as well as the kids’ activity center, interactive game room, and table tennis. The resort also offers full-day (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or half-day (10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. or 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.) Kid’s World programs and evening Kid’s Night Out programs (6-10 p.m.) for children aged 4-12, so parents get some time to themselves.
For the fitness enthusiasts, “bring your golf clubs, tennis rackets, and running shoes,” Mrs. Harrington said. The resort offers eight tennis courts, volleyball courts, swimming pools for laps, and Hawk’s Landing, a championship golf course that includes a Jack Nicklaus Academy of Golf, should the urge for instruction strike.
Runners, set your alarms for the 5K SHM Fun Run at 6 a.m. on April 10. The Harringtons said they will sign up and be at the start line after a quick visit to the resort’s in-house Starbucks.
“If you want to unwind after a day of meetings and workshops or rejuvenate after a workout, make an appointment (as soon as possible) at the resort’s full service spa,” Mrs. Harrington advised. Spa services include manicures/pedicures, facials, and even couple’s massages, she noted.
Other activities for individuals and families include ZE Segway Tours, the nearby town of Celebration, and the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe.
Spouses seeking some shopping during meeting time may enjoy nearby outlet malls, the Florida Mall, and the high-end shops of the Mall at Millenia, Mrs Harrington said. One of her favorite “hidden gems” for out-of-town shopping is Park Avenue in Winter Park, which has many boutiques and restaurants. Mount Dora, a small town once known as the Antiques Capital of Florida, includes a wide variety of specialty shops, she noted, and foodies should explore the East End Market, an Orlando neighborhood market and cultural food hub inspired by Central Florida’s local farmers and food artisans.
When it’s time for dining out in Orlando, Mrs. Harrington recommended the Big Fin Seafood Kitchen, a family-owned upscale casual restaurant serving lobster, snow crabs, fresh raw oysters, sushi rolls, steaks, and pasta with an option for outdoor dining on a covered balcony. Christini’s Ristorante Italiano, the most-awarded fine dining Italian restaurant in Orlando for more than 30 years, is consistently popular, and Vines Grille and Wine Bar, “a gem on Orlando’s Restaurant Row,” Mrs. Harrington said, is a great choice for happy hour and features jazz and blues in the evenings starting about 7 p.m.
Finally, “I would recommend meeting some SHM staff members either at registration or between meetings,” Mrs. Harrington advised. “They have been so welcoming to me over the years and have been a great resource and support system. Also, be open to meeting other spouses at group outings, dinners, or networking events whenever you have the opportunity, as they might become a treasured friend,” she said.
RIV takes center stage at HM18
If prior SHM annual meetings are any guide, a highlight of the upcoming HM18 conference will be the Scientific Abstract and Poster Competition. This event, also known as the Research, Innovations, and Clinical Vignettes (RIV), has become one of the annual meeting’s most popular events. Crowds of attendees cluster around posters to read abstracts summarizing some of the most exciting, cutting-edge research in hospital medicine.
Networking in that crowd is a major factor in the RIV’s popularity, says the HM18 Innovations chair, Benji K. Mathews, MD, FACP, SFHM, CLHM, section head of hospital medicine at Regions Hospital, St. Paul, Minn., which is part of HealthPartners, the largest consumer-governed, non-profit health care organization in the U.S.
“From my standpoint, the power of this Innovations RIV competition is the opportunity to network,” said Dr. Mathews, who is also assistant professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. “In addition to primary authors, often these posters have several different people involved, and then there’s the foot traffic: We’re expecting thousands of people to walk through. The hope is to create the opportunity to network, to collaborate intergenerationally and also cross-institutionally.”
The RIV competition features some 1,000 posters this year, Dr. Mathews said. Plenary and oral sessions are chosen from the pool of abstracts prior to the meeting, and their authors are invited to present on-site at HM18.
But in spirit, the RIV is not really a competition, said RIV chair Ethan Cumbler, MD, FACP, FHM, professor of medicine at the University of Colorado.
“It’s really about sharing the latest science and the cases and innovations that are going to change practice tomorrow. The RIV is about sharing with our colleagues and moving the science of hospital medicine forward,” he said.
“Hospitalists can share and discuss their work and exchange ideas in a nonthreatening, collegial manner,” Dr. Mathews added. “In the end, we understand it’s not all about winning. We try to make sure it’s an atmosphere where people can engage and collaborate with each other.”
As far as the competitive element goes, the judges’ decisions are driven by an abstract’s content, organization, and style, Dr. Mathews said. “When we look at abstracts, affecting patient care in the authors’ own hospital is a beautiful thing, but is there a potential in this abstract to reach the masses? Is it able to be implemented beyond their local microcosm to affect people regionally, nationally, internationally? If there’s potential for that, that’s usually a good abstract.”
What’s new in 2018
The more than 1,000 posters and oral presentations at HM18 is a new record, and it demonstrates the growth of hospital medicine as a scientific field, Dr. Cumbler said.
“We received a huge number of submissions,” he revealed. “We see that trend rise, year over year, and the quality has been going up as well.”
New this year is a Trainee Award category for resident and student authors. Another difference in 2018: The top 15 advances in Research and Innovations have been given a special track on day 2 of the conference, with oral presentations by the authors sharing their work.
The Vignettes are being featured in a new way as well. “We have so many incredible cases that we’re going to have a clinical vignette luncheon on two different days of the conference,” Dr. Cumbler said. “These are cases that we want to highlight, so that the experience of a hospitalist in one part of the country could help a hospitalist provide the right diagnosis for a patient on the other side of the country. There are lessons to be learned in clinical medicine, and our clinical vignettes is a fantastic way of sharing them.”
In making their selections in the different categories, the judges aimed to highlight some negative studies this year, Dr. Mathews said, which is a slight departure from previous years. “Sometimes you try something and it didn’t work, and it’s important to share that so we don’t just try the same thing over and over.”
This year, Research and Innovations abstracts will be grouped by theme, making it easier for attendees to navigate the posters. “If you’ve got a particular interest in a topic like transitions or communication, you’ll be able to find that portion of the poster session and talk to some of the people who are doing groundbreaking work in that topic,” Dr. Cumbler said.
He also noted that he expects to see a strong expression of RIV content on social media from HM18, as judges encounter some of the best and most interesting work at RIV. Dr. Mathews is similarly enthusiastic about that amplification of the work.
“I love that the conversation continues into social media platforms such as Twitter,” he said. “People are engaging back and forth, saying, ‘Hey, take a look at this poster.’ Being in a room with countless people interested in research innovations for a field that’s still relatively young – I love that there’s movement toward that.”
Exciting research
By definition, the research on display at the RIV is the best of the best. “It’s difficult to get your work accepted at a national meeting, and it’s a high honor to be selected as a finalist. The poster abstracts or oral presentations that win are always remarkable pieces of work,” Dr. Cumbler said.
Some of this year’s most exciting projects examine prediction models and scoring systems for patients with infections such as sepsis or influenza, he said. “One of the most fascinating abstracts looked at deep learning, or machine learning, to create algorithms to predict sepsis and decompensation in ways that simplistic models might not. Many of our current prediction rules are designed around simple acronyms, because they’re easy to remember: the ABCD score, the CURB-65 score. But if you looked at the source code of the Google search algorithm – not that they’d let you – you’d discover that it doesn’t translate to a simple four-variable prediction model. It’s incredibly complex; it looks at interactions between variables.”
This research attempts to move medical prediction models in that direction, Dr. Cumbler said. “Examining deep learning models, or neural networks, to help clinicians make more accurate predictions and take better care of patients – we are getting a taste of the future of clinical medicine at HM18.”
Several research projects highlighted at RIV this year examine ways to make better use of the data in the electronic health record.
“One of the pieces of research I’m particularly excited to hear more about looks at how the vast data that exists within electronic health records is actually used,” Dr. Cumbler said. “With electronic health records, we have all of the information in a patient’s record at our fingertips, yet this creates incredible new challenges for the hospitalist needing to make decisions in real time, with the limitations of our organic neural networks.” Dr. Cumbler revealed that one of the research teams sharing their work at HM18 explored how hospitalists interact with the volume of information that exists within the health record at the time of admission. “The results are pretty amazing,” he said.
Another project Dr. Cumbler found fascinating examines the impact of delivery of real-time performance data to hospitalists on their phones, and how it affected practice across a number of different performance metrics.
“We will see a project using game theory to teach quality improvement and another sharing important quality improvement work occurring at the intersection of evidence-based medicine and patient experience – like looking at how to keep patients NPO for less unnecessary time,” he said. “It makes perfect sense that we don’t want to keep people hungry in the hospital longer than we need to. It’s really interesting seeing how one team worked to make that happen and what they found.”
The importance of the RIV
The influence of the RIV program extends far beyond the conference itself; there are implications for the field of hospital medicine today and into the future.
“The RIV competition allows the field in hospital medicine to mature and evolve, so we remain cutting edge,” Dr. Mathews said. “That’s the beauty of the innovation field: Research is built off of it.”
Dr. Cumbler said that the growth and evolution of the RIV is reflective of the maturation of hospital medicine as a specialty. “It’s transitioning from a different way to organize patient care to learning more, in a scientific way, about how care can and should be delivered.”
At its heart, the RIV is really about community, he added. “The community of hospitalists is sharing knowledge, graciously and unselfishly, so that we can all improve the quality of care that we’re providing and give patients safer care, a better experience, and improved outcomes.”
Finally, RIV offers a way for hospitalists to be engaged in lifelong learning. “The presenters are teaching from their experience, and the hospitalists who come to the RIV get to leave better clinicians, researchers, and leaders as a result,” Dr. Cumbler said. “These things, to me, are about our evolution as a profession.”
If prior SHM annual meetings are any guide, a highlight of the upcoming HM18 conference will be the Scientific Abstract and Poster Competition. This event, also known as the Research, Innovations, and Clinical Vignettes (RIV), has become one of the annual meeting’s most popular events. Crowds of attendees cluster around posters to read abstracts summarizing some of the most exciting, cutting-edge research in hospital medicine.
Networking in that crowd is a major factor in the RIV’s popularity, says the HM18 Innovations chair, Benji K. Mathews, MD, FACP, SFHM, CLHM, section head of hospital medicine at Regions Hospital, St. Paul, Minn., which is part of HealthPartners, the largest consumer-governed, non-profit health care organization in the U.S.
“From my standpoint, the power of this Innovations RIV competition is the opportunity to network,” said Dr. Mathews, who is also assistant professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. “In addition to primary authors, often these posters have several different people involved, and then there’s the foot traffic: We’re expecting thousands of people to walk through. The hope is to create the opportunity to network, to collaborate intergenerationally and also cross-institutionally.”
The RIV competition features some 1,000 posters this year, Dr. Mathews said. Plenary and oral sessions are chosen from the pool of abstracts prior to the meeting, and their authors are invited to present on-site at HM18.
But in spirit, the RIV is not really a competition, said RIV chair Ethan Cumbler, MD, FACP, FHM, professor of medicine at the University of Colorado.
“It’s really about sharing the latest science and the cases and innovations that are going to change practice tomorrow. The RIV is about sharing with our colleagues and moving the science of hospital medicine forward,” he said.
“Hospitalists can share and discuss their work and exchange ideas in a nonthreatening, collegial manner,” Dr. Mathews added. “In the end, we understand it’s not all about winning. We try to make sure it’s an atmosphere where people can engage and collaborate with each other.”
