Most common unprofessional behaviors by hospitalists
A recent study of hospitalists identified the most common forms of unprofessional behavior in the profession. They are: having nonmedical or personal conversations in patient corridors; ordering a routine test as urgent to expedite care; signing out a patient over the phone when it could have been done in person; and making fun of other physicians to colleagues. Although unprofessional behavior by hospitalists is rare, according to the study published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine, "educational interventions could be tailored toward hospitalists with certain job types or personal characteristics."
Nearly 30% of on-call physicians say they get daily stipends
Almost 30 percent of physicians responding to a survey about on-call compensation said they receive a daily stipend for the work. The survey by the Medical Group Management Association found that daily stipends range from a median of $1,500 for anesthesiologists to $1,000 for physicians in internal medicine and $650 for noninvasive cardiologists. Compensation can vary depending on medical group type and location. Steven Strode, a survey advisory committee member, says many other factors impact compensation, and "access to benchmark information is crucial to support a fair and fact-based setting of call rates."
New flu vaccination standards for hospital staff kicked in this month
A report issued in June by the Joint Commission describes new requirements that all accredited organizations establish an annual flu vaccination program for staff and licensed independent practitioners who provide on-site services. The revised standard took full effect July 1 for hospitals and long-term care providers and will be phased in for other providers over the next year. Among other changes, it requires accredited organizations to measure and improve staff vaccination rates and set incremental goals for achieving 90 percent coverage by 2020. Visit www.jointcommission.org/r3_issue3/
