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Hospital Medicine SIG

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Current Events

QI: Learn more about the VIP network Click Here
Education: The PHM Roundtable Education Taskforce created a central repository of resources for all of the topics listed in the PHM Core Competencies.
- The repository can be accessed at http://sites.google.com/site/phmeducationresources/home.
- The core competencies themselves are available at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jhm.v5.2s/issuetoc.
- The APA's Educational Scholars Program description can be accessed through Educational Scholars Program Description. Click here to see a list of Hospitalists involved in the APA's Educational Scholars Program and their project titles.
Fellowships: For the latest list of Hospital Medicine fellowships as of August 2012, click here. For additional information on existing fellowship programs, check out the APA Fellows Corner and the AAP SOHM listing.
Research: Learn more about the PRIS network at www.prisnetwork.org
Strategic Planning (STP) Committee Activities: The STP Committee has recently issued an update on their work examining the pros/cons of each training/certification option for the field of pediatric hospital medicine. Review the STP summary of methods to learn more about the general approach they took. See the pros/cons list for the training/certification options the STP Committee reviewed, including Residency track, Extra training, No change, Focus of practice, and Fellowship, here. Finally, visit the STP blog (see blog site information for instructions) to see the public conversation and leave a public comment. Private comments to the STP Committee can be directed to PHM.StrategicPlanning@gmail.com or the Hospital Medicine SIG Co-Chairs.
Joint Council: Through collaborative efforts of our three core societies (the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Academic Pediatric Association, and the Society of Hospital Medicine), we have created our annual tri-sponsored conference, have supported the development of our robust PRIS research network, and continue to foster activities in education, quality collaboratives, work force and practice management. Building on this foundation, and in an effort to formalize the roles and relationships with our core societies to better coordinate efforts on behalf of all of us and our patients and families, the Joint Council of Pediatric Hospital Medicine governance document was created. It was reviewed and is supported by the leadership of the core societies and was presented for discussion at the July Pediatric Hospital Medicine meeting in Kansas City.

Upcoming Meetings:

Hospital Medicine 2013 sponsored by the Society of Hospital Medicine - May 16-19, 2013 in National Harbor, Maryland
Pediatric Hospital Medicine 2013 - August 1-4, 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana
Click here for more information
Click here to register

June 2013 Newsletter Article

Highlights from SIG meeting at PAS
Once again the SIG drew a large energetic group. During the open hour breakout sessions, the education, QI, and research groups had lots of energy. These sessions are key for networking and helping new members find a niche, but we would love feedback about how to structure them more effectively. We know we need a bigger room and will work with APA again on that for next year. The second hour was highlighted by an acknowledgement of Tamara Simon's impactful service to the PRIS network and HM SIG, and by brief words from the multiple Educational and Research Scholars in attendance. The third hour included updates from the April meeting with PHM leaders and the ABP detailed below, and then a robust panel discussion about the impact of PHM fellowship training and possible accreditation. Other highlights of the meeting included the bus tour of Washington sites and a separate tour of Children's National. We will look to repeat such opportunities to mingle at future PAS meetings. Finally, we would encourage you to consider submitting proposals for invited science relevant to PHM to PAS. The deadline for this is coming up on June 28th.

APA HM SIG Co-Chair Election
We are excited to announce our newly elected SIG co-chair, Dr. Karen Smith from Children's National in DC. We had three excellent candidates this year with a diversity of interests and accomplishments. This was our second election, and we are pleased that the APA is leading the way in terms of transparency in the process of selecting national leaders for our field. SIG Co-Chairs serve on the Planning Committee for the annual PHM meeting and JCPHM, so for those of you looking to extend your "voice" nationally, we would encourage you to consider throwing your hat into ring next spring.

