PROFESSIONNews in brief - Oct. 22/29, 2007State societies caution doctors as Cigna agreement ends - Arizona board tackles alternative medicine practices - Few hospitals report adopting guidelines to help prevent infections - ACGME honors physician teachers - Joint Commission lauds MRSA reduction initiative State societies caution doctors as Cigna agreement endsPhysicians should review their Cigna contracts now that the insurer's settlement agreement in a nationwide class-action lawsuit over alleged payment abuses ended Sept. 4, state medical society officials warn. Cigna officials have said they voluntarily will follow some of the business practice changes they agreed to in 2003, but not all, according to the Physicians Advocacy Institute Inc., a watchdog organization set up to ensure health plans comply with the settlements. Cigna did not return calls for comment. Some practices that will remain in effect include:
Some terms Cigna may not or will not continue include:
Agreements with the six other insurers that settled the racketeering lawsuit that began in 1999 remain in effect with varying termination dates. More information is available online (www.hmosettlements.com). Arizona board tackles alternative medicine practicesThe Arizona Medical Board last month adopted guidelines for doctors who use complementary or alternative medicine in their practices. They are intended to help physicians use the methods in a way consistent with the board's expectations for safe medical practice. The board, which licenses and regulates more than 19,100 allopathic physicians, said it does not prohibit complementary or alternative medicine but wants to ensure that physicians use it safely. The new rules make it clear that the standard of care for physicians using alternative medicine is the same as for conventional medicine, board officials said. Meanwhile, board officials voiced some concerns about physicians practicing outside the scope of their training and created a committee to develop guidelines on physician scope of practice. The board also instructed its staff to draft a position statement on wrong-site surgery and prepare a policy statement on the duty of physicians and hospitals to report doctors who may be incompetent or have committed unprofessional conduct. Few hospitals report adopting guidelines to help prevent infectionsNearly 90% of more than 1,200 hospitals taking part in a recent patient safety survey said they have not implemented changes aimed at preventing four costly, deadly and common hospital-acquired infections. The Leapfrog Group surveyed facilities about their efforts to prevent surgical site infections, hospital-acquired influenza, central venous catheter-related bloodstream infections, and ventilator-associated pneumonia. The results released last month showed that only 13% of hospitals were in full compliance with evidence-based recommendations. On a condition-by-condition basis, the percentage of hospitals that made recommended changes ranged from 30.7% for influenza to 38.5% for ventilator-associated pneumonia. In addition to questions about hospitals' implementation of condition-specific clinical changes, the survey asked whether hospitals track the severity and frequency of infections and whether management is held accountable for system outcomes. The Leapfrog Group was founded in 1998 by a coalition of large employers pushing for improved health care quality, patient safety and cost efficiency. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that hospital-acquired infections kill 90,000 Americans every year. ACGME honors physician teachersThe Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in October recognized 10 residency program directors for their commitment to teaching and developing innovative and effective residency programs. The winners of the 2008 Parker J. Palmer Courage to Teach award are:
The award is named after Parker J. Palmer, PhD, a senior adviser at the Fetzer Institute and the author of "The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life." Joint Commission lauds MRSA reduction initiativeEvanston Northwestern Healthcare's first-in-the-nation universal surveillance program for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was recognized last month as one of the year's most innovative efforts in patient safety. The Joint Commission handed Evanston Northwestern one of its John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Awards for the suburban Chicago hospital's initiative that reduced MRSA by 62%. The MRSA surveillance program is cost effective and could be reproduced by other hospitals nationwide, according to a Joint Commission statement. Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center also was recognized for adopting aviation safety principles in its obstetrics department. It lead to a 25.4% drop in adverse events. The Joint Commission also recognized: Pennsylvania pediatrician Flaura Koplin Winston, MD, PhD, for her work in preventing child injuries in auto accidents; Texas internist Eric J. Thomas, MD, MPH, for his research on the epidemiology of medical errors; and Michigan general surgeon Darrell A. Campbell Jr., MD, for improving surgical quality and patient safety. Copyright 2007 American Medical Association. All rights reserved. |
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