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JGIM Announces Medical Education Theme Issue

We are pleased to announce the on-line publication of JGIM's 2013 Medical Education Theme Issue.This issue offers a diverse overview of many of the key issues in medical education today including studies of the feasibility of new ambulatory care models and the role of satisfaction with continuity clinic experiences in career decisions; new perspectives on the impact of duty hour regulations; and a collection of contributions on different aspects of care transitions, a topic of much current discussion in medical education at all levels of training. We hope you enjoy reading these articles, and that many of you will take up the challenge to join these authors in helping medical education continue to advance to its fullest potential.

To view the issue, log in to SGIM as a member, choose JGIM online, and view the August 2013 issue.

The Building a Healthcare for the Future Act

Senators Jack Reed and Roy Blunt have introduced the bipartisan Building a Health Care Workforce for the Future Act (S. 1152) in the Senate to support the health care pipeline by improving access to the education and training necessary to enter a medical career.

As physicians, we understand the barriers that individuals face when considering a career in medicine, specifically general internal medicine. Medical students must enter the health care workforce and pursue careers in primary care. This bill addresses these issues by extending federal support to state sponsored scholarship programs for professional shortage areas and requiring awardees to practice in under-served areas for a designated length of time. It also encourages careers in medicine by providing medical schools with the funds they need to provide mentor programs to their students and to discover new ways to improve health care training. Finally, the bill will require the Institute of Medicine to look into ways to improve delivery efficiency by reducing the paperwork burden on physicians treating Medicare patients, allowing physicians to spend more time treating patients.

CLICK HERE TO WRITE YOUR SENATOR TODAY

HIE Use Decreases Repeat Imaging In Emergency Departments

Using health information exchange (HIE) can decrease repeated diagnostic imaging for back and head pain, according to research supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Researchers analyzed cases from Memphis area emergency departments to better understand the impact of HIE on repeated x-rays, CT scans, and other radiological studies. Doctors, nurses and other clinicians working in ERs did not frequently look up results through the HIE. However, when they did use the system to obtain prior results, there was a significant reduction in repeat testing. The study suggests that more research is needed to assess strategies to encourage providers to routinely access HIEs to determine if prior test results are available.

"Does health information exchange reduce unnecessary neuroimaging and improve quality of headache care in the emergency department?" appeared in the February issue of Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Select to access the abstract:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22648609.

"Health Information Exchange Reduces Repeated Diagnostic Imaging for Back Pain" appeared in the July issue of Annals of Emergency Medicine.

Select to access the abstract:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23465552

News from the Regions

MIDWEST
Save the date, Midwest SGIM! The 2013 Midwest SGIM Regional Meeting will be held on September 12-13, 2013 at the Navy Pier in Chicago, IL. This year's theme is "Accountable Care: Linking Research and Education to Clinical Practice" and our Keynote Speaker is Dr. Anne G. Pereira, Director of Graduate Medical Education at Hennepin County Medical Center.


MOUNTAIN WEST
Save the date, Mountain West SGIM! The 2013 Mountain West Regional Meeting will be held on Friday, October 25, 2013 at the University of Colorado Denver in Denver, CO. More details to follow in the coming weeks, including Call for Submissions and Registration information.

CALIFORNIA-HAWAII
Save the date, California-Hawaii SGIM! The 2014 SGIM Regional Meeting is currently scheduled for Friday, January 31st, 2014 at Stanford University's Li Ka Shing Center in Palo Alto, CA. This year's theme is "Innovation in General Medicine - Creating A Better Version of Health Care" and our Keynote Speaker will be Dr. Abraham Verghese, Professor of Theory and Practice of Medicine at Stanford and Senior Associate Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine. More details to follow in the coming weeks, including Call for Submissions and Registration information.


NORTHWEST
Save the date, Northwest SGIM! The 2014 Northwest Regional Meeting will be held on Friday, February 7, 2014 in Seattle, WA. More details to follow in the coming weeks.

SOUTHERN
Save the date, Southern SGIM! The 2014 Southern SGIM Regional Meeting is currently scheduled for February 20-22. 2014 in New Orleans, LA. More details to follow in the coming weeks, including the Call for Submissions and Registration information.

MID-ATLANTIC
Save the date, Mid-Atlantic SGIM! The 2014 Mid-Atlantic Regional Meeting will be held on Friday, March 14, 2014 at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, NY. More details to follow in the coming weeks.

NEW ENGLAND
Save the date, New England SGIM! The 2014 New England Regional Meeting will be held on Friday, March 7, 2014 at Harvard University in Boston, MA. More details to follow in the coming weeks.

Sincerely,

Francine Jetton

Society of General Internal Medicine