Today’s Top Story
Combatting physician burnout as an organizational issue.
An article published online in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings suggests nine organizational strategies to help reduce physician burnout. The writers note that studies suggest that at least 50 percent of physicians in the United States have experienced professional burnout—a condition characterized by exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced effectiveness. Anti-burnout strategies outlined in the article include:

  • Recognizing the behaviors of leaders that can increase or decrease burnout
  • Using a systems approach to develop targeted interventions to improve efficiency and reduce clerical work
  • Cultivating community at work
  • Assessing whether the organizations actions are aligned with the stated values and mission
  • Implementing organizational practices and policies that promote flexibility and work-life balance
  • Providing resources to help individuals promote self-care

“Although burnout is a system issue, most institutions operate under the erroneous framework that burnout and professional satisfaction are solely the responsibility of the individual physician,” the writers note. “…There is a strong business case for organizations to invest in efforts to reduce physician burnout and promote engagement.” Read more…
Read the complete article…

Other News

Study: Statin initiation linked to reduction in mortality risk for patients with ankylosing spondylitis or psoriatic arthritis.
Findings presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology and the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals suggest that initiation of statin treatment may be associated with reduced risk of mortality for patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) or psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The research team performed an incident user cohort study of 2,904 patients with either AS or PsA who initiated statins and 2,904 propensity matched-comparators with AS or PsA who did not initiate statins. They found that 271 patients in the statins cohort had died at a mean 5.3-year follow-up compared to 376 patients in the non-statin cohort at a mean 5.15-year follow-up. Overall, the research team found that statin initiation was associated with a 33 percent reduction of all-cause mortality. Read more…
Read the abstract…

CMS launches tool to help clinicians share data under Medicare Quality Payment Program.
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released an online tool to help clinicians automatically share electronic data under the Medicare Quality Payment Program. The tool is a programming interface designed to make it easier for organizations to integrate with the existing Quality Payment program website. Developers may use the tool to write software to retrieve and maintain the Quality Payment Program’s measures and then build applications for clinicians and their practices. Read more…

NFL report notes conflicts of interest; argues team physicians should not report to teams.
A report to the National Football League (NFL) from Harvard University identifies potential conflicts of interest among team medical staffs and, among other things, advocates for a revamped system under which members of the staff would no longer report to team management or coaches. The researchers conducted a comprehensive analysis of legal and ethical obligations of various stakeholders that may influence the health of NFL players and that offers 76 recommendations, including:

  • The adoption or improvement of codes of ethics for various stakeholders, including club physicians, athletic trainers, coaches, contract advisors, and financial advisors
  • Efforts to scientifically and reliably establish the health risks and benefits of playing professional football
  • Increased investment in player health issues
  • Increased support for players to obtain a second medical opinion
  • Placing players diagnosed with a concussion on a short-term injured reserve list should not count against the Active/Inactive 53-man roster until the players are cleared to play by the Concussion Protocol

“The current arrangement under which a team’s medical staff, including doctors and athletic trainers, have responsibility both to the players and to the club presents an inherent structural conflict of interest,” the researchers write. “A division of responsibilities between two distinct groups of medical professionals is needed to minimize such conflict and ensure that players receive medical care that is as unbiased and uninfluenced by competing interests as possible. Care and treatment should be provided by one set of medical professionals,” with evaluation of players for business purposes conducted by a separate set of medical personnel. Read more…
Read the report summary…
Read the complete report…

Alabama.
WBRC reports that the Alabama State Board of Medical Examiners is considering a new rule that would require physicians to check the state’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) before writing prescriptions for certain controlled substances, including opioids. Supporters of the move argue that it could reduce the incidence of prescription pill abuse. The Alabama PDMP has collected prescription information since 2006. Currently, the state does not require physicians to consult the database prior to prescribing. Read more…
Read the proposed rule (PDF)…

California.
The California Medical Association reports that the Supreme Court of California has ruled that health plans cannot absolve themselves of responsibility to pay claims for emergency care by noncontracted providers by delegating that responsibility to a risk-bearing organization that it knows—or should have known—to be financially insolvent. At issue was a case in which out-of-network healthcare providers who were left unpaid for emergency medical care when a risk-bearing organization (RBO) contracted by health plans to pay insurance claims to providers went insolvent in 2010. Plaintiffs in the case argued that the plans continued to send patients to the RBO when they knew or should have known of its financial distress and impending insolvency. Read more…
Read the ruling (PDF)…

Volunteers needed to help develop AUC for management of hip OA.
The Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) Section seeks AAOS fellows to serve on the writing panel for the Management of Osteoarthritis (OA) of the Hip AUC. The writing panel is responsible for constructing a comprehensive patient factors list and a treatment list for OA of the hip. Writing panel members will be required to construct and review materials, correspond with AAOS staff electronically, and participate in approximately 5 to 10 conference calls that span 1 to 3 months to produce the AUC materials. Members should have experience treating patients for OA of the hip. Nominees for the writing panel may have relevant conflicts and will be required to complete the AAOS conflict of interest enhanced disclosure form online. To participate, please contact Mary DeMars by Monday, Dec. 5, 2016, at: demars@aaos.org