American Board of Pediatrics National Pediatric Hospital Medicine Leaders Conference On April 4-5 a meeting sponsored by the Foundation of the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) brought national leaders within the community and university PHM universe, including most of the members of the Joint Council of Pediatric Hospital Medicine (JCPHM), together with representatives of the ABP and other invited experts to discuss options and next steps in the potential recognition of PHM as a subspecialty credentialed by the ABP. The meeting included an overview of the information painstakingly gathered through the STP process that has been shared at the past two annual PHM meetings by STP co-chairs, Drs. Suzanne Swanson-Mendez and Chris Maloney. Shared information included: a summary of the ABP process for new subspecialties from Dr. Gail McGuiness; an analysis of current workforce trends using data from those sitting for Pediatric boards and from health services research; and, an overview of the ongoing Recognition of Focused Practice in Hospital Medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine.In addition, we heard about the impending changes to the structure of Pediatric Residency from ACGME/Peds RRC chair, Dr. Joe Gilhooly, reprising some of the information he discussed at last summer's PHM meeting during his plenary address.

After the initial afternoon of presentations and an evening of informal discussion, the pediatric hospitalists in attendance were lead through an open dialog by facilitator Dr. Steven Ludwig to discuss options going forward and to reach some consensus decisions. Dr. Erin Stucky, chair of the JCPHM, led off the deliberations with a call to focus on two key issues: the future care of hospitalized children and the public trust in the providers of that care. A summary of these deliberations has been posted on all PHM-society listservs and there is an ongoing conversation on the STP blog (STPcommittee.blogspot.com). Further, you are encouraged to submit questions to the JCPHM gmail account (jointcouncilPHM@gmail.com).

The nearly unanimous consensus of the deliberating group was that PHM should pursue ABP recognition as a subspecialty through a 2-year post-residency clinical fellowship. Several key details lead to this consensus:

While not guaranteed, the ABP is considering modifying the mandate for 3-year fellowships and may look favorably on a 2-year proposal.
Trends in this country show more pediatric residents expressing interest in PHM careers and more children being cared for in hospitals staffed with pediatric hospitalists.
ACGME modifications to pediatric residency training, specifically the new 6 months of individualized training, are not intended to produce graduates with specialized skills in hospital medicine (or other specific focus).
Wisdom and insight from the Pediatric Emergency Medicine community that their move to subspecialty certification helped solidify a body of knowledge and scholarship that has dramatically improved the care of children in emergency departments.
Strong evidence base from health services literature, and strong consensus among attendees, that there is already a gap between the skills of pediatric residency graduates and the skills needed by practicing pediatric hospitalists. The several community pediatric hospitalists in attendance agreed with this sense. Further, the belief was this gap would continue to grow going forward.
While still an incomplete experiment, the early sense of the ABIM Focus of Practice experience has been disappointing. An insight that Dr. Bob Wachter hinted at during his keynote address at last summer's PHM meeting.
Strong consensus from 2012 annual PHM meeting audience-response process that the current status quo is not acceptable.

Next steps: the JCPHM is seeking further commentary on these decisions via listservs, email, and blogs. Concurrently, JCPHM is engaging other key stakeholders in this process including leaders of our three core societies (AAP, APA and SHM,), pediatric department chairs, and the community pediatric hospitalist community through several webinars. The APA PHM SIG Co-Chairs met with the APA Board during PAS and the Board was quite supportive in principle and will be prepared with a formal written response to ABP when that time comes. Please stay tuned and engaged as this process moves forward. Do not hesitate to contact any of the SIG Co-Chairs with questions or email the JCPHM directly
(jointcouncilPHM@gmail.com).

Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM) 2013, New Orleans
The annual PHM meeting is scheduled for August 1-4, 2013 in New Orleans, LA. This year we celebrate our 10th anniversary! Make plans now for the premier gathering of your colleagues from across the spectrum of our field.

Highlights from the planning committee include Society for Pediatric Sedation Provider Course and the Pediatric Fundamentals of Critical Care Support course that is offered by the Society of Critical Care Medicine before the conference; a new community hospitalist track, an early career track and many more workshops, platforms, posters, and conundrums.

Important dates to remember

Pediatric Hospital Medicine 2013-August 1-4, New Orleans, LA
Pediatric Education Excellence across the Continuum (PEEAC) Conference October 4-5, Arlington, VA

Please take advantage of these opportunities for personal and professional growth and to contribute to advancements in Pediatric Hospital Medicine.

SIG Co-Chairs:
Vineeta Mittal
Vineeta.Mittal@childrens.com

Jeff Simmons
jeffrey.simmons@cchmc.org

Karen Smith
ksmith@cnmc.org

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