Hospital Practice News

Insurers pay N.Y. doctors for embracing medical homes

Six health plans in a project demonstrating patient-centered medical homes in a portion of New York state paid incentives of $1.5 million to 236 primary care physicians for converting their practices to medical homes and providing enhanced services that are part of that transformation. That's according to a recent article by Government Health IT. View the story.

In 2008 the AMA adopted policy in support of the "Joint Principles of the Patient-Centered Medical Home," joining the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians and the American Osteopathic Association in endorsing these guidelines for physician-led medical homes.

The AMA, through its Organized Medical Staff Section, monitors developments in the creation of medical home models and advocates on behalf of physicians for regulations and accreditation standards that ensure that patient-centered medical homes improve the patient-physician relationship, augment quality and safety, increase access to care and ensure payment for coordinated services.

Online videos cover wealth of practice topics

Learn about the new Joint Commission medical staff bylaws Standard MS.01.01.01, hear tips on how to select and evaluate an office health IT system, and find out about physicians' role as a leader in quality improvement and work-life balance by viewing the AMA Organized Medical Staff Section's online videos. Titles include:

• "Implementing the new Joint Commission medical staff bylaws Standard MS.01.01.01"
• "Bundled payment primer"
• "How to select and evaluate and office IT system"
• "Physician-led organizational structures for the future"
• "Your role as a leader in both quality improvement and work-life balance: the intersection of quality, stress and fatigue in a clinical area near you"

Physicians can claim AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for watching the videos. AMA members can view them at no charge; nonmembers can watch them for $75 each. If you're not an AMA member, join today.

Next AMA-OMSS meeting set for June 16–18

This year's AMA Organized Medical Staff Section (OMSS) Annual Assembly Meeting will take place June 16–18 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates. View more information about the meeting on the AMA-OMSS Annual Assembly Meeting Web page. Also, view details from the 2010 AMA-OMSS Interim Assembly Meeting, which took place in November.

Guide can help physicians draft bylaws for medical staff

Medical staffs looking to draft or amend bylaws can use the fifth edition of the AMA's "Physician's Guide to Medical Staff Organization Bylaws."" The guide is a valuable reference manual that contains bylaws language that supports self-governance, addresses Joint Commission standard MS.01.01.01 and offers guidance on emerging issues in health care that impact the medical staff.

The fifth edition will be updated regularly online. AMA members have free access to the guide.