ABQAURP News
NEW Sub-Specialty Certification for Physician Advisors!
Health Care Quality and Management (HCQM) Certification
The American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians, Inc. (ABQAURP) is pleased to announce our formal alliance and collaboration with the American College of Physician Advisors, Inc. (ACPA).
ABQAURP and ACPA formed the alliance to offer the first Physician Advisor sub-specialty for the HCQM certification exam. The HCQM certification and new sub-specialty align with ACPA’s mission to promote and expand the prominent role of the Physician Advisor in today’s rapidly changing health care environment through education, certification, mentorship, and collaboration; as well as ABQAURP’s mission to improve the overall quality of health care that is provided to the consuming public.
ACPA President, Ronald J. Rejzer, MD, CHCQM, says, “This will allow ACPA to offer its membership a meaningful and formal Board Certification process with a sub-specialty option for Physician Advisors.” He also adds, “Now ACPA