Society of Hospital Medicine Creates Self-Assessment Tool for Hospitalist Groups
Are you looking to improve your hospital medicine group (HMG)? Would you like to measure your group against other groups?
The February 2013 issue of the Journal of Hospital Medicine included a seminal article for our specialty, “The Key Principles and Characteristics of an Effective Hospital Medicine Group: an assessment guide for hospitals and hospitalists.” This paper has received a vast amount of attention around the country from hospitalists, hospitalist leaders, HMGs, and hospital executives. The report (www.hospitalmedicine.org/keychar) is a first step for physicians and executives looking to benchmark their practices, and it has stimulated discussions among many HMGs, beginning a process of self-review and considering action.
I am coming up on my 20th year as a hospitalist, and the debate over what makes a high-performing HMG has continued that entire time. In the beginning, there were questions about the mere existence of hospital medicine and HMGs. The discussion about what makes a high-performing HMG started among the physicians, medical groups, and hospitals that signed on early to the HM movement. At conferences, HMG leaders debated how to set up a program. A series of pioneer hospitalists, many with only a few years of experience, roamed the country as consultants giving advice on best practices. A professional society, the National Association of Inpatient Physicians, was born and, later, recast as the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM)—and the discussion continued.
SHM furthered the debate with such important milestones as The Core Competencies in Hospital Medicine: A Framework for Curriculum Development, white papers on career satisfaction and hospitalist involvement in quality/safety and transitions of care. Different types of practice arrangements developed. Some were hospital-based, some physician practice-centered. Some were local, and others were regional and national. Each of these spawned innovations in HMG processes and contributed to the growing body of best practices.
Over the past five years, a consensus regarding those best practices has seemingly developed, and the discussions are centered on fine details rather than significant differences. To that end, approximately three years ago, a small group of SHM members met and discussed how to capture this information and disseminate it better among hospitalists, HMGs, and hospitals. We had all come to a similar conclusion—high-performing HMGs share common characteristics. Furthermore, every hospital and HMG seeks excellence, striving to be the best that they can be. We settled on a plan to write this up.
After a year of debate, we sought SHM’s help in the development phase and, in early 2012, SHM’s board of directors appointed a workgroup to identify the key principles and characteristics of an effective HMG. The initial group was widened to make sure we included different backgrounds and experiences in hospital medicine. The group had a wide array of involvement in HMG models, including HMG members, HMG leaders, hospital executives, and some involved in consulting. Many of the individuals had multiple experiences. The conversation among these individuals was lively!
The workgroup developed an initial draft of characteristics, which then went through a multi-step process of review and redrafting. More than 200 individuals, representing a broad group of stakeholders in hospital medicine and in the healthcare industry in general, provided comments and feedback. In addition, the workgroup went through a two-step Delphi process to consolidate and/or eliminate characteristics that were redundant or unnecessary.
