As part of its efforts to serve as a professional resource for clinicians in the private, academic and industry settings, the Society is hosting a different kind of symposium at ATS 2011. B91 “The Practice of Medicine: Insights and Updates” will take place from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Monday, May 16.
“Physicians are intensively trained in the practice and art of medicine, but most receive little or no training in the business of medicine,” said Michael Green, MD, MBA, chair of the Clinicians Advisory Committee, which is co-sponsoring the session with the Clinical Practice Committee. “However, all practicing physicians are required to operate in an environment where business is an integral part of their practice.”
The needed knowledge ranges from how to code and bill for their services—a process that is changed and updated every year—to how to management an office, buy equipment, contract with payers and decide on whether to offer new or additional services.
And while this gap in knowledge is great for many or even most practicing physicians, it is especially broad in the early years of practice. This symposium will address these gaps, giving those at the beginning of their careers the opportunity to learn new skills and allowing more experienced practitioners to stay abreast of the changing landscape of practice management.
What specifically will attendees learn? “As an example, every practicing physician in the United States is faced with the reality of being facile and compliant with Medicare and third-party payer practices—and the rules, regulations and subtleties of this practice change on a yearly basis,” said Stephen Hoffmann, chair of the Clinical Practice Committee, who will co-chair the symposium with Dr. Green. “But despite ongoing educational efforts, physician billing is still fraught with error.”
The best evidence for this, he adds, is the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ CERT program, which is designed to review services experiencing high error rates. In the most recent review in May 2008, pulmonary medicine had an error rate of 8.6 percent—the tenth highest.
In addition to covering issues related to coding and billing—such as how to apply new codes for pulmonary, critical care and sleep services—the symposium will teach attendees how to best integrate electronic medical records and electronic tools into their practice.
“This program will be especially useful for clinicians who have been in practice less than five years,” said Dr. Green, who is a staff physician with Pulmonary and Critical Care Consultants at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. “Our goal is to provide them with information, insights and tools that will allow them to have an efficient, effective and productive practice.”
This overarching goal is one that Drs. Green and Hoffmann hope to see grow at future ATS conferences. “ATS conferences offer the best clinical content, and we hope to continue to enhance the offerings for clinicians by adding valuable practice management content,” added Dr. Hoffmann, who is associate professor of medicine at The Ohio State University’s Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine.
Several other sessions will help attendees succeed by providing practical information about grant programs, leadership, product demonstrations, billing and coding information, and instructions on how to design a clinical trial.
Developing Leadership Skills
At PG30 “Leadership Workshop: Developing Skills to Advance Your Career and Improve Your Working Environment” from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 14, attendees will begin to acquire the skills that are necessary to transition from a “first job” to a leadership positions in practice, industry and academia, as well as improve job satisfaction, time management skills and productivity.
“The complexity of any work environment necessitates the use of interdisciplinary approaches and teamwork, promoting richer solutions to complex challenges and accelerating progress. And although these competencies apply to most, if not all, jobs and are often assumed to be present, they are not usually taught,” said 2011 International Conference Committee Chair Marc Moss, MD, of the University Colorado Denver, who will co-chair the course with James Beck, MD, of the University of Michigan, and Patricia Kritek, MD, EdM, of the University of Washington.
Healthcare Reform
A session from 2 to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 18, will highlight key aspects of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), which is transforming the financing, delivery affordability and access to healthcare for most Americans. However, the consequences for providers of pulmonary, critical care and sleep (P/CC/S) medicine and the ATS have only been partially explored.
D82 “The Implications of U.S. Healthcare Reform for Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine” will highlight key aspects of the PPACA with particular emphasis on access and delivery, financing, resource allocation and quality reporting/improvement relevant to ATS membership. International context and consideration of missed opportunities and future priorities for advancing policy to improve delivery, quality and manage cost for P/CC/S will be discussed.
“The transformation of the U.S. healthcare system under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a monumental undertaking, and it is already impacting professionals in pulmonary, critical care and sleep—whether they are clinically, administratively or research focused—as well as their patients and communities,” said Ivor Douglas, MD, chief of pulmonary sciences and critical care medicine at Denver Health, who will co-chair the session with Cynthia Gries, MD, MSc, of the University of Washington.
Watch for these Other Sessions
Saturday, May 14
8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
PG17 “Scientific Writing: Publishing for Academic Success”
Fellows, researchers and clinicians need practical information about scientific writing and publishing. This course is designed to provide investigators from various disciplines the tools necessary to prepare scientific manuscripts that are likely to be published. Course faculty will give an overview of the importance of reporting new science and teach participants about the elements of a manuscript, the responsibilities of authorship, journal selection and the peer review process. The afternoon will include interactive discussions with the faculty in small group breakout sessions.
8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
PG22 “Pulmonary and Critical Care Reviews: Built Around ABIM 2010 Modules (Updates) in Pulmonary and Critical Care”
Led by expert faculty, some of whom have served on the ABIM, this group learning session is designed around the ABIM Self-Evaluation Process (SEP) modules in pulmonary and critical care. This session will provide a convenient opportunity to complete two SEP modules and offers a valuable review for practicing physicians. Participants who are recertifying must purchase the ABIM SEP module from the ABIM. However, you need not be recertifying to participate.
Sunday, May 15
2 to 4:30 p.m.
A91 “Career Development Symposium: Transitioning to a Successful Academic Career, Part II”
This symposium aims to equip audience members with practical tools that will enhance the likelihood of achieving academic success, including academic career development and promotion. Critical areas of discussion will include being an effective mentee; best practices for mentoring; writing, submitting and re-submitting manuscripts; grantsmanship; establishing an educational portfolio; and achieving work-life balance.