HM10 PREVIEW: Divide & Conquer

The Hospitalist. 2010 March;2010(03):

March 1, 2010 | The Hospitalist

Femi Adewunmi, MD, MBA, FHM, has been to five SHM annual meetings, and has attended three pre-courses in that time. As medical director of the hospitalist service at Johnston Medical Center in Smithfield, N.C., he has found the learning sessions on practice management and billing and coding to be the most helpful. He recommends both to first-timers looking to accumulate real-world tips they can apply to their HM practices.

There is “a constant battle that we face trying to justify why you’re asking for more resources,” Dr. Adewunmi says. “To be able to do that convincingly, you need to be able to demonstrate your worth. … For people who have never gone to any of the pre-courses, any of them are a great tool. The amount of knowledge you come away with is pretty phenomenal. You’re given the little nuggets you need to do whatever you need to do.”

Dr. Bossard, a member of Team Hospitalist, estimates he’s been to 10 of the 13 annual meetings. He usually travels with colleagues and makes sure to coordinate educational tracks before the conference begins so that the group avoids redundancy by splitting up sessions.

“Divide and conquer,” Dr. Bossard adds. “We always bring it back to our group in smaller, bullet-type fashion. We all get a taste of sessions we weren’t able to attend.”

Barnes agrees that planning ahead is the key to success. “Do it based on what your primary role is,” she says. “Is your primary role research? Are you an academic hospitalist? Do you have an important role leading quality initiatives? Are you a group leader? At the end of the day, you can follow a track all the way down or you can jump across tracks—whatever is appealing.”

Richard Quinn is a freelance writer based in New Jersey.

PHOTO MATT FENSTERMACHER

How to Get the Most Out of HM10

Plan ahead. Read the program or view it online as soon as possible to plan out which sessions make the most sense for you to attend. “It takes probably 10 minutes to pick out where you want to be and another five or 10 minutes to pick out another few options,” Dr. Bossard says. “In a half-hour, you should really be able to know what you’re doing.”
Sign up for a pre-course. Aside from the increased CME credits available this year, HM leaders say they often glean at least a handful of practical tips to bring back home. Two new offerings this year focus on career tips for younger hospitalists and neurology.
Sign up for a workshop. SHM will debut 18 workshops at this year’s conference. Seating is limited to 100 physicians for each session; early registration is recommended.
Make the rounds. In recent years, the conference has added small-group “special-interest forums” and a Town Hall discussion that includes direct access to SHM board members and executive staff.
Visit the exhibit hall. Vendors help keep conference costs down, and many offer unique and practical giveaways. This year, the exhibit hall will feature breakfast and lunch on Saturday, and offer prizes to conventioneers during breaks.
Be a little forward. “Don’t be afraid to strike a conversation with someone,” Barnes says. “Take advantage of that networking and mentorship opportunity, the ability to ask questions of the faculty.”—RQ