Hospital Practice News

Make your voice heard on AMA-OMSS policy

AMA members are invited to submit testimony on the AMA Organized Medical Staff Section (OMSS) resolutions and reports that will be considered during this year's Interim Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates by commenting in the AMA-OMSS Virtual Reference Committee.

Sign in or create an account to access the Virtual Reference Committee. Testimony submitted online by Oct. 28 will be used by the AMA-OMSS Reference Committee to draft a preliminary report, which will be distributed before the meeting and serve as the starting point for discussion at the live reference committee hearing at the meeting.

All AMA-OMSS representatives and other interested AMA members, regardless of whether they are attending the meeting, are encouraged to submit testimony.

AMA-OMSS 2012 Interim Meeting handbook online

The AMA Organized Medical Staff Section 2012 Interim Meeting Handbook is now available online.

The AMA-OMSS Interim Assembly Meeting will take place Nov. 8–10 in Honolulu in conjunction with the Interim Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates. Details about the AMA-OMSS meeting, including information about travel arrangements, are available online. Register (AMA login required) for the meeting by Nov. 1.

Summit builds consensus around ways to minimize overuse

To help reach a consensus on ways to reduce the occurrence of medical treatments that are commonly used but not always necessary, the AMA-convened Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement® (PCPI™) and The Joint Commission co-sponsored the National Summit on Overuse last month to discuss strategies to improve the quality and safety of patient care.

A variety of key stakeholders, including representatives from physician organizations, medical specialties, government agencies, research institutions, and patient groups, came together at the National Summit on Overuse to discuss the appropriate use of the following five treatments and procedures:

• Percutaneous coronary intervention
• Blood management
• Tympanostomy tubes for brief periods of fluid behind the ear drum
• Antibiotics for viral upper respiratory infections
• Early induction without medical need

Read more or listen to podcasts highlighting the day's events.

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.

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." 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.

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.