Confidential patient safety information threatened in court case
An intermediate level appellate court in Florida last year held that patient safety information can be shielded from disclosure in a medical liability case. Now, that same case is on appeal—this time, in the Supreme Court of Florida.
What happened last year
In Southern Baptist Hospital of Florida, Inc. v. Charles, a trial court had ordered the release of medical documents used for patient safety and quality improvement efforts as part of litigation discovery. Then, in October of last year, a Florida district court of appeal overturned the trial court’s decision and found that health care information, which was bein...
Source: AMA Wire - June 24, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Troy Parks Source Type: news
Resolutions for the AMA Senior Physicians Section due Sept. 9
With the 2016 AMA Interim Meeting taking place Nov. 12-15 in Orlando, the AMA Senior Physicians Section (SPS) Governing Council would like to encourage participation of its members. As a member of the AMA, you have the opportunity to influence policies within the organization. The section leadership welcomes proposals from members to identify the needs of senior physicians (i.e., doctors age 65 and above, both active and retired).
Although proposed resolutions on any topic will be given consideration, the following are broad topics affecting senior physicians that are more likely to be accepted for transmittal to the AMA...
Source: AMA Wire - June 24, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Troy Parks Source Type: news
3 things every physician should do when treating pain
A panel of physician experts offered three actions every physician can take to appropriately treat patients with acute or chronic pain. Presenting at the 2016 AMA Annual Meeting, they also discussed tools that can help keep patients safe from overdose and improve their quality of life.
The panel was comprised of physician representatives from the AMA Task Force to Reduce Prescription Opioid Abuse and one of the nation’s leading health policy experts.
In light of the opioid epidemic, the task force has put forth recommendations for physicians. “These recommendations come from our colleagues,” Patrice A. Harris, MD...
Source: AMA Wire - June 22, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Troy Parks Source Type: news
New benefit: Get evidence-based information at the point of care
Make sure you’re equipped with all the information you need to deliver the best care for your patients, whatever their condition. DynaMed Plus®, a next-generation information resource, provides the most up-to-date, evidence-based information on any digital device. And now AMA members get free access.
Content and features you don’t want to miss
A trusted resource by physicians around the world, DynaMed Plus was designed from the ground up last year. It offers an optimal blend of evidence and expertise as a real-time clinical reference, and is updated daily.
Enhance your clinical decision-making. This resource off...
Source: AMA Wire - June 22, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Troy Parks Source Type: news
Ink on the page: Get your quality improvement project published
Conclusions should be appropriately conservative in relation to the study findings.”
Figures and tables can be used, “which will avoid excess word length while still providing a concise summary of what was actually done,” the editors said. “Another option for providing more details is to include additional supplemental information for publication online.”
Don’t fear the dark side
The editors urge authors to consider including negative outcomes in their papers, including failures of the proposed intervention. Measures of unintended consequences also should be reported to ensure that the intervention d...
Source: AMA Wire - June 22, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Troy Parks Source Type: news
A double-edged sword: What makes doctors great also drives burnout
A physician burnout expert from the Mayo Clinic explained earlier this month at the 2016 AMA Annual Meeting how physicians in the current health care system often have an intrinsic risk of burnout. Learn about the role that the “physician personality” can play in burnout and ways Mayo has found to help address burnout as a system issue.
What’s happening to physicians?
“If I told you we had a system issue that affected quality of care, limited access to care, and eroded patient satisfaction, that affected up to half of patient encounters,” said Tait Shanafelt, MD, a hematologist and physician burnout researche...
Source: AMA Wire - June 22, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Troy Parks Source Type: news
VA invites physicians to join as agency recovers from scandal
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is in the midst of fundamental changes after a period of struggle and public criticism—and some of those changes could make it an appealing place for physicians to work.
Appeal for help
David Shulkin, MD, undersecretary of health at the VA, delivered that message of hope for his once-beleaguered organization during a presentation at the 2016 AMA Annual Meeting in Chicago. He issued a passionate appeal for physicians to contribute to the VA’s colossal rebuilding effort.
“We desperately need physicians and have to make it an attractive place to work,” Dr. Shulkin, a ...
Source: AMA Wire - June 21, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Troy Parks Source Type: news
How students can thrive in the wards, from one who knows
Always be nice to the nurses. Mark Nolan Hill, MD, professor of surgery at Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University, had that and more advice for students as they prepare for their third year and the start of caring for patients.
