Becker's Hospital Review

90 CMO / CARE DELIVERY ACGME strips California hospital's accreditation for surgical residency program By Alyssa Rege B akersfield, Calif.-based Kern Medical CEO Russell Judd said April 12 the hospital will suspend its surgery residency program June 30 after the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education stripped the program of its accreditation status, according to Bakersfield.com. Mr. Judd told the publication ACGME informed the hospital of its decision after a February audit of the program resulted in the termination of its ac- creditation status. He said the exact reasons for the loss in status are un- known because ACGME has not sent the hospital a formal report document- ing its findings. He said once the hospital receives the report, officials will work quickly to im- plement changes to fix the issues and reapply for ACGME certification. There are currently 13 residents en- rolled in Kern Medical's surgery resi- dency program, according to ACGME records cited by Bakersfield.com. Mr. Judd told the publication five resi- dents will graduate before the pro- gram ends. However, eight residents, including four who were scheduled to begin their training July 1, will need to enroll in programs elsewhere. Several of the hospital's residency pro- grams have faced challenges during the last few years, according to the re- port. Mr. Judd said when he came to the hospital, four of its residency pro- grams were on probation. However, the hospital's surgery resi- dency program has been on probation or under close watch by the ACGME for several years. Mr. Judd said the pro- gram's past challenges included a lack of surgeons to train residents in par- ticular subspecialties, Bakersfield.com reported. n 65% of ED physicians prescribe more opioids than they think they do By Anuja Vaidya A majority of emergency department physicians — 65 percent — underesti- mated how often they prescribed opioids to patients, a study published in Academic Emergency Medicine found. For the study, researchers surveyed 109 emergency medicine physicians at four hospital EDs. The surveys focused on the physicians' perceptions of their own opioid prescribing patterns in comparison to their peers. Here are four study findings. 1. Participants discharged 119,428 patients and wrote 75,203 prescriptions. 2. Around 20 percent, or 15,124 prescriptions, were opioid prescriptions. 3. The researchers showed physicians their actual prescribing patterns. Six months later, those with inaccurate self-perceptions had 2.1 fewer opioid pre- scriptions per 100 patients on average. 4. One year after seeing their actual prescribing patterns, physicians with inac- curate self-perceptions had 2.2 percent fewer prescriptions per 100 patients. n Medical group publishes 8-step charter to address physician burnout By Jessica Kim Cohen T he Collaborative for Healing and Re- newal in Medicine published an eight- step framework in JAMA March 29 to help healthcare organizations develop policies and regulations that address physi- cian burnout. e Collaborative for Healing and Renewal in Medicine comprises medical educators, academic leaders and wellness researchers from across the U.S. It's co-chaired by health- care leaders from New York City-based Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Roches- ter, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic and San Fran- cisco-based UCSF School of Medicine. e American Medical Association and the Association of American Medical Colleges both voiced their support for the group's framework, called "e Charter on Phy- sician Well-Being," according to a March 29 statement from Mount Sinai. Here are the eight steps outlined in the char- ter, divided into three major areas of focus. Societal commitments 1. Foster a trustworthy and supportive cul- ture in medicine 2. Advocate for policies that enhance physi- cian well-being Organizational commitments 3. Build supportive systems 4. Develop engaged leadership 5. Establish highly-functioning interprofes- sional teams Interpersonal and individual commitments 6. Anticipate and respond to inherent emotional challenges of physician work 7. Prioritize mental healthcare 8. Practice and promote self-care "Physicians who are well can best serve their patients," the charter reads. "Although evi- dence to support some of the recommenda- tions in this charter is still emerging, medical organizations, regulatory groups and individ- ual physicians share a responsibility to sup- port these needs." n

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