Hospital Practice News

Comment on long-term care program requirements

Physicians are invited to provide input on proposed requirements for the Joint Commission's reinvented long-term care program as part of a field review. The new approach will replace the Joint Commission's current long-term care accreditation options and will focus on the most critical issues supporting safety and quality of care for patients and residents in the nursing home setting.

Research indicates that long-term care organizations desire an accreditation process that focuses on requirements that contribute directly to the provision of safe, high-quality care. They also desire less redundancy between the Joint Commission survey and oversight by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services or other regulatory entities.

Email Lauren Lentine of the Joint Commission for more information about the proposed requirements.

Guide can help doctors 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." This valuable reference manual 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. AMA members have free access to the guide. If you're not a member, join today.

Next AMA-OMSS quarterly call set for Sept. 11

Register today for the next AMA Organized Medical Staff Section (OMSS) representative quarterly call, which will take place at 8 p.m. Eastern time Sept. 11.

The call will recap this year's AMA-OMSS Annual Assembly Meeting, which took place in June, and provide information about the upcoming AMA-OMSS Interim Assembly Meeting, which will be held Nov. 8–10 in Honolulu in conjunction with the Interim Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates. The call also will provide updates on issues that are relevant to hospital medical staffs.

Next AMA-OMSS meeting set for November in Hawaii

Details about this year's AMA Organized Medical Staff Section (OMSS) Interim Assembly Meeting, including information about travel arrangements, are now available online. The meeting will take place Nov. 8–10 in Honolulu in conjunction with the Interim Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates.

Resolutions must be emailed to Keith Voogd of the AMA by Sept. 28. Registration for the meeting will be available in the coming weeks. Those interested in serving on a committee or as an advisor at the meeting should email Katie Tinney of the AMA.

AMA offers expert guidance to employed physicians

Two new resources from the AMA aim to meet the unique needs of physicians who maintain employment or contractual relationships with hospitals, health systems and other entities.

The AMA's Physician Assistance Service answers physicians' questions and provides advice on physician-hospital issues such as employment and contracting, medical staff bylaws, credentialing, peer review, due process and medical staff self-governance. While the AMA cannot provide legal opinions or representation, it can provide assistance to physicians in matters pertaining to their relationships with hospitals, health systems, and other similar entities.

The AMA also has updated its physician employment Web page to highlight a wide range of AMA resources for physicians who are employed or considering employment.

CME activities are among education program webcasts

Learn about physician leadership, engaging members of the medical staff to improve quality and the future of the medical staff organization by viewing new webcasts from the AMA Organized Medical Staff Section. Physicians can claim continuing medical education (CME) credit for watching the webcasts. Titles include:

• "Doing the right thing for our patients: leading as a professional" (1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™)
• "Engaging members of the medical staff to measure and improve quality" (1.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™)
• "Future of the medical staff: strategies for re-engineering governance and operations to advance clinical and strategic imperatives" (1.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™)

AMA members can view these webcasts for free; nonmembers can watch them for $30 per credit hour. If you're not an AMA member, join today.