amednews.com: Medical boards keep wary eye on doctors’ social media posts

A survey of board executives finds that inappropriate communication with patients is among online behavior by physicians that could lead to an investigation.

Damon Adams, January 28, 2013

When doctors go to social media websites, they may want to think twice about posting patients’ photos without permission.

Using the images could be considered unprofessional conduct by a state medical board, according to a new study.

Other online physician behavior viewed as troublesome by boards: citing misleading information about clinical outcomes; misrepresenting credentials; and inappropriately contacting patients.

Read the rest at amednews.com

FSMB Releases Physician Assessment and Remedial Education Program Directory

Directory of Physician Assessment and Remedial Education Programs 

FSMB has recently released a database of all Physcian Assessment and Remedial Education Programs.  To access the FSMB's directory, click here.

Medscape: Social Media Use by Physicians Can Spur Medical Board Action

Joe Barber Jr, PhD, January 15, 2013

A new study has identified several online activities by physicians that are likely to result in investigation by state medical boards.

S. Ryan Greysen, MD, from the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues published their findings in the January 15 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

The authors mention that this study was prompted by the lack of data on what activities were likely to result in investigation. "Previous research by our group has shown that 60% of U.S. medical school deans had concerns about students posting unprofessional content [such as depicted intoxication and sexually explicit material] and that 71% of U.S. state medical boards have investigated physicians for violations of professionalism online in 1 or more of these categories," the authors write.

Read the rest at Medscape.com.

NAMSS Regional Education Summit: Sign Up Today!

NAMSS Regional Education Summit: Early-Bird Registration Discount Ends January 21 March 1-2, 2013 | Nashville, Tennessee Featuring Certification Preparation Courses and Credentialing 101

When it comes to saving money on your NAMSS Regional Education Summit  registration, timing is everything! Register on or before Monday, January 21 to save $50 on your registration fees.

Join us March 1-2, 2013 at the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee to enjoy high-quality NAMSS educational workshops alongside attendees from across the country. This two-day event will feature three interactive workshops including a CPCS Certificantion Preparation Course, a CPMSM Certification Preparation Course, and Credentialing 101.


Nashville Highlights

Experience the city that makes the whole world sing! Regardless of your background, Nashville’s lively entertainment and rich history has something special to offer.

• Gather around the microphone where Elvis became a legend at the Country Music Hall of Fame, a one-of-a-kind museum experience.
• Nothing says Nashville like the Grand Ole Opry. Arrange a backstage tour or relax with an evening show you can’t see anywhere else.
• Pay tribute to President Andrew Jackson at The Hermitage, his Greek revival mansion constructed in 1821. You can walk through the rooms, visit his tomb, and learn about his stint in the War of 1812.

NEJM: Reducing Administrative Costs and Improving the Health Care System

David Cutler, Ph.D., Elizabeth Wikler, B.A., and Peter Basch, M.D.;

November 2012

The average U.S. physician spends 43 minutes a day interacting with health plans about payment, dealing with formularies, and obtaining authorizations for procedures.1 In addition, physicians' offices must hire coders, who spend their days translating clinical records into billing forms and submitting and monitoring reimbursements. The amount of time and money spent on administrative tasks is one of the most frustrating aspects of modern medicine.

Indeed, for the system as a whole, administrative tasks are extremely costly. According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), the United States spends $361 billion annually on health care administration2 — more than twice our total spending on heart disease and three times our spending on cancer. Also according to the IOM, fully half of these expenditures are unnecessary.

Read the rest at NEJM.

ABMS Announces Certification in New Subspecialty

December 5, 2012

The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) announces the creation of physician certification in a new subspecialty: Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD). The ABMS Board of Directors and ABMS Reserved Powers Board approved the subspecialty at its September 2012 meeting. The subspecialty will be offered by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) and will create a pathway for certification for cardiologists previously certified by either the ABIM or the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) with the expectation that the certification exam will be available within the next three years. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) will be approached to develop accreditation standards for training programs very shortly.

Read the rest at ABMS.

amednews.com: Demand rises for CME linked to physician quality improvement

Performance Improvement Continuing Medical Education allows doctors to meet increasing quality reporting requirements from multiple agencies in one fell swoop.

Carolyne Krupa, December 31, 2012

As physicians face increasing pressure to demonstrate performance improvement, more are utilizing a model of continuing medical education that gives them tools to assess the care they provide patients, and make measurable enhancements.

The concept of Performance Improvement Continuing Medical Education was introduced in the early 2000s, and the model has expanded significantly since then. In 2011, 44,275 physicians and 7,492 nonphysician health professionals participated in 502 PI CME activities offered in the U.S., according to the Accrediting Council for Continuing Medical Education. That’s a steep increase from the 744 physicians and 175 nonphysician health professionals who participated in 22 PI CME activities offered just six years earlier.

Find out more at amednews.com.