Quality Improvement Success Key to Hospitalist Professional Satisfaction
HM12 is the annual destination for hospitalists of all kinds. For Kendall Rogers, MD, SFHM, associate professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Hospital Medicine at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center in Albuquerque, it’s a chance to gain new energy and find new ideas. The Hospitalist caught up with the chair of SHM’s IT Core Committee and found out why he’s excited about next month’s annual meeting in San Diego.
Are you looking forward to going to HM12? Why?
Definitely. I enjoy the networking and breadth of topics and venues. The energy at the annual meeting always makes me remember why I chose hospital medicine as a career. I wouldn’t miss it.
What do you get out of the annual meeting that’s beneficial to your work?
New ideas. That is the primary take-home I get from every annual meeting.
All of us are trying to figure the same things out in our individual institutions. All of us do something well, and none of us do everything well. So this is the best place to learn from others and take those ideas back to your hospital.
Those already knee-deep in quality often do not have many others at their own site who are knowledgeable about more advanced aspects of QI, and the annual meeting is an opportunity to learn from others a little further up the road than you on this journey.
—Kendall Rogers, MD, SFHM
Why is the annual meeting important to hospitalists involved in quality improvement?
While quality improvement [QI] is the niche of hospital medicine, most hospitalists are not adept in this science. The annual meeting is an excellent venue for everyone to get up to speed on this necessary and vital aspect of the care we provide.
Those already knee-deep in quality often do not have many others at their own site who are knowledgeable about more advanced aspects of QI, and the annual meeting is an opportunity to learn from others a little further up the road than you on this journey.
QI managed poorly is frustrating for all involved. Training makes this much more successful. But even the best-executed projects are bound to hit some road bumps, and sometimes you just need to hear from those who have lived it already to keep from getting discouraged during those times. Successful quality projects add a new source of professional satisfaction to your job, and each project helps you—and your team—become more adept at completing them.
This is the one place that you can impact hundreds, if not thousands, of patients over time from a single intervention. What better use of your time is there?
At HM12, I would suggest quality and leadership courses for anyone interested in quality. You must have skills in both of these areas to be successful.
Brendon Shank is SHM’s associate vice president of communications.