As far as the competitive element goes, the judges’ decisions are driven by an abstract’s content, organization, and style, Dr. Mathews said. “When we look at abstracts, affecting patient care in the authors’ own hospital is a beautiful thing, but is there a potential in this abstract to reach the masses? Is it able to be implemented beyond their local microcosm to affect people regionally, nationally, internationally? If there’s potential for that, that’s usually a good abstract.”
What’s new in 2018
The more than 1,000 posters and oral presentations at HM18 is a new record, and it demonstrates the growth of hospital medicine as a scientific field, Dr. Cumbler said.
“We received a huge number of submissions,” he revealed. “We see that trend rise, year over year, and the quality has been going up as well.”
New this year is a Trainee Award category for resident and student authors. Another difference in 2018: The top 15 advances in Research and Innovations have been given a special track on day 2 of the conference, with oral presentations by the authors sharing their work.
The Vignettes are being featured in a new way as well. “We have so many incredible cases that we’re going to have a clinical vignette luncheon on two different days of the conference,” Dr. Cumbler said. “These are cases that we want to highlight, so that the experience of a hospitalist in one part of the country could help a hospitalist provide the right diagnosis for a patient on the other side of the country. There are lessons to be learned in clinical medicine, and our clinical vignettes is a fantastic way of sharing them.”
In making their selections in the different categories, the judges aimed to highlight some negative studies this year, Dr. Mathews said, which is a slight departure from previous years. “Sometimes you try something and it didn’t work, and it’s important to share that so we don’t just try the same thing over and over.”
This year, Research and Innovations abstracts will be grouped by theme, making it easier for attendees to navigate the posters. “If you’ve got a particular interest in a topic like transitions or communication, you’ll be able to find that portion of the poster session and talk to some of the people who are doing groundbreaking work in that topic,” Dr. Cumbler said.
He also noted that he expects to see a strong expression of RIV content on social media from HM18, as judges encounter some of the best and most interesting work at RIV. Dr. Mathews is similarly enthusiastic about that amplification of the work.
“I love that the conversation continues into social media platforms such as Twitter,” he said. “People are engaging back and forth, saying, ‘Hey, take a look at this poster.’ Being in a room with countless people interested in research innovations for a field that’s still relatively young – I love that there’s movement toward that.”
Exciting research
By definition, the research on display at the RIV is the best of the best. “It’s difficult to get your work accepted at a national meeting, and it’s a high honor to be selected as a finalist. The poster abstracts or oral presentations that win are always remarkable pieces of work,” Dr. Cumbler said.
Some of this year’s most exciting projects examine prediction models and scoring systems for patients with infections such as sepsis or influenza, he said. “One of the most fascinating abstracts looked at deep learning, or machine learning, to create algorithms to predict sepsis and decompensation in ways that simplistic models might not. Many of our current prediction rules are designed around simple acronyms, because they’re easy to remember: the ABCD score, the CURB-65 score. But if you looked at the source code of the Google search algorithm – not that they’d let you – you’d discover that it doesn’t translate to a simple four-variable prediction model. It’s incredibly complex; it looks at interactions between variables.”
This research attempts to move medical prediction models in that direction, Dr. Cumbler said. “Examining deep learning models, or neural networks, to help clinicians make more accurate predictions and take better care of patients – we are getting a taste of the future of clinical medicine at HM18.”
Several research projects highlighted at RIV this year examine ways to make better use of the data in the electronic health record.
“One of the pieces of research I’m particularly excited to hear more about looks at how the vast data that exists within electronic health records is actually used,” Dr. Cumbler said. “With electronic health records, we have all of the information in a patient’s record at our fingertips, yet this creates incredible new challenges for the hospitalist needing to make decisions in real time, with the limitations of our organic neural networks.” Dr. Cumbler revealed that one of the research teams sharing their work at HM18 explored how hospitalists interact with the volume of information that exists within the health record at the time of admission. “The results are pretty amazing,” he said.
Another project Dr. Cumbler found fascinating examines the impact of delivery of real-time performance data to hospitalists on their phones, and how it affected practice across a number of different performance metrics.
“We will see a project using game theory to teach quality improvement and another sharing important quality improvement work occurring at the intersection of evidence-based medicine and patient experience – like looking at how to keep patients NPO for less unnecessary time,” he said. “It makes perfect sense that we don’t want to keep people hungry in the hospital longer than we need to. It’s really interesting seeing how one team worked to make that happen and what they found.”
The importance of the RIV
The influence of the RIV program extends far beyond the conference itself; there are implications for the field of hospital medicine today and into the future.
“The RIV competition allows the field in hospital medicine to mature and evolve, so we remain cutting edge,” Dr. Mathews said. “That’s the beauty of the innovation field: Research is built off of it.”
Dr. Cumbler said that the growth and evolution of the RIV is reflective of the maturation of hospital medicine as a specialty. “It’s transitioning from a different way to organize patient care to learning more, in a scientific way, about how care can and should be delivered.”
At its heart, the RIV is really about community, he added. “The community of hospitalists is sharing knowledge, graciously and unselfishly, so that we can all improve the quality of care that we’re providing and give patients safer care, a better experience, and improved outcomes.”
Finally, RIV offers a way for hospitalists to be engaged in lifelong learning. “The presenters are teaching from their experience, and the hospitalists who come to the RIV get to leave better clinicians, researchers, and leaders as a result,” Dr. Cumbler said. “These things, to me, are about our evolution as a profession.”
If prior SHM annual meetings are any guide, a highlight of the upcoming HM18 conference will be the Scientific Abstract and Poster Competition. This event, also known as the Research, Innovations, and Clinical Vignettes (RIV), has become one of the annual meeting’s most popular events. Crowds of attendees cluster around posters to read abstracts summarizing some of the most exciting, cutting-edge research in hospital medicine.
Networking in that crowd is a major factor in the RIV’s popularity, says the HM18 Innovations chair, Benji K. Mathews, MD, FACP, SFHM, CLHM, section head of hospital medicine at Regions Hospital, St. Paul, Minn., which is part of HealthPartners, the largest consumer-governed, non-profit health care organization in the U.S.
“From my standpoint, the power of this Innovations RIV competition is the opportunity to network,” said Dr. Mathews, who is also assistant professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. “In addition to primary authors, often these posters have several different people involved, and then there’s the foot traffic: We’re expecting thousands of people to walk through. The hope is to create the opportunity to network, to collaborate intergenerationally and also cross-institutionally.”
The RIV competition features some 1,000 posters this year, Dr. Mathews said. Plenary and oral sessions are chosen from the pool of abstracts prior to the meeting, and their authors are invited to present on-site at HM18.
But in spirit, the RIV is not really a competition, said RIV chair Ethan Cumbler, MD, FACP, FHM, professor of medicine at the University of Colorado.
“It’s really about sharing the latest science and the cases and innovations that are going to change practice tomorrow. The RIV is about sharing with our colleagues and moving the science of hospital medicine forward,” he said.
“Hospitalists can share and discuss their work and exchange ideas in a nonthreatening, collegial manner,” Dr. Mathews added. “In the end, we understand it’s not all about winning. We try to make sure it’s an atmosphere where people can engage and collaborate with each other.”
As far as the competitive element goes, the judges’ decisions are driven by an abstract’s content, organization, and style, Dr. Mathews said. “When we look at abstracts, affecting patient care in the authors’ own hospital is a beautiful thing, but is there a potential in this abstract to reach the masses? Is it able to be implemented beyond their local microcosm to affect people regionally, nationally, internationally? If there’s potential for that, that’s usually a good abstract.”
What’s new in 2018
The more than 1,000 posters and oral presentations at HM18 is a new record, and it demonstrates the growth of hospital medicine as a scientific field, Dr. Cumbler said.
“We received a huge number of submissions,” he revealed. “We see that trend rise, year over year, and the quality has been going up as well.”
New this year is a Trainee Award category for resident and student authors. Another difference in 2018: The top 15 advances in Research and Innovations have been given a special track on day 2 of the conference, with oral presentations by the authors sharing their work.
The Vignettes are being featured in a new way as well. “We have so many incredible cases that we’re going to have a clinical vignette luncheon on two different days of the conference,” Dr. Cumbler said. “These are cases that we want to highlight, so that the experience of a hospitalist in one part of the country could help a hospitalist provide the right diagnosis for a patient on the other side of the country. There are lessons to be learned in clinical medicine, and our clinical vignettes is a fantastic way of sharing them.”
In making their selections in the different categories, the judges aimed to highlight some negative studies this year, Dr. Mathews said, which is a slight departure from previous years. “Sometimes you try something and it didn’t work, and it’s important to share that so we don’t just try the same thing over and over.”
This year, Research and Innovations abstracts will be grouped by theme, making it easier for attendees to navigate the posters. “If you’ve got a particular interest in a topic like transitions or communication, you’ll be able to find that portion of the poster session and talk to some of the people who are doing groundbreaking work in that topic,” Dr. Cumbler said.
He also noted that he expects to see a strong expression of RIV content on social media from HM18, as judges encounter some of the best and most interesting work at RIV. Dr. Mathews is similarly enthusiastic about that amplification of the work.
“I love that the conversation continues into social media platforms such as Twitter,” he said. “People are engaging back and forth, saying, ‘Hey, take a look at this poster.’ Being in a room with countless people interested in research innovations for a field that’s still relatively young – I love that there’s movement toward that.”
Exciting research
By definition, the research on display at the RIV is the best of the best. “It’s difficult to get your work accepted at a national meeting, and it’s a high honor to be selected as a finalist. The poster abstracts or oral presentations that win are always remarkable pieces of work,” Dr. Cumbler said.
Some of this year’s most exciting projects examine prediction models and scoring systems for patients with infections such as sepsis or influenza, he said. “One of the most fascinating abstracts looked at deep learning, or machine learning, to create algorithms to predict sepsis and decompensation in ways that simplistic models might not. Many of our current prediction rules are designed around simple acronyms, because they’re easy to remember: the ABCD score, the CURB-65 score. But if you looked at the source code of the Google search algorithm – not that they’d let you – you’d discover that it doesn’t translate to a simple four-variable prediction model. It’s incredibly complex; it looks at interactions between variables.”
This research attempts to move medical prediction models in that direction, Dr. Cumbler said. “Examining deep learning models, or neural networks, to help clinicians make more accurate predictions and take better care of patients – we are getting a taste of the future of clinical medicine at HM18.”
Several research projects highlighted at RIV this year examine ways to make better use of the data in the electronic health record.
“One of the pieces of research I’m particularly excited to hear more about looks at how the vast data that exists within electronic health records is actually used,” Dr. Cumbler said. “With electronic health records, we have all of the information in a patient’s record at our fingertips, yet this creates incredible new challenges for the hospitalist needing to make decisions in real time, with the limitations of our organic neural networks.” Dr. Cumbler revealed that one of the research teams sharing their work at HM18 explored how hospitalists interact with the volume of information that exists within the health record at the time of admission. “The results are pretty amazing,” he said.
Another project Dr. Cumbler found fascinating examines the impact of delivery of real-time performance data to hospitalists on their phones, and how it affected practice across a number of different performance metrics.
“We will see a project using game theory to teach quality improvement and another sharing important quality improvement work occurring at the intersection of evidence-based medicine and patient experience – like looking at how to keep patients NPO for less unnecessary time,” he said. “It makes perfect sense that we don’t want to keep people hungry in the hospital longer than we need to. It’s really interesting seeing how one team worked to make that happen and what they found.”
The importance of the RIV
The influence of the RIV program extends far beyond the conference itself; there are implications for the field of hospital medicine today and into the future.
“The RIV competition allows the field in hospital medicine to mature and evolve, so we remain cutting edge,” Dr. Mathews said. “That’s the beauty of the innovation field: Research is built off of it.”
