Becker's Hospital Review

86 CMO / CARE DELIVERY Walmart heir's medical school moves forward By Molly Gamble I t's been more than a year since Alice Walton announced her plans for a national medical school in northwest Arkansas. New details about the facility and its goals are available. Ms. Walton, the only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, shared plans to finance and build a four- year medical school in Bentonville, Ark., in March 2021, with construction set to begin in 2022. e institution was first named the Whole Health School of Medicine and Health Sciences. On June 29, its board of directors unanimously approved the change in name to e Alice L. Walton School of Medicine. e school's board is made up of seven members, in- cluding Ms. Walton. Other members are: • Marc Nivet, EdD, executive vice president for insti- tutional advancement at UT Southwestern Medical Center • Kate Hobbs Knutson, MD, chief health officer of Optum Behavioral Health Services • James Young, MD, executive dean of Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University • Steve Nelson, co-founder of Carbon • Lloyd Minor, MD, dean of Stanford University School of Medicine • Cheryl Pegus, MD, executive vice president of health and wellness for Walmart Arkansas-based architecture firm Polk Stanley Wilcox is leading the building of the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, with design currently in the development phase and construction of the 154,000 square- foot building to begin in spring 2023. e school aims to welcome its first class in fall 2025, pending accreditation. Ms. Walton is founding the school with modern interpretations of medicine and health in mind. "Building on evidence-based approaches to teaching, the curriculum will include rigorous training in whole health, humanities, integrative health approaches, research methods, and cutting-edge technologies, with a unique focus on interprofessional collaboration, mental health, social determinants of health and nutrition," a news release from the school states. "Equity, diversity, and inclusion will be high-priority areas. e school will support students, faculty, and staff, not only learning about self-care, but also emphasizing it in their own lives." n Physician viewpoint: How to care for patients you resent By Mackenzie Bean M any clinicians may not want to acknowledge when they have negative feelings about a patient in their care, but such resentment or frustration is important to recognize and address, as studies show it can affect care quality, Joan Naidorf, DO, a Virginia-based emergency physician, wrote in a June 30 op-ed for The Washington Post. This resentment against patients is not often discussed or studied, but is likely a common experience among clinicians, according to Dr. Naidorf. She cited a study of practicing internal medicine physicians who labeled at least 15 percent of their patients as "difficult." "For busy clinicians seeing 25 or more patients per shift, that is three to four times per day that they are left feeling frustrated, resentful, defeated or inadequate," she wrote. Clinicians must actively avoid making rapid, harsh judgments about patients that could lead to inferior care, Dr. Naidorf said. She shared four key questions clinicians should ask themselves to identify and redirect negative thoughts about a patient: • Can you imagine that the problems of your patients are your own? • What else is true about this challenging person? • Could you be wrong about your care plan? • Can you give your patient or his family the benefit of the doubt? • Dr. Naidorf also shared a list of steps patients can take to make their interactions with physicians less adversarial. n Edward-Elmhurst Health debuts medical group with 650 clinicians By Hayley DeSilva N aperville, Ill.-based Edward-Elmhurst Health system an- nounced the formation of its new medical group, Edward-El- mhurst Medical Group, on July 6. EEMG will be one of the largest groups in the Chicagoland area, with 650 clinicians, both hospital-based and ambulatory providers. The group includes 400 physicians across 25 different specialties and will provide services at 50 locations throughout Illinois. "We are extremely proud of the care this collective group provides to our communities each day," said Daniel Sullivan, MD, co-chief physician executive of NorthShore — Edward-Elmhurst Health. "That includes providing preventive care by our primary care providers, acute inpatient care from our hospitalists and specialized care for the sickest of patients." More information on EEMG can be found here. n

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