Revisiting the ‘Key Principles and Characteristics of an Effective Hospital Medicine Group'

The Hospitalist. 2016 March;2016(03):

March 10, 2016 | The Hospitalist

In addition, there is a new tool intended for use by hospitalist practice administrators that cross-references the Key Characteristics with another tool, The Core Competencies for a Hospitalist Practice Administrator. TH

Dr. Whitcomb is Chief Medical Officer of Remedy Partners. He is co-founder and past president of SHM. Email him at wfwhit@comcast.net.

References

Cawley P, Deitelzweig S, Flores L, et al. The key principles and characteristics of an effective hospital medicine group: an assessment guide for hospitals and hospitalists. J Hosp Med. 2014;9(2):123-128.
Bradley EH, Brewster A, Curry L. National campaigns to reduce readmissions: what have we learned? The Commonwealth Fund website. Available at: commonwealthfund.org/publications/blog/2015/oct/national-campaigns-to-reduce-readmissions. Accessed December 28, 2015.

Table 1. The Key Principles and Characteristics of an Effective Hospital Medicine Group (HMG)1

The HMG:

Has effective leadership.
Has engaged hospitalists.
Has adequate resources.
Has an effective planning and management infrastructure.
Is aligned with the hospital and/or health system.
Supports care coordination across care settings.
Plays a leadership role in addressing key clinical issues in the hospital and/or health system: teaching, quality, safety, efficiency, and the patient/family experience.
Takes a thoughtful and rational approach to its scope of clinical activities.
Has implemented a practice model that is patient- and family-centered, is team-based, and emphasizes effective communication and care coordination.
Recruits and retains qualified clinicians.