Dr. Cumbler said that the growth and evolution of the RIV is reflective of the maturation of hospital medicine as a specialty. “It’s transitioning from a different way to organize patient care to learning more, in a scientific way, about how care can and should be delivered.”
At its heart, the RIV is really about community, he added. “The community of hospitalists is sharing knowledge, graciously and unselfishly, so that we can all improve the quality of care that we’re providing and give patients safer care, a better experience, and improved outcomes.”
Finally, RIV offers a way for hospitalists to be engaged in lifelong learning. “The presenters are teaching from their experience, and the hospitalists who come to the RIV get to leave better clinicians, researchers, and leaders as a result,” Dr. Cumbler said. “These things, to me, are about our evolution as a profession.”
Here are the ‘must-see’ sessions at HM18
Welcome to Hospital Medicine 2018, the second-happiest place in Orlando – at least for hospitalists who want to be in the know.
The 2018 education program is a ride through the diverse world of hospital medicine, with sessions ranging from clinical updates to cutting-edge techniques, communication tools, building a satisfying career, and finding your way through tangles of red tape and policy.
Two tracks new for 2018 hone in on managing alternative providers and palliative care.
The half-day NP/PA track (beginning April 11 at 7:30 a.m.) recognizes these practitioners for their crucial roles in hospital medicine care delivery. Among the discussions aimed at hospitalists: Best practices in provider utilization and collaboration; supervision vs. collaboration; and challenging situations when working with mid-level providers.
The palliative care track (also a half day, starting April 11 at 10 a.m.) recognizes the crucial role hospitalists play in optimizing end-of-life care. Sessions will help hospitalists understand that role, and guide them in managing pain and other symptoms commonly encountered during this transitional time.
As for the rest of the meeting, picking favorites is as tough as picking between Disney’s Big Thunder Railroad and Splash Mountain, said HM18 course director Dustin Smith, MD, SFHM, of Emory University, Atlanta. “We feel strongly that all offerings at the conference are ‘must-sees,’ and it’s why we offer repeat sessions of what we predict will be the most popular talks overall. Since there are so many good sessions competing for attendees at the same time, we wanted to make sure we offered these repeat sessions of common, high-yield clinical topics.”
The Repeated Sessions track is set for April 10, and runs a full day. The track includes these dynamic sessions:
- Updates in congestive heart failure: Pablo Quintero, MD; 11-11:40 a.m.
- He-who-shall-not-be-named: Updates in sepsis and critical care: Patricia Kritek, MD, EdM; 11:50 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
- Not true love’s kiss? Updates in infectious disease: John Sanders, MD, MPHTM; 2:50-3:30 p.m.
- Updates in acute coronary syndrome: Jeff Trost, MD; 3:40-4:20 p.m.
- Waiting in line for ‘It’s a Small World’ and other things we do for no reason: Tony Breu, MD, FHM; 4:30-5:10 p.m.
- “The Mad Hatter”: Updates in delirium: Ethan Cumbler, MD, FHM; 5:20-6:00 p.m.
In addition to the sepsis update in the Repeated Sessions track, Dr. Smith noted that sepsis will also be the topic of a pre-course offering (April 8, 8:15 a.m.-4:50 p.m.). “The topic of sepsis remains a hot item in hospital medicine,” he said.
“I’d also like to highlight a new pre-course offering this year – ‘Keep your finger on the pulse: Cardiology update for the hospitalist’ (April 8, 8:30 a.m.-4:50 p.m.),” he said. “Many of our pre-course offerings are carry-overs from previous years due to ongoing great success with the individual pre-courses themselves. Although we have had a cardiology pre-course in our lineup of offerings in the past, we chose to offer a freshly redesigned pre-course in cardiology this year to round out the lineup of pre-course offerings and to keep things fresh.”
The “Stump the attentive (not absent-minded) professor” sessions on clinical unknowns in the Diagnostics Reasoning track are also must-sees, Dr. Smith said. So much so, that SHM is offering two of them this year (April 9, 2:00-2:40 p.m.; 3:45-4:25 p.m.).
Dr. Smith’s codirector Kathleen Finn, MD, MPhil, SFHM, also has a few personal favorites on the education program.
“I know the talks in the ‘Seasoning your career track’ will be great,” said Dr. Finn, a hospitalist at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. “This new track provides mid-career hospitalists (and new hospitalists) ideas in how to continue to make their career enjoyable and stimulating. It includes talks on how to advance in a leadership position, use emotional intelligence to achieve success, prevent burnout or design your groups schedule so it doesn’t rule your life.”
The board weighs in
The 2018 HM18 line-up garnered an enthusiastic thumbs-up from The Hospitalist’s editorial advisory board. We polled these experts for their 2018 “must-see” sessions, and they responded with a selection that spans the meeting’s wide-ranging offerings.
1. Leadership essentials for success in hospital medicine (April 9, 10:35 a.m.-12:05 p.m.)
Amit Vashist, MD, MBA, FHM, system chair, hospitalist division, Mountain State Health Alliance, Virginia/Tennessee, is especially excited about this session, intended to help hospitalists assume leadership roles.
“Given the ever-expanding footprint of hospitalists inside the hospitals and beyond, and the way they are being called upon to be the drivers of an increasingly value-based care, I believe it is imperative for every hospitalist provider – regardless of being in a leadership role or not – to have a fundamental understanding of the leadership nuances pertaining specifically to hospital medicine in order to optimally leverage their skill set to drive transformational changes in the health care arena,” he said. “This primer on leadership essentials should pique the interest of the hospitalists further towards developing a deeper appreciation of some of the leadership dimensions must-haves in the realm of hospital medicine.”
Raj Sehgal, MD, FHM, clinical associate professor of medicine, University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio, pegged communication and behavioral medicine as two top picks.
2. Do you have a minute to talk? Peer-to-peer feedback (April 9, 2:50-4:20 p.m.)
“Those of us in academic settings spend a lot of time thinking about giving feedback to – and receiving feedback from – students and residents, but some of the most valuable feedback we can get is from our coworkers,” he said. “Many hospitalist groups are actively working on ways for their providers to learn from each other, such as peer observations, and this session should help in guiding some of those programs.”
3. Through the looking glass: A psychiatrist’s tricks for inpatient acute behavioral emergencies (April 10, 2:50-3:50 p.m.)
“Even for a seasoned hospitalist who never breaks a sweat treating the most acutely medically ill patients, the acutely psychotic (or agitated, or suicidal) patient can provoke significant anxiety,” Dr. Sehgal said. “The opportunity to gain another couple of ‘tools’ to add to our kit for these patients should help alleviate that feeling.”
No need for an academic meeting to be boring, said Weijen Chang, MD, SFHM, chief of pediatric hospital medicine at Baystate Children’s Hospital, Springfield, Mass.
4. Can we just stick to the “Bare Necessities”? – Things we do for no reason (April 9, 10:35-11:35 a.m.)
5. “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall”: Which articles are the fairest of them all? Top pediatric updates (April 10, 5:45-6:45 p.m.)
“I’d say Dr. Lenny Feldman’s [SFHM] ‘Things we do for no reason’ is a must-see. Lenny is a master at simplifying complex issues and communicating them in an easily understood manner, and he’s quite entertaining,” Dr. Chang said. “And of course, another must-see is Top Pediatric Updates. It is entertaining, educational, and we almost got thrown out last year for bringing beer!”
Sarah Stella, MD, FHM, a hospitalist at Denver Health, had a hard time choosing between the many interesting offerings. “There are quite a few great sessions this year that I’m interested in, but these are my top picks:”
6. Convert your everyday work into scholarship (and get it funded) (April 9, 1:35-2:35 p.m.)
“By virtue of their daily clinical and quality improvement/committee work, many hospitalists are well on their way to generating scholarship and funding, but are unsure how to make this conversion,” she said. “This workshop is a must for academic hospitalists working toward promotion who want a framework and tangible steps on how to get credit for what they are already doing.”
7. “Heigh ho, heigh ho,” it’s off to changing roles mid-career we go (April 11, 8:20-9:00 a.m.)
“Part of what attracts many of us to hospital medicine in the first place is the versatility of what we do and the ability to diversify based on our interests. I think this is a must-see for mid-career hospitalists like myself, or really any hospitalist dreaming of reinventing oneself.”
8. Winning hearts and minds at the bedside: Battling unconscious bias through cultural humility (April 11, 9:10-9:50 a.m.)
“Recognizing and confronting our implicit biases and how they affect patient-physician interactions is hard but incredibly important work,” Dr. Stella said. “I’ll definitely be attending this session by Aziz Ansari, DO, SFHM, to learn how to improve my relationship (and hence outcomes) with my patients.”
Harry (Hyung) Cho, MD, FHM, assistant professor of medicine and director of quality, safety, and value, division of hospital medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, had some diverse choices.
9. Being female in hospital medicine: Overcoming individual and institutional barriers in the workplace (April 9, 12:40-2:15 p.m.)
“This is a very timely, very important topic in the news and I think it will draw a lot of people,” he said.
10. Every patient tells a story and the art of diagnosis (April 9, 2:55-3:35 p.m.)
“The presenter is Dr. Lisa Sanders, who writes the ‘Diagnosis’ column for the New York Times and is a Yale University faculty member. She’s a great speaker and, incidentally, was a consultant on the TV show, ‘House, MD.’ ”
Raman Palabindala, MD, FHM, a hospitalist at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, thinks the most important session at HM18 is the annual update.
11. Update in hospital medicine (April 10, 1:40-2:40 p.m.)“Almost every year, this is the most high energy presentation, and I don’t think I ever missed this session, no matter who is the presenter is,” he said. “As physicians, I think we need this update every year, and this is the best single hour where we can learn a lot as a hospitalist related to hospital medicine. This is the most concentrated extract of the entire meeting. What I learned about the behind scenes efforts up to 50-100 hours of work – why not we take advantage of this session.”
Lonika Sood, MD, FHM of the department of hospital medicine, Aurora BayCare Medical Center, Green Bay, Wis., has a passion for both leadership and scholarship, and her choices reflect that interest.
12. How to write a winning abstract (April 11, 7:30-8:30 a.m.)
13. Leadership positions in medical education: How to break into the field (April 11, 11:40 a.m.-12:20 p.m.)
14. Serious illness communication: A skills-based workshop (April 11, 8:00-9:30 a.m.)
“I would recommend all of those, especially for early-career hospitalists. And, having enjoyed and learned a lot from the workshops at HM17, I would highly recommend checking out a few that will help polish your communications – a much-needed skill in hospital medicine,” she said.
Finally, don’t just pick up another embroidered mouse ear hat on your way out. The best HM18 souvenir is taking back the knowledge you gained and – as Dr. Sood said – there’s a session for that.
15. How to bring the things you learn at SHM back to your institution: Advocating for high value care on hospital committees (April 11, 8:00-9:30 a.m.).
For more information on the HM18 education sessions, check the latest version of the conference schedule at http://shmannualconference.org/conference-schedule.
Welcome to Hospital Medicine 2018, the second-happiest place in Orlando – at least for hospitalists who want to be in the know.
The 2018 education program is a ride through the diverse world of hospital medicine, with sessions ranging from clinical updates to cutting-edge techniques, communication tools, building a satisfying career, and finding your way through tangles of red tape and policy.
Two tracks new for 2018 hone in on managing alternative providers and palliative care.
The half-day NP/PA track (beginning April 11 at 7:30 a.m.) recognizes these practitioners for their crucial roles in hospital medicine care delivery. Among the discussions aimed at hospitalists: Best practices in provider utilization and collaboration; supervision vs. collaboration; and challenging situations when working with mid-level providers.
The palliative care track (also a half day, starting April 11 at 10 a.m.) recognizes the crucial role hospitalists play in optimizing end-of-life care. Sessions will help hospitalists understand that role, and guide them in managing pain and other symptoms commonly encountered during this transitional time.
As for the rest of the meeting, picking favorites is as tough as picking between Disney’s Big Thunder Railroad and Splash Mountain, said HM18 course director Dustin Smith, MD, SFHM, of Emory University, Atlanta. “We feel strongly that all offerings at the conference are ‘must-sees,’ and it’s why we offer repeat sessions of what we predict will be the most popular talks overall. Since there are so many good sessions competing for attendees at the same time, we wanted to make sure we offered these repeat sessions of common, high-yield clinical topics.”
The Repeated Sessions track is set for April 10, and runs a full day. The track includes these dynamic sessions:
- Updates in congestive heart failure: Pablo Quintero, MD; 11-11:40 a.m.
- He-who-shall-not-be-named: Updates in sepsis and critical care: Patricia Kritek, MD, EdM; 11:50 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
- Not true love’s kiss? Updates in infectious disease: John Sanders, MD, MPHTM; 2:50-3:30 p.m.
- Updates in acute coronary syndrome: Jeff Trost, MD; 3:40-4:20 p.m.
- Waiting in line for ‘It’s a Small World’ and other things we do for no reason: Tony Breu, MD, FHM; 4:30-5:10 p.m.
- “The Mad Hatter”: Updates in delirium: Ethan Cumbler, MD, FHM; 5:20-6:00 p.m.
In addition to the sepsis update in the Repeated Sessions track, Dr. Smith noted that sepsis will also be the topic of a pre-course offering (April 8, 8:15 a.m.-4:50 p.m.). “The topic of sepsis remains a hot item in hospital medicine,” he said.
“I’d also like to highlight a new pre-course offering this year – ‘Keep your finger on the pulse: Cardiology update for the hospitalist’ (April 8, 8:30 a.m.-4:50 p.m.),” he said. “Many of our pre-course offerings are carry-overs from previous years due to ongoing great success with the individual pre-courses themselves. Although we have had a cardiology pre-course in our lineup of offerings in the past, we chose to offer a freshly redesigned pre-course in cardiology this year to round out the lineup of pre-course offerings and to keep things fresh.”
The “Stump the attentive (not absent-minded) professor” sessions on clinical unknowns in the Diagnostics Reasoning track are also must-sees, Dr. Smith said. So much so, that SHM is offering two of them this year (April 9, 2:00-2:40 p.m.; 3:45-4:25 p.m.).
Dr. Smith’s codirector Kathleen Finn, MD, MPhil, SFHM, also has a few personal favorites on the education program.
“I know the talks in the ‘Seasoning your career track’ will be great,” said Dr. Finn, a hospitalist at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. “This new track provides mid-career hospitalists (and new hospitalists) ideas in how to continue to make their career enjoyable and stimulating. It includes talks on how to advance in a leadership position, use emotional intelligence to achieve success, prevent burnout or design your groups schedule so it doesn’t rule your life.”
The board weighs in
The 2018 HM18 line-up garnered an enthusiastic thumbs-up from The Hospitalist’s editorial advisory board. We polled these experts for their 2018 “must-see” sessions, and they responded with a selection that spans the meeting’s wide-ranging offerings.
1. Leadership essentials for success in hospital medicine (April 9, 10:35 a.m.-12:05 p.m.)
Amit Vashist, MD, MBA, FHM, system chair, hospitalist division, Mountain State Health Alliance, Virginia/Tennessee, is especially excited about this session, intended to help hospitalists assume leadership roles.
“Given the ever-expanding footprint of hospitalists inside the hospitals and beyond, and the way they are being called upon to be the drivers of an increasingly value-based care, I believe it is imperative for every hospitalist provider – regardless of being in a leadership role or not – to have a fundamental understanding of the leadership nuances pertaining specifically to hospital medicine in order to optimally leverage their skill set to drive transformational changes in the health care arena,” he said. “This primer on leadership essentials should pique the interest of the hospitalists further towards developing a deeper appreciation of some of the leadership dimensions must-haves in the realm of hospital medicine.”
Raj Sehgal, MD, FHM, clinical associate professor of medicine, University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio, pegged communication and behavioral medicine as two top picks.
2. Do you have a minute to talk? Peer-to-peer feedback (April 9, 2:50-4:20 p.m.)
“Those of us in academic settings spend a lot of time thinking about giving feedback to – and receiving feedback from – students and residents, but some of the most valuable feedback we can get is from our coworkers,” he said. “Many hospitalist groups are actively working on ways for their providers to learn from each other, such as peer observations, and this session should help in guiding some of those programs.”
3. Through the looking glass: A psychiatrist’s tricks for inpatient acute behavioral emergencies (April 10, 2:50-3:50 p.m.)
“Even for a seasoned hospitalist who never breaks a sweat treating the most acutely medically ill patients, the acutely psychotic (or agitated, or suicidal) patient can provoke significant anxiety,” Dr. Sehgal said. “The opportunity to gain another couple of ‘tools’ to add to our kit for these patients should help alleviate that feeling.”
No need for an academic meeting to be boring, said Weijen Chang, MD, SFHM, chief of pediatric hospital medicine at Baystate Children’s Hospital, Springfield, Mass.
4. Can we just stick to the “Bare Necessities”? – Things we do for no reason (April 9, 10:35-11:35 a.m.)
5. “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall”: Which articles are the fairest of them all? Top pediatric updates (April 10, 5:45-6:45 p.m.)
“I’d say Dr. Lenny Feldman’s [SFHM] ‘Things we do for no reason’ is a must-see. Lenny is a master at simplifying complex issues and communicating them in an easily understood manner, and he’s quite entertaining,” Dr. Chang said. “And of course, another must-see is Top Pediatric Updates. It is entertaining, educational, and we almost got thrown out last year for bringing beer!”
Sarah Stella, MD, FHM, a hospitalist at Denver Health, had a hard time choosing between the many interesting offerings. “There are quite a few great sessions this year that I’m interested in, but these are my top picks:”
6. Convert your everyday work into scholarship (and get it funded) (April 9, 1:35-2:35 p.m.)
“By virtue of their daily clinical and quality improvement/committee work, many hospitalists are well on their way to generating scholarship and funding, but are unsure how to make this conversion,” she said. “This workshop is a must for academic hospitalists working toward promotion who want a framework and tangible steps on how to get credit for what they are already doing.”
7. “Heigh ho, heigh ho,” it’s off to changing roles mid-career we go (April 11, 8:20-9:00 a.m.)
“Part of what attracts many of us to hospital medicine in the first place is the versatility of what we do and the ability to diversify based on our interests. I think this is a must-see for mid-career hospitalists like myself, or really any hospitalist dreaming of reinventing oneself.”
8. Winning hearts and minds at the bedside: Battling unconscious bias through cultural humility (April 11, 9:10-9:50 a.m.)
“Recognizing and confronting our implicit biases and how they affect patient-physician interactions is hard but incredibly important work,” Dr. Stella said. “I’ll definitely be attending this session by Aziz Ansari, DO, SFHM, to learn how to improve my relationship (and hence outcomes) with my patients.”
Harry (Hyung) Cho, MD, FHM, assistant professor of medicine and director of quality, safety, and value, division of hospital medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, had some diverse choices.
9. Being female in hospital medicine: Overcoming individual and institutional barriers in the workplace (April 9, 12:40-2:15 p.m.)
“This is a very timely, very important topic in the news and I think it will draw a lot of people,” he said.
10. Every patient tells a story and the art of diagnosis (April 9, 2:55-3:35 p.m.)
“The presenter is Dr. Lisa Sanders, who writes the ‘Diagnosis’ column for the New York Times and is a Yale University faculty member. She’s a great speaker and, incidentally, was a consultant on the TV show, ‘House, MD.’ ”
Raman Palabindala, MD, FHM, a hospitalist at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, thinks the most important session at HM18 is the annual update.
11. Update in hospital medicine (April 10, 1:40-2:40 p.m.)“Almost every year, this is the most high energy presentation, and I don’t think I ever missed this session, no matter who is the presenter is,” he said. “As physicians, I think we need this update every year, and this is the best single hour where we can learn a lot as a hospitalist related to hospital medicine. This is the most concentrated extract of the entire meeting. What I learned about the behind scenes efforts up to 50-100 hours of work – why not we take advantage of this session.”
Lonika Sood, MD, FHM of the department of hospital medicine, Aurora BayCare Medical Center, Green Bay, Wis., has a passion for both leadership and scholarship, and her choices reflect that interest.
12. How to write a winning abstract (April 11, 7:30-8:30 a.m.)
13. Leadership positions in medical education: How to break into the field (April 11, 11:40 a.m.-12:20 p.m.)
14. Serious illness communication: A skills-based workshop (April 11, 8:00-9:30 a.m.)
“I would recommend all of those, especially for early-career hospitalists. And, having enjoyed and learned a lot from the workshops at HM17, I would highly recommend checking out a few that will help polish your communications – a much-needed skill in hospital medicine,” she said.
Finally, don’t just pick up another embroidered mouse ear hat on your way out. The best HM18 souvenir is taking back the knowledge you gained and – as Dr. Sood said – there’s a session for that.
15. How to bring the things you learn at SHM back to your institution: Advocating for high value care on hospital committees (April 11, 8:00-9:30 a.m.).
For more information on the HM18 education sessions, check the latest version of the conference schedule at http://shmannualconference.org/conference-schedule.
Welcome to Hospital Medicine 2018, the second-happiest place in Orlando – at least for hospitalists who want to be in the know.
The 2018 education program is a ride through the diverse world of hospital medicine, with sessions ranging from clinical updates to cutting-edge techniques, communication tools, building a satisfying career, and finding your way through tangles of red tape and policy.
Two tracks new for 2018 hone in on managing alternative providers and palliative care.
The half-day NP/PA track (beginning April 11 at 7:30 a.m.) recognizes these practitioners for their crucial roles in hospital medicine care delivery. Among the discussions aimed at hospitalists: Best practices in provider utilization and collaboration; supervision vs. collaboration; and challenging situations when working with mid-level providers.
The palliative care track (also a half day, starting April 11 at 10 a.m.) recognizes the crucial role hospitalists play in optimizing end-of-life care. Sessions will help hospitalists understand that role, and guide them in managing pain and other symptoms commonly encountered during this transitional time.
As for the rest of the meeting, picking favorites is as tough as picking between Disney’s Big Thunder Railroad and Splash Mountain, said HM18 course director Dustin Smith, MD, SFHM, of Emory University, Atlanta. “We feel strongly that all offerings at the conference are ‘must-sees,’ and it’s why we offer repeat sessions of what we predict will be the most popular talks overall. Since there are so many good sessions competing for attendees at the same time, we wanted to make sure we offered these repeat sessions of common, high-yield clinical topics.”
The Repeated Sessions track is set for April 10, and runs a full day. The track includes these dynamic sessions:
- Updates in congestive heart failure: Pablo Quintero, MD; 11-11:40 a.m.
- He-who-shall-not-be-named: Updates in sepsis and critical care: Patricia Kritek, MD, EdM; 11:50 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
- Not true love’s kiss? Updates in infectious disease: John Sanders, MD, MPHTM; 2:50-3:30 p.m.
- Updates in acute coronary syndrome: Jeff Trost, MD; 3:40-4:20 p.m.
- Waiting in line for ‘It’s a Small World’ and other things we do for no reason: Tony Breu, MD, FHM; 4:30-5:10 p.m.
- “The Mad Hatter”: Updates in delirium: Ethan Cumbler, MD, FHM; 5:20-6:00 p.m.
In addition to the sepsis update in the Repeated Sessions track, Dr. Smith noted that sepsis will also be the topic of a pre-course offering (April 8, 8:15 a.m.-4:50 p.m.). “The topic of sepsis remains a hot item in hospital medicine,” he said.
“I’d also like to highlight a new pre-course offering this year – ‘Keep your finger on the pulse: Cardiology update for the hospitalist’ (April 8, 8:30 a.m.-4:50 p.m.),” he said. “Many of our pre-course offerings are carry-overs from previous years due to ongoing great success with the individual pre-courses themselves. Although we have had a cardiology pre-course in our lineup of offerings in the past, we chose to offer a freshly redesigned pre-course in cardiology this year to round out the lineup of pre-course offerings and to keep things fresh.”
The “Stump the attentive (not absent-minded) professor” sessions on clinical unknowns in the Diagnostics Reasoning track are also must-sees, Dr. Smith said. So much so, that SHM is offering two of them this year (April 9, 2:00-2:40 p.m.; 3:45-4:25 p.m.).
Dr. Smith’s codirector Kathleen Finn, MD, MPhil, SFHM, also has a few personal favorites on the education program.
“I know the talks in the ‘Seasoning your career track’ will be great,” said Dr. Finn, a hospitalist at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. “This new track provides mid-career hospitalists (and new hospitalists) ideas in how to continue to make their career enjoyable and stimulating. It includes talks on how to advance in a leadership position, use emotional intelligence to achieve success, prevent burnout or design your groups schedule so it doesn’t rule your life.”
The board weighs in
The 2018 HM18 line-up garnered an enthusiastic thumbs-up from The Hospitalist’s editorial advisory board. We polled these experts for their 2018 “must-see” sessions, and they responded with a selection that spans the meeting’s wide-ranging offerings.
1. Leadership essentials for success in hospital medicine (April 9, 10:35 a.m.-12:05 p.m.)
Amit Vashist, MD, MBA, FHM, system chair, hospitalist division, Mountain State Health Alliance, Virginia/Tennessee, is especially excited about this session, intended to help hospitalists assume leadership roles.
“Given the ever-expanding footprint of hospitalists inside the hospitals and beyond, and the way they are being called upon to be the drivers of an increasingly value-based care, I believe it is imperative for every hospitalist provider – regardless of being in a leadership role or not – to have a fundamental understanding of the leadership nuances pertaining specifically to hospital medicine in order to optimally leverage their skill set to drive transformational changes in the health care arena,” he said. “This primer on leadership essentials should pique the interest of the hospitalists further towards developing a deeper appreciation of some of the leadership dimensions must-haves in the realm of hospital medicine.”
Raj Sehgal, MD, FHM, clinical associate professor of medicine, University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio, pegged communication and behavioral medicine as two top picks.
2. Do you have a minute to talk? Peer-to-peer feedback (April 9, 2:50-4:20 p.m.)
“Those of us in academic settings spend a lot of time thinking about giving feedback to – and receiving feedback from – students and residents, but some of the most valuable feedback we can get is from our coworkers,” he said. “Many hospitalist groups are actively working on ways for their providers to learn from each other, such as peer observations, and this session should help in guiding some of those programs.”
3. Through the looking glass: A psychiatrist’s tricks for inpatient acute behavioral emergencies (April 10, 2:50-3:50 p.m.)
“Even for a seasoned hospitalist who never breaks a sweat treating the most acutely medically ill patients, the acutely psychotic (or agitated, or suicidal) patient can provoke significant anxiety,” Dr. Sehgal said. “The opportunity to gain another couple of ‘tools’ to add to our kit for these patients should help alleviate that feeling.”
No need for an academic meeting to be boring, said Weijen Chang, MD, SFHM, chief of pediatric hospital medicine at Baystate Children’s Hospital, Springfield, Mass.
4. Can we just stick to the “Bare Necessities”? – Things we do for no reason (April 9, 10:35-11:35 a.m.)
5. “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall”: Which articles are the fairest of them all? Top pediatric updates (April 10, 5:45-6:45 p.m.)
“I’d say Dr. Lenny Feldman’s [SFHM] ‘Things we do for no reason’ is a must-see. Lenny is a master at simplifying complex issues and communicating them in an easily understood manner, and he’s quite entertaining,” Dr. Chang said. “And of course, another must-see is Top Pediatric Updates. It is entertaining, educational, and we almost got thrown out last year for bringing beer!”
Sarah Stella, MD, FHM, a hospitalist at Denver Health, had a hard time choosing between the many interesting offerings. “There are quite a few great sessions this year that I’m interested in, but these are my top picks:”
6. Convert your everyday work into scholarship (and get it funded) (April 9, 1:35-2:35 p.m.)
“By virtue of their daily clinical and quality improvement/committee work, many hospitalists are well on their way to generating scholarship and funding, but are unsure how to make this conversion,” she said. “This workshop is a must for academic hospitalists working toward promotion who want a framework and tangible steps on how to get credit for what they are already doing.”
7. “Heigh ho, heigh ho,” it’s off to changing roles mid-career we go (April 11, 8:20-9:00 a.m.)
“Part of what attracts many of us to hospital medicine in the first place is the versatility of what we do and the ability to diversify based on our interests. I think this is a must-see for mid-career hospitalists like myself, or really any hospitalist dreaming of reinventing oneself.”
8. Winning hearts and minds at the bedside: Battling unconscious bias through cultural humility (April 11, 9:10-9:50 a.m.)
“Recognizing and confronting our implicit biases and how they affect patient-physician interactions is hard but incredibly important work,” Dr. Stella said. “I’ll definitely be attending this session by Aziz Ansari, DO, SFHM, to learn how to improve my relationship (and hence outcomes) with my patients.”
Harry (Hyung) Cho, MD, FHM, assistant professor of medicine and director of quality, safety, and value, division of hospital medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, had some diverse choices.
9. Being female in hospital medicine: Overcoming individual and institutional barriers in the workplace (April 9, 12:40-2:15 p.m.)
“This is a very timely, very important topic in the news and I think it will draw a lot of people,” he said.
10. Every patient tells a story and the art of diagnosis (April 9, 2:55-3:35 p.m.)
“The presenter is Dr. Lisa Sanders, who writes the ‘Diagnosis’ column for the New York Times and is a Yale University faculty member. She’s a great speaker and, incidentally, was a consultant on the TV show, ‘House, MD.’ ”
Raman Palabindala, MD, FHM, a hospitalist at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, thinks the most important session at HM18 is the annual update.
11. Update in hospital medicine (April 10, 1:40-2:40 p.m.)“Almost every year, this is the most high energy presentation, and I don’t think I ever missed this session, no matter who is the presenter is,” he said. “As physicians, I think we need this update every year, and this is the best single hour where we can learn a lot as a hospitalist related to hospital medicine. This is the most concentrated extract of the entire meeting. What I learned about the behind scenes efforts up to 50-100 hours of work – why not we take advantage of this session.”
Lonika Sood, MD, FHM of the department of hospital medicine, Aurora BayCare Medical Center, Green Bay, Wis., has a passion for both leadership and scholarship, and her choices reflect that interest.
12. How to write a winning abstract (April 11, 7:30-8:30 a.m.)
13. Leadership positions in medical education: How to break into the field (April 11, 11:40 a.m.-12:20 p.m.)
14. Serious illness communication: A skills-based workshop (April 11, 8:00-9:30 a.m.)
“I would recommend all of those, especially for early-career hospitalists. And, having enjoyed and learned a lot from the workshops at HM17, I would highly recommend checking out a few that will help polish your communications – a much-needed skill in hospital medicine,” she said.
Finally, don’t just pick up another embroidered mouse ear hat on your way out. The best HM18 souvenir is taking back the knowledge you gained and – as Dr. Sood said – there’s a session for that.
15. How to bring the things you learn at SHM back to your institution: Advocating for high value care on hospital committees (April 11, 8:00-9:30 a.m.).
For more information on the HM18 education sessions, check the latest version of the conference schedule at http://shmannualconference.org/conference-schedule.
Hospitalists focus on POCUS
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is proving to be an increasing useful diagnostic tool for clinicians at the bedside, and many hospitalists have expressed interest in learning best practices in the use of the technology.
To that end, the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) is offering a half-day POCUS pre-course at Hospital Medicine 2018 this April in Orlando, with the intent of helping hospitalists learn how best to use POCUS in clinical settings.
“The agenda is really designed to teach people the basics of point-of-care ultrasound,” said Nilam J. Soni, MD, MSc, of the University of Texas at San Antonio and South Texas Veterans Health Care System, also in San Antonio, and a coinstructor of the POCUS pre-course. “It’s designed for the novice learner who has no prior experience in using ultrasound.”
Dr. Soni and his coinstructor, Ricardo Antonio Franco-Sadud, MD, of the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, will lead attendees through the basics of “Point-of-Care Ultrasound for the Hospitalist” at HM18. Dr. Soni has taught a version of this course for almost a decade and is the assistant director of POCUS training programs with Veterans Affairs’ Simulation Learning Education and Research Network (SimLEARN). The pre-course is a 4.5-hour, multimodal class that involves hands-on training to teach the fundamentals of how to evaluate patients using POCUS.
With this course, Dr. Soni said, SHM is addressing training needs from “above and below.”
“Medical students, residents, fellows – basically doctors in training, whether they are student residents or getting ultrasound instruction in their basic training – when these kids graduate, they are pretty good,” he said. “But what about all the doctors who graduated long ago? They didn’t get any POCUS training. That’s where SHM, CHEST, and some of the other societies come in to play. We can offer these courses for training.”
Ultrasound training and credentialing has become a focus for SHM as interest has grown among clinicians. The Journal of Hospital Medicine recently released a consensus statement, “Credentialing of Hospitalists in Ultrasound-Guided Bedside Procedures,” which offers recommendations for credentialing hospitalists in ultrasound guidance and proposes initial and ongoing pathways to improve how hospitalists perform these procedures. The statement emphasizes how ultrasound guidance is increasingly essential to six bedside procedures that are core competencies of hospitalists: abdominal paracentesis, arterial catheter placement, arthrocentesis, central venous catheter placement, lumbar puncture, and thoracentesis.
According to Brian P. Lucas, MD, of Rush Medical College, Chicago, and lead author of the position statement, SHM’s Education Committee convened a POCUS Task Force to take on the project as American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) diplomates are no longer expected as part of their residency training to manually perform certain bedside procedures, with or without ultrasound guidance. SHM’s Board of Directors gave final approval on the statement in September 2017.
“There is much variation in the training and experience of both bedside procedures and point-of-care ultrasound. Many practicing hospitalists, for example, have no experience using ultrasound guidance for central lines,” Dr. Lucas said. “How then should hospitals initially, and then biennially, vet hospitalists’ competence in the performance of ultrasound-guided bedside procedures? This nationwide collaborative of experts, educators and front-line providers puts forth some recommendations to this very thorny problem.”
SHM also offers, in collaboration with the American College of Chest Physicians, a Point-of-Care Ultrasound Certificate of Completion for clinicians. The program is designed primarily to educate hospitalists and other providers caring for acutely ill patients, and requires attendance at a series of training programs within the course of 3 years, at the end of which a clinician must complete a comprehensive skills and knowledge assessment to obtain the certificate.
Focus on POCUS
Although medical societies recognize the growing demand, and are offering more ultrasound training, many hospitalists may not be familiar with POCUS specifically and the benefits of utilizing a bedside ultrasound exam, Dr. Soni noted.
“When we talk about point-of-care ultrasound, how is it different from what everyone else thinks about ultrasound? Specifically, it’s a point-of-care bedside exam” Dr. Soni explained. “So, the same provider – whether it’s a physician, nurse practitioner, or PA – who is taking care of a patient, can use ultrasound at the bedside to evaluate specific things in the patient’s body and answer very focused questions.”
The ability to have a hospitalist immediately use an imaging technique at a patient’s bedside can be invaluable, because it allows the clinician to provide a fairly accurate diagnosis in conjunction with patient input. This is much more effective than the traditional process of ultrasound imaging, Dr. Soni said.
“If you go to your primary care doctor [who orders] an ultrasound, you go to the radiology department and the technician captures the images,” he said. “Then the radiologist, who never even sees the patient, reads the ultrasound images with little to no clinical data.” The compartmentalization of the treating clinician, patient, and radiologist leaves the latter without critical information when reading an ultrasound. POCUS can potentially overcome this problematic situation, Dr. Soni suggested.
The HM18 POCUS pre-course has four objectives:
1. Recognize the fundamentals of ultrasound and the basic operation of an ultrasound machine (“knobology”).
2. Differentiate between the different types of ultrasound transducers and determine which is most appropriate for different POCUS applications.
3. Exhibit proper techniques on focused cardiac and lung ultrasound exams and be able to recognize thoracic pathologies from abnormal ultrasound results.
4. Identify and understand normal sonographic appearance of solid abdominal organs and vasculature of the neck and lower extremities and the ability to interpret abnormal ultrasounds to identify pathologies.
While all attendees can expect to learn a new skill that will improve their practice, POCUS training will specifically benefit hospitalists and the institutions in which they work, Dr. Soni said.
“Hospitalists, by nature, work for the hospital. In most cases, hospitalists are subsidized by the hospital. Because of that, the bigger gain from using ultrasound is not in the billing,” he said. “You can bill for focused ultrasound exams of the lungs, heart, abdomen, etc., and you might get a professional fee of $30-$40. But the bigger win in all of this, financially, is giving people more efficient health care. If we can prevent one complication from a bedside procedure or expedite a patient’s care and get them better sooner, we can save the hospital and the system money.”
The SHM is accredited to provide continuing medical education for physicians by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education. This live activity course will count for a maximum of 4.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits.
Point-of-Care Ultrasound for the Hospitalist
Sunday, April 8, 7:30 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is proving to be an increasing useful diagnostic tool for clinicians at the bedside, and many hospitalists have expressed interest in learning best practices in the use of the technology.
To that end, the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) is offering a half-day POCUS pre-course at Hospital Medicine 2018 this April in Orlando, with the intent of helping hospitalists learn how best to use POCUS in clinical settings.
“The agenda is really designed to teach people the basics of point-of-care ultrasound,” said Nilam J. Soni, MD, MSc, of the University of Texas at San Antonio and South Texas Veterans Health Care System, also in San Antonio, and a coinstructor of the POCUS pre-course. “It’s designed for the novice learner who has no prior experience in using ultrasound.”
Dr. Soni and his coinstructor, Ricardo Antonio Franco-Sadud, MD, of the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, will lead attendees through the basics of “Point-of-Care Ultrasound for the Hospitalist” at HM18. Dr. Soni has taught a version of this course for almost a decade and is the assistant director of POCUS training programs with Veterans Affairs’ Simulation Learning Education and Research Network (SimLEARN). The pre-course is a 4.5-hour, multimodal class that involves hands-on training to teach the fundamentals of how to evaluate patients using POCUS.
With this course, Dr. Soni said, SHM is addressing training needs from “above and below.”
“Medical students, residents, fellows – basically doctors in training, whether they are student residents or getting ultrasound instruction in their basic training – when these kids graduate, they are pretty good,” he said. “But what about all the doctors who graduated long ago? They didn’t get any POCUS training. That’s where SHM, CHEST, and some of the other societies come in to play. We can offer these courses for training.”
Ultrasound training and credentialing has become a focus for SHM as interest has grown among clinicians. The Journal of Hospital Medicine recently released a consensus statement, “Credentialing of Hospitalists in Ultrasound-Guided Bedside Procedures,” which offers recommendations for credentialing hospitalists in ultrasound guidance and proposes initial and ongoing pathways to improve how hospitalists perform these procedures. The statement emphasizes how ultrasound guidance is increasingly essential to six bedside procedures that are core competencies of hospitalists: abdominal paracentesis, arterial catheter placement, arthrocentesis, central venous catheter placement, lumbar puncture, and thoracentesis.
According to Brian P. Lucas, MD, of Rush Medical College, Chicago, and lead author of the position statement, SHM’s Education Committee convened a POCUS Task Force to take on the project as American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) diplomates are no longer expected as part of their residency training to manually perform certain bedside procedures, with or without ultrasound guidance. SHM’s Board of Directors gave final approval on the statement in September 2017.
“There is much variation in the training and experience of both bedside procedures and point-of-care ultrasound. Many practicing hospitalists, for example, have no experience using ultrasound guidance for central lines,” Dr. Lucas said. “How then should hospitals initially, and then biennially, vet hospitalists’ competence in the performance of ultrasound-guided bedside procedures? This nationwide collaborative of experts, educators and front-line providers puts forth some recommendations to this very thorny problem.”
SHM also offers, in collaboration with the American College of Chest Physicians, a Point-of-Care Ultrasound Certificate of Completion for clinicians. The program is designed primarily to educate hospitalists and other providers caring for acutely ill patients, and requires attendance at a series of training programs within the course of 3 years, at the end of which a clinician must complete a comprehensive skills and knowledge assessment to obtain the certificate.
Focus on POCUS
Although medical societies recognize the growing demand, and are offering more ultrasound training, many hospitalists may not be familiar with POCUS specifically and the benefits of utilizing a bedside ultrasound exam, Dr. Soni noted.
“When we talk about point-of-care ultrasound, how is it different from what everyone else thinks about ultrasound? Specifically, it’s a point-of-care bedside exam” Dr. Soni explained. “So, the same provider – whether it’s a physician, nurse practitioner, or PA – who is taking care of a patient, can use ultrasound at the bedside to evaluate specific things in the patient’s body and answer very focused questions.”
The ability to have a hospitalist immediately use an imaging technique at a patient’s bedside can be invaluable, because it allows the clinician to provide a fairly accurate diagnosis in conjunction with patient input. This is much more effective than the traditional process of ultrasound imaging, Dr. Soni said.
“If you go to your primary care doctor [who orders] an ultrasound, you go to the radiology department and the technician captures the images,” he said. “Then the radiologist, who never even sees the patient, reads the ultrasound images with little to no clinical data.” The compartmentalization of the treating clinician, patient, and radiologist leaves the latter without critical information when reading an ultrasound. POCUS can potentially overcome this problematic situation, Dr. Soni suggested.
The HM18 POCUS pre-course has four objectives:
1. Recognize the fundamentals of ultrasound and the basic operation of an ultrasound machine (“knobology”).
2. Differentiate between the different types of ultrasound transducers and determine which is most appropriate for different POCUS applications.
3. Exhibit proper techniques on focused cardiac and lung ultrasound exams and be able to recognize thoracic pathologies from abnormal ultrasound results.
4. Identify and understand normal sonographic appearance of solid abdominal organs and vasculature of the neck and lower extremities and the ability to interpret abnormal ultrasounds to identify pathologies.
While all attendees can expect to learn a new skill that will improve their practice, POCUS training will specifically benefit hospitalists and the institutions in which they work, Dr. Soni said.
“Hospitalists, by nature, work for the hospital. In most cases, hospitalists are subsidized by the hospital. Because of that, the bigger gain from using ultrasound is not in the billing,” he said. “You can bill for focused ultrasound exams of the lungs, heart, abdomen, etc., and you might get a professional fee of $30-$40. But the bigger win in all of this, financially, is giving people more efficient health care. If we can prevent one complication from a bedside procedure or expedite a patient’s care and get them better sooner, we can save the hospital and the system money.”
The SHM is accredited to provide continuing medical education for physicians by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education. This live activity course will count for a maximum of 4.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits.
Point-of-Care Ultrasound for the Hospitalist
Sunday, April 8, 7:30 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is proving to be an increasing useful diagnostic tool for clinicians at the bedside, and many hospitalists have expressed interest in learning best practices in the use of the technology.
To that end, the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) is offering a half-day POCUS pre-course at Hospital Medicine 2018 this April in Orlando, with the intent of helping hospitalists learn how best to use POCUS in clinical settings.
“The agenda is really designed to teach people the basics of point-of-care ultrasound,” said Nilam J. Soni, MD, MSc, of the University of Texas at San Antonio and South Texas Veterans Health Care System, also in San Antonio, and a coinstructor of the POCUS pre-course. “It’s designed for the novice learner who has no prior experience in using ultrasound.”
Dr. Soni and his coinstructor, Ricardo Antonio Franco-Sadud, MD, of the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, will lead attendees through the basics of “Point-of-Care Ultrasound for the Hospitalist” at HM18. Dr. Soni has taught a version of this course for almost a decade and is the assistant director of POCUS training programs with Veterans Affairs’ Simulation Learning Education and Research Network (SimLEARN). The pre-course is a 4.5-hour, multimodal class that involves hands-on training to teach the fundamentals of how to evaluate patients using POCUS.
With this course, Dr. Soni said, SHM is addressing training needs from “above and below.”
“Medical students, residents, fellows – basically doctors in training, whether they are student residents or getting ultrasound instruction in their basic training – when these kids graduate, they are pretty good,” he said. “But what about all the doctors who graduated long ago? They didn’t get any POCUS training. That’s where SHM, CHEST, and some of the other societies come in to play. We can offer these courses for training.”
Ultrasound training and credentialing has become a focus for SHM as interest has grown among clinicians. The Journal of Hospital Medicine recently released a consensus statement, “Credentialing of Hospitalists in Ultrasound-Guided Bedside Procedures,” which offers recommendations for credentialing hospitalists in ultrasound guidance and proposes initial and ongoing pathways to improve how hospitalists perform these procedures. The statement emphasizes how ultrasound guidance is increasingly essential to six bedside procedures that are core competencies of hospitalists: abdominal paracentesis, arterial catheter placement, arthrocentesis, central venous catheter placement, lumbar puncture, and thoracentesis.
According to Brian P. Lucas, MD, of Rush Medical College, Chicago, and lead author of the position statement, SHM’s Education Committee convened a POCUS Task Force to take on the project as American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) diplomates are no longer expected as part of their residency training to manually perform certain bedside procedures, with or without ultrasound guidance. SHM’s Board of Directors gave final approval on the statement in September 2017.
“There is much variation in the training and experience of both bedside procedures and point-of-care ultrasound. Many practicing hospitalists, for example, have no experience using ultrasound guidance for central lines,” Dr. Lucas said. “How then should hospitals initially, and then biennially, vet hospitalists’ competence in the performance of ultrasound-guided bedside procedures? This nationwide collaborative of experts, educators and front-line providers puts forth some recommendations to this very thorny problem.”
SHM also offers, in collaboration with the American College of Chest Physicians, a Point-of-Care Ultrasound Certificate of Completion for clinicians. The program is designed primarily to educate hospitalists and other providers caring for acutely ill patients, and requires attendance at a series of training programs within the course of 3 years, at the end of which a clinician must complete a comprehensive skills and knowledge assessment to obtain the certificate.
Focus on POCUS
Although medical societies recognize the growing demand, and are offering more ultrasound training, many hospitalists may not be familiar with POCUS specifically and the benefits of utilizing a bedside ultrasound exam, Dr. Soni noted.
“When we talk about point-of-care ultrasound, how is it different from what everyone else thinks about ultrasound? Specifically, it’s a point-of-care bedside exam” Dr. Soni explained. “So, the same provider – whether it’s a physician, nurse practitioner, or PA – who is taking care of a patient, can use ultrasound at the bedside to evaluate specific things in the patient’s body and answer very focused questions.”
The ability to have a hospitalist immediately use an imaging technique at a patient’s bedside can be invaluable, because it allows the clinician to provide a fairly accurate diagnosis in conjunction with patient input. This is much more effective than the traditional process of ultrasound imaging, Dr. Soni said.
“If you go to your primary care doctor [who orders] an ultrasound, you go to the radiology department and the technician captures the images,” he said. “Then the radiologist, who never even sees the patient, reads the ultrasound images with little to no clinical data.” The compartmentalization of the treating clinician, patient, and radiologist leaves the latter without critical information when reading an ultrasound. POCUS can potentially overcome this problematic situation, Dr. Soni suggested.
The HM18 POCUS pre-course has four objectives:
1. Recognize the fundamentals of ultrasound and the basic operation of an ultrasound machine (“knobology”).
2. Differentiate between the different types of ultrasound transducers and determine which is most appropriate for different POCUS applications.
3. Exhibit proper techniques on focused cardiac and lung ultrasound exams and be able to recognize thoracic pathologies from abnormal ultrasound results.
4. Identify and understand normal sonographic appearance of solid abdominal organs and vasculature of the neck and lower extremities and the ability to interpret abnormal ultrasounds to identify pathologies.
While all attendees can expect to learn a new skill that will improve their practice, POCUS training will specifically benefit hospitalists and the institutions in which they work, Dr. Soni said.
“Hospitalists, by nature, work for the hospital. In most cases, hospitalists are subsidized by the hospital. Because of that, the bigger gain from using ultrasound is not in the billing,” he said. “You can bill for focused ultrasound exams of the lungs, heart, abdomen, etc., and you might get a professional fee of $30-$40. But the bigger win in all of this, financially, is giving people more efficient health care. If we can prevent one complication from a bedside procedure or expedite a patient’s care and get them better sooner, we can save the hospital and the system money.”
The SHM is accredited to provide continuing medical education for physicians by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education. This live activity course will count for a maximum of 4.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits.
Point-of-Care Ultrasound for the Hospitalist
Sunday, April 8, 7:30 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
New tracks bring focus to HM18 program
At the 2018 annual meeting of the Society of Hospital Medicine – running from April 8 to 11 in Orlando – the theme could well be “in with the new, and in with the new.”
Planners for Hospital Medicine 2018 (HM18) have managed to pack the conference with five new tracks: Great Debate, Nurse Practitioner/Physician’s Assistant (NP/PA), Palliative Care, Seasoning Your Career, and a new Career Development workshop track. And they did this while eliminating only one track that was on the schedule last year – technology – and without adding any extra days to the meeting.
“We decided, since there were a bunch of themes that we really wanted to cover, we would do half-day tracks. The shorter tracks are also a way to gauge interest in a topic without making a big commitment to it,” Dr. Finn said. “The grouping of topics in smaller tracks in the Day-at-a-Glance helps people easily see a collection of lectures or a theme they might want to attend.”
While choosing themes for the meeting, the planners were trying to stay true to their own theme: timeliness.
“There’s pressure to make it a very relevant meeting,” Dr. Finn said. “We really want to have our finger on the pulse of what practicing hospitalists need and want to know and what is important to them. All the members of the committee feel very invested in figuring out: What is timely? What do we want to talk about right now? What are the active discussions and issues going on in health care that affect us in our practice?”
Assistant course director Dustin Smith, MD, FHM, an associate professor of medicine at Emory University, Atlanta, said much of the information for this year’s meeting came from the 2017 annual meeting, including attendance at sessions, speaker reviews, and session ratings.
“It’s building on momentum from the previous meeting,” he said. “Sometimes we choose things to offer that we know are going to go well, and sometimes we choose things that we hope go well, and all of a sudden we see [that they] go very, very well.” For instance, he said, the topic of sepsis was so popular last year that it has its own precourse this year.
The data on which the HM18 program is built doesn’t stop there. The 23 members of the planning committee – chosen strategically to represent a wide geographic range and array of practice types – all bring their own thoughts and experiences, as well as input from colleagues at their own centers. Then there are the submissions for workshop topics: Any SHM member can submit an idea, and – while just a few are chosen – those ideas help organizers see patterns of interest that can affect the planning of the rest of the sessions.
Here are more details on the new tracks:
Great debate
The annual meeting has traditionally had a “Great Debate” on perioperative medicine, but the format – with carefully chosen speakers who are dynamic and entertaining – will be used to cover pulmonary medicine and infectious diseases this year as well.
“It’s a hugely successful talk,” Dr. Finn said. “We can tell by our numbers that lots of people go, and it’s always funny, and it’s a very clever way of discussing the latest literature – by having two very dynamic speakers present a case and then debate the two options of the case and then use the literature to support the answer,” she said.
The hope is that the format will be more than just entertaining but will be an effective teaching tool, too.
“We think the high level of engagement and format of the talk leads to better overall education for those who attend,” Dr. Smith said.
NP/PA
This track includes topics chosen by the committee for advanced practice professionals.
“There are many hospitalist programs that include NP/PAs – this is what came through in all the feedback – and everybody is struggling with how do you best incorporate NPs and PAs into the group practice and have everybody work at the top of their license and work well together,” Dr. Finn said.
“The idea, too, is to be very inclusive of all providers and offering a track that focuses on NP/PAs but also includes physicians, physician leaders, and physician administrators,” Dr. Smith said. “It’s not designed for one type of practicing professional; it should be a good educational track for all.”
Palliative care
This was a topic that had been sprinkled throughout programs in previous years, but Dr. Finn and Dr. Smith said it was considered too important not to have its own track this year.
“I think hospitalists are often the doctors caring for patients at the end of their lives since many Americans die in the hospital,” Dr. Finn said. “So as a result, this is a skill set that as hospitalists we need to be very good at.”
Seasoning your career
This is a track geared toward one of this year’s themes: With “hospital medicine” now a concept that’s more than two decades old, how do hospitalists keep up the momentum in their careers, how do they take stock, how do they make the important decisions they face as they move ahead in their jobs?
“Hospital medicine is now over 20 years old – many hospitalists are now mid-career,” Dr. Finn said. “We picked an entire track on ‘seasoning your career’ to offer people ideas and skills to reflect on and rethink their career. Do you want to expand what you’re doing? Do you want to change it? How do you make this a lifelong career?”
Career development
There have always been workshops with a ‘career development’ focus, but this year six of them were chosen to be placed under the heading of an official “career development” workshop track.
“When you review the Day-at-a-Glance schedule, it really demarcates it,” Dr. Smith said. “This really helps attendees be able to quickly look through and find where they want to be for their next session.”
“Are there other skills you want to take on for the second half of your career?” Dr. Finn said. “Do you want to take on leadership? Do you want to learn how to better give your peers feedback? Do you want to promote women in your group? Do you want to prevent burnout or use emotional intelligence to improve your career? We cohorted these topics together.”
Aside from the new tracks, the course directors also drew attention to other new elements of the HM18 program.
For instance there are new topics in the Rapid Fire sessions. In the “Managing the patient on your service: Appendicitis, Bowel and biliary obstruction” session, a general surgeon will talk about how to manage these surgical issues when the patient is on a medical service. In “Interventional radiology: What every hospitalist needs to know,” an interventional radiologist will discuss when hospitalists may want to call in an interventional radiologist or refer to a hospital that has an interventional radiologist. And “Vulnerable populations and hospitalists” will continue with the theme of social determinants of health that was highlighted at last year’s meeting by keynote speaker Karen DeSalvo, MD, the national coordinator for health information technology.
Dr. Smith said that the program committee directors work with the Rapid Fire presenters so that the three or four questions discussed in the sessions are what attendees will want to learn most.
“We take an additional step: Once we recruit the speaker and have identified the topic, we have members of our committee work with the speakers,” he said.
“We don’t want them to come and give us an esoteric talk in an area that interests them. We want them to answer the clinical questions that hospitalists have,” Dr. Finn added.
Dr. Finn and Dr. Smith also highlighted sessions with a twist. For example, “Stupefy: EKGs for fun” is a session about EKGs that encourages hospitalists to “just go have fun reading them,” Dr. Finn said, while “Voldemort is on the plane: Airplane emergencies,” is scheduled for the final day of the conference, just before everyone flies back home.
As for catchy Disney-influenced titles, such as “The Mad Hatter: Updates in delirium” and “Waiting in line for ‘It’s a Small World’ and other things we do for no reason,” part of the credit can go to Dr. Finn’s niece. She said she “hired” her to come up with a list of Disney, Pixar, and Harry Potter movies and catchphrases. Then the committee worked them into the session titles.
Dr. Smith joked that part of his role was to veto some titles that were “a bit too cringe-worthy.”
“The theme of Orlando is making people happy,” Dr. Finn said. “One of the goals – the hopes – for me for at this meeting is that people bring their inner child and get curious again and explore new ideas and new topics and new career possibilities.”
At the 2018 annual meeting of the Society of Hospital Medicine – running from April 8 to 11 in Orlando – the theme could well be “in with the new, and in with the new.”
Planners for Hospital Medicine 2018 (HM18) have managed to pack the conference with five new tracks: Great Debate, Nurse Practitioner/Physician’s Assistant (NP/PA), Palliative Care, Seasoning Your Career, and a new Career Development workshop track. And they did this while eliminating only one track that was on the schedule last year – technology – and without adding any extra days to the meeting.
“We decided, since there were a bunch of themes that we really wanted to cover, we would do half-day tracks. The shorter tracks are also a way to gauge interest in a topic without making a big commitment to it,” Dr. Finn said. “The grouping of topics in smaller tracks in the Day-at-a-Glance helps people easily see a collection of lectures or a theme they might want to attend.”
While choosing themes for the meeting, the planners were trying to stay true to their own theme: timeliness.
“There’s pressure to make it a very relevant meeting,” Dr. Finn said. “We really want to have our finger on the pulse of what practicing hospitalists need and want to know and what is important to them. All the members of the committee feel very invested in figuring out: What is timely? What do we want to talk about right now? What are the active discussions and issues going on in health care that affect us in our practice?”
Assistant course director Dustin Smith, MD, FHM, an associate professor of medicine at Emory University, Atlanta, said much of the information for this year’s meeting came from the 2017 annual meeting, including attendance at sessions, speaker reviews, and session ratings.
“It’s building on momentum from the previous meeting,” he said. “Sometimes we choose things to offer that we know are going to go well, and sometimes we choose things that we hope go well, and all of a sudden we see [that they] go very, very well.” For instance, he said, the topic of sepsis was so popular last year that it has its own precourse this year.
The data on which the HM18 program is built doesn’t stop there. The 23 members of the planning committee – chosen strategically to represent a wide geographic range and array of practice types – all bring their own thoughts and experiences, as well as input from colleagues at their own centers. Then there are the submissions for workshop topics: Any SHM member can submit an idea, and – while just a few are chosen – those ideas help organizers see patterns of interest that can affect the planning of the rest of the sessions.
Here are more details on the new tracks:
Great debate
The annual meeting has traditionally had a “Great Debate” on perioperative medicine, but the format – with carefully chosen speakers who are dynamic and entertaining – will be used to cover pulmonary medicine and infectious diseases this year as well.
“It’s a hugely successful talk,” Dr. Finn said. “We can tell by our numbers that lots of people go, and it’s always funny, and it’s a very clever way of discussing the latest literature – by having two very dynamic speakers present a case and then debate the two options of the case and then use the literature to support the answer,” she said.
The hope is that the format will be more than just entertaining but will be an effective teaching tool, too.
“We think the high level of engagement and format of the talk leads to better overall education for those who attend,” Dr. Smith said.
NP/PA
This track includes topics chosen by the committee for advanced practice professionals.
“There are many hospitalist programs that include NP/PAs – this is what came through in all the feedback – and everybody is struggling with how do you best incorporate NPs and PAs into the group practice and have everybody work at the top of their license and work well together,” Dr. Finn said.
“The idea, too, is to be very inclusive of all providers and offering a track that focuses on NP/PAs but also includes physicians, physician leaders, and physician administrators,” Dr. Smith said. “It’s not designed for one type of practicing professional; it should be a good educational track for all.”
Palliative care
This was a topic that had been sprinkled throughout programs in previous years, but Dr. Finn and Dr. Smith said it was considered too important not to have its own track this year.
“I think hospitalists are often the doctors caring for patients at the end of their lives since many Americans die in the hospital,” Dr. Finn said. “So as a result, this is a skill set that as hospitalists we need to be very good at.”
Seasoning your career
This is a track geared toward one of this year’s themes: With “hospital medicine” now a concept that’s more than two decades old, how do hospitalists keep up the momentum in their careers, how do they take stock, how do they make the important decisions they face as they move ahead in their jobs?
“Hospital medicine is now over 20 years old – many hospitalists are now mid-career,” Dr. Finn said. “We picked an entire track on ‘seasoning your career’ to offer people ideas and skills to reflect on and rethink their career. Do you want to expand what you’re doing? Do you want to change it? How do you make this a lifelong career?”
Career development
There have always been workshops with a ‘career development’ focus, but this year six of them were chosen to be placed under the heading of an official “career development” workshop track.
“When you review the Day-at-a-Glance schedule, it really demarcates it,” Dr. Smith said. “This really helps attendees be able to quickly look through and find where they want to be for their next session.”
“Are there other skills you want to take on for the second half of your career?” Dr. Finn said. “Do you want to take on leadership? Do you want to learn how to better give your peers feedback? Do you want to promote women in your group? Do you want to prevent burnout or use emotional intelligence to improve your career? We cohorted these topics together.”
Aside from the new tracks, the course directors also drew attention to other new elements of the HM18 program.
For instance there are new topics in the Rapid Fire sessions. In the “Managing the patient on your service: Appendicitis, Bowel and biliary obstruction” session, a general surgeon will talk about how to manage these surgical issues when the patient is on a medical service. In “Interventional radiology: What every hospitalist needs to know,” an interventional radiologist will discuss when hospitalists may want to call in an interventional radiologist or refer to a hospital that has an interventional radiologist. And “Vulnerable populations and hospitalists” will continue with the theme of social determinants of health that was highlighted at last year’s meeting by keynote speaker Karen DeSalvo, MD, the national coordinator for health information technology.
Dr. Smith said that the program committee directors work with the Rapid Fire presenters so that the three or four questions discussed in the sessions are what attendees will want to learn most.
“We take an additional step: Once we recruit the speaker and have identified the topic, we have members of our committee work with the speakers,” he said.
“We don’t want them to come and give us an esoteric talk in an area that interests them. We want them to answer the clinical questions that hospitalists have,” Dr. Finn added.
Dr. Finn and Dr. Smith also highlighted sessions with a twist. For example, “Stupefy: EKGs for fun” is a session about EKGs that encourages hospitalists to “just go have fun reading them,” Dr. Finn said, while “Voldemort is on the plane: Airplane emergencies,” is scheduled for the final day of the conference, just before everyone flies back home.
As for catchy Disney-influenced titles, such as “The Mad Hatter: Updates in delirium” and “Waiting in line for ‘It’s a Small World’ and other things we do for no reason,” part of the credit can go to Dr. Finn’s niece. She said she “hired” her to come up with a list of Disney, Pixar, and Harry Potter movies and catchphrases. Then the committee worked them into the session titles.
Dr. Smith joked that part of his role was to veto some titles that were “a bit too cringe-worthy.”
“The theme of Orlando is making people happy,” Dr. Finn said. “One of the goals – the hopes – for me for at this meeting is that people bring their inner child and get curious again and explore new ideas and new topics and new career possibilities.”
At the 2018 annual meeting of the Society of Hospital Medicine – running from April 8 to 11 in Orlando – the theme could well be “in with the new, and in with the new.”
Planners for Hospital Medicine 2018 (HM18) have managed to pack the conference with five new tracks: Great Debate, Nurse Practitioner/Physician’s Assistant (NP/PA), Palliative Care, Seasoning Your Career, and a new Career Development workshop track. And they did this while eliminating only one track that was on the schedule last year – technology – and without adding any extra days to the meeting.
“We decided, since there were a bunch of themes that we really wanted to cover, we would do half-day tracks. The shorter tracks are also a way to gauge interest in a topic without making a big commitment to it,” Dr. Finn said. “The grouping of topics in smaller tracks in the Day-at-a-Glance helps people easily see a collection of lectures or a theme they might want to attend.”
While choosing themes for the meeting, the planners were trying to stay true to their own theme: timeliness.
“There’s pressure to make it a very relevant meeting,” Dr. Finn said. “We really want to have our finger on the pulse of what practicing hospitalists need and want to know and what is important to them. All the members of the committee feel very invested in figuring out: What is timely? What do we want to talk about right now? What are the active discussions and issues going on in health care that affect us in our practice?”
Assistant course director Dustin Smith, MD, FHM, an associate professor of medicine at Emory University, Atlanta, said much of the information for this year’s meeting came from the 2017 annual meeting, including attendance at sessions, speaker reviews, and session ratings.
“It’s building on momentum from the previous meeting,” he said. “Sometimes we choose things to offer that we know are going to go well, and sometimes we choose things that we hope go well, and all of a sudden we see [that they] go very, very well.” For instance, he said, the topic of sepsis was so popular last year that it has its own precourse this year.
The data on which the HM18 program is built doesn’t stop there. The 23 members of the planning committee – chosen strategically to represent a wide geographic range and array of practice types – all bring their own thoughts and experiences, as well as input from colleagues at their own centers. Then there are the submissions for workshop topics: Any SHM member can submit an idea, and – while just a few are chosen – those ideas help organizers see patterns of interest that can affect the planning of the rest of the sessions.
Here are more details on the new tracks:
Great debate
The annual meeting has traditionally had a “Great Debate” on perioperative medicine, but the format – with carefully chosen speakers who are dynamic and entertaining – will be used to cover pulmonary medicine and infectious diseases this year as well.
“It’s a hugely successful talk,” Dr. Finn said. “We can tell by our numbers that lots of people go, and it’s always funny, and it’s a very clever way of discussing the latest literature – by having two very dynamic speakers present a case and then debate the two options of the case and then use the literature to support the answer,” she said.
The hope is that the format will be more than just entertaining but will be an effective teaching tool, too.
“We think the high level of engagement and format of the talk leads to better overall education for those who attend,” Dr. Smith said.
NP/PA
This track includes topics chosen by the committee for advanced practice professionals.
“There are many hospitalist programs that include NP/PAs – this is what came through in all the feedback – and everybody is struggling with how do you best incorporate NPs and PAs into the group practice and have everybody work at the top of their license and work well together,” Dr. Finn said.
“The idea, too, is to be very inclusive of all providers and offering a track that focuses on NP/PAs but also includes physicians, physician leaders, and physician administrators,” Dr. Smith said. “It’s not designed for one type of practicing professional; it should be a good educational track for all.”
Palliative care
This was a topic that had been sprinkled throughout programs in previous years, but Dr. Finn and Dr. Smith said it was considered too important not to have its own track this year.
“I think hospitalists are often the doctors caring for patients at the end of their lives since many Americans die in the hospital,” Dr. Finn said. “So as a result, this is a skill set that as hospitalists we need to be very good at.”
Seasoning your career
This is a track geared toward one of this year’s themes: With “hospital medicine” now a concept that’s more than two decades old, how do hospitalists keep up the momentum in their careers, how do they take stock, how do they make the important decisions they face as they move ahead in their jobs?
“Hospital medicine is now over 20 years old – many hospitalists are now mid-career,” Dr. Finn said. “We picked an entire track on ‘seasoning your career’ to offer people ideas and skills to reflect on and rethink their career. Do you want to expand what you’re doing? Do you want to change it? How do you make this a lifelong career?”
Career development
There have always been workshops with a ‘career development’ focus, but this year six of them were chosen to be placed under the heading of an official “career development” workshop track.
“When you review the Day-at-a-Glance schedule, it really demarcates it,” Dr. Smith said. “This really helps attendees be able to quickly look through and find where they want to be for their next session.”
“Are there other skills you want to take on for the second half of your career?” Dr. Finn said. “Do you want to take on leadership? Do you want to learn how to better give your peers feedback? Do you want to promote women in your group? Do you want to prevent burnout or use emotional intelligence to improve your career? We cohorted these topics together.”
Aside from the new tracks, the course directors also drew attention to other new elements of the HM18 program.
For instance there are new topics in the Rapid Fire sessions. In the “Managing the patient on your service: Appendicitis, Bowel and biliary obstruction” session, a general surgeon will talk about how to manage these surgical issues when the patient is on a medical service. In “Interventional radiology: What every hospitalist needs to know,” an interventional radiologist will discuss when hospitalists may want to call in an interventional radiologist or refer to a hospital that has an interventional radiologist. And “Vulnerable populations and hospitalists” will continue with the theme of social determinants of health that was highlighted at last year’s meeting by keynote speaker Karen DeSalvo, MD, the national coordinator for health information technology.
Dr. Smith said that the program committee directors work with the Rapid Fire presenters so that the three or four questions discussed in the sessions are what attendees will want to learn most.
“We take an additional step: Once we recruit the speaker and have identified the topic, we have members of our committee work with the speakers,” he said.
“We don’t want them to come and give us an esoteric talk in an area that interests them. We want them to answer the clinical questions that hospitalists have,” Dr. Finn added.
Dr. Finn and Dr. Smith also highlighted sessions with a twist. For example, “Stupefy: EKGs for fun” is a session about EKGs that encourages hospitalists to “just go have fun reading them,” Dr. Finn said, while “Voldemort is on the plane: Airplane emergencies,” is scheduled for the final day of the conference, just before everyone flies back home.
As for catchy Disney-influenced titles, such as “The Mad Hatter: Updates in delirium” and “Waiting in line for ‘It’s a Small World’ and other things we do for no reason,” part of the credit can go to Dr. Finn’s niece. She said she “hired” her to come up with a list of Disney, Pixar, and Harry Potter movies and catchphrases. Then the committee worked them into the session titles.
Dr. Smith joked that part of his role was to veto some titles that were “a bit too cringe-worthy.”
“The theme of Orlando is making people happy,” Dr. Finn said. “One of the goals – the hopes – for me for at this meeting is that people bring their inner child and get curious again and explore new ideas and new topics and new career possibilities.”