“The nurses will save your butt,” Dr. Hill assured students at the 2016 AMA Annual Meeting earlier this month. “They can teach you—always be nice to the nurses.”
All about attitude
Nurses, along with residents, attending physicians and others, will loom large on the wards. But Dr. Hill spent much of his animated hourlong address focused on the crucial physician-patien...
Source: AMA Wire - June 20, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Amy Farouk Source Type: news
Why criminal justice should be part of fostering public health
Mass incarceration poses a threat to public health, fueling chronic disease and mental illness that physicians must address, according to a recent panel discussion.
A physician’s duty
Physicians have a duty to work for health justice for inmates, especially minors, said Nzinga Harrison, MD, a founder of Physicians for Criminal Justice Reform, an activist organization made up of academics, government officials, psychiatrists, neurologists and others.
Dr. Harrison and other panelists explained their efforts on behalf of health justice at a discussion held by the AMA Minority Affairs Section during the 2016 AMA Annual...
Source: AMA Wire - June 20, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Amy Farouk Source Type: news
40 years of shaping medical education
In 1976, the average cost of a new home was $43,400, Apple Computer Inc. was established, and an important group in medical education was just getting started.
A notable history
The AMA Academic Physicians Section (APS) is celebrating its 40th anniversary this month, and physicians who were a part of the group in its early years can tell of its strong history in shaping medical education and the practice of medicine.
From its beginning as the AMA Section on Medical Schools, this group of physician educators had high aspirations.
Within a few years of its founding, the section had played an important role in contrib...
Source: AMA Wire - June 20, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Amy Farouk Source Type: news
Senior physicians recognized for caring for the underserved
Four physicians are being recognized by the AMA Foundation for showing an extraordinary commitment to leadership, community service and care for those in need—each with decades of service that run the gamut from Ebola research to primary care. Find out who has been awarded this year’s honors.
Serving underserved international populations
The AMA Foundation presented this year’s Excellence in Medicine Awards to physicians June 10 at the 2016 AMA Annual Meeting in Chicago.
Jennifer A. Downs, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine and assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at the Center for Global ...
Source: AMA Wire - June 20, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Troy Parks Source Type: news
California joins growing opposition to insurer mergers
In a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the California Department of Insurance (CDI) Thursday urged the DOJ to block the Anthem-Cigna merger in California on the grounds that the merger would substantially lessen competition.
The call for a block is a major development given that California has the largest health insurance market in the nation and the CDI is nationally known for its expertise in health insurance regulation.
Why California said no
The CDI based its conclusion on the information obtained in a March 29 public hearing that included testimony and written comments from the public, patient advo...
Source: AMA Wire - June 17, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Troy Parks Source Type: news
Deeper dive into digital snake oil: Q&A with Dr. Madara
In his address to the AMA’s House of Delegates at the 2016 Annual Meeting last weekend, AMA CEO and Executive Vice President James L. Madara, MD, used the term “digital snake oil” to begin a critical conversation about emerging technologies in medicine. Following his remarks, he sat down with AMA Wire® for a follow-up conversation on what it means to separate the snake oil products from the products that improve patient care.
The premise of Dr. Madara’s remarks was that innovations in medicine must be validated, evidence-based, actionable and connected. For new technologies to reach their potential, they must ex...
Source: AMA Wire - June 17, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Troy Parks Source Type: news
Deeper dive into digital snake oil: Q & A with Dr. Madara
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Source: AMA Wire - June 17, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Troy Parks Source Type: news
Physicians elect AMA trustees, council members
In a daylong series of runoff and special elections, delegates at the 2016 AMA Annual Meeting Tuesday voted for officer positions—including president-elect, members for the AMA Board of Trustees, speaker and vice speaker of the AMA House of Delegates, and six seats on four councils.
Results of officer elections
Following a compelling debate by both candidates, David O. Barbe, MD, was voted president-elect of the AMA. Dr. Barbe is a family physician from Mountain Grove, Mo., and previously served as the chair of the AMA Board of Trustees. Following a year-long term as president-elect, Dr. Barbe will assume the office ...
Source: AMA Wire - June 16, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Troy Parks Source Type: news
