Medscape: Most Physicians Concerned About Future of Profession

Marcia Frellick, March 28, 2013

Nearly 6 in 10 physicians in a Deloitte Center for Health Solutions survey said they are concerned about the future of medicine, pointing to declining clinical autonomy and income.

Pessimism among physicians resulted in nearly 75% agreeing that "the best and brightest" may avoid a career in medicine. That number increased from 69% the year before.

Still, 7 in 10 physicians reported they were satisfied with their careers. The most satisfied groups were the nonsurgical specialists (67%) and physicians aged 25 to 39 (80%). Primary care physicians were the least satisfied division, at 59%.

Read the rest at Medscape.

HealthLeadersMedia: CMS Unveils Hospital Violations Database

Cheryl Clark, March 18, 2013

For the first time, providers, payers, and patients now have an enormous searchable database containing documents detailing about 8,000 serious federal safety rule violations -- many of which have caused serious patient harm or death -- at about 1,000 U.S. hospitals since January, 2011.

The documents, which resulted from federally authorized complaint investigations and are called "2567s," were released over the weekend by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services after a long-standing request from and collaboration with the Association of Health Care Journalists.

Read the rest at HealthLeadersMedia.

Timeline of AOA's Response to ACGME's Proposed Common Program

Here is a timeline of the American Osteopathic Association's requests to address the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's proposed common program requirements:  

July 2013 ​– The AOA to present Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to its Board.

June 2013 ​– The ACGME to present draft MOU to its Board.

April/May 2013 – Next meeting of the AOA/ACMGE Joint Task Force.

March 12, 2013 – AOA/ACGME monthly staff meeting.

Read the rest at AOA.

amednews: Deal with physician impairment before it's a safety risk

Attorneys and experts recommend that practices have policies that address how to define and handle a colleague who might represent a safety threat to patients.

By Karen Caffarini, March 11, 2013.

An impaired or incompetent physician can be a liability to a medical practice and pose a safety threat to patients. Still, some practices have found it difficult to discipline or report such a physician, especially if he or she is a partner in the practice or a longtime colleague with a previously impeccable career.

Read the rest at amednews.com.

CMS' CoPs Proposal: An Update on Our Comments

As you may know, NAMSS has compiled a task force to review, and comment on, the proposed Conditions of Participation rules that CMS' issued in early February.  The Task Force is busy drafting comments on several points of interest to MSPs.  As always, we welcome your thoughts or comments, so feel free to send them along. 

The AHA is also seeking input from hospital CEOs on the CoPs regarding the medical staff.   If you think your hospital would like to provide feedback and would like more information, contact AHA: 1-800-424-4301.

The entire rule can be found here.

We will keep you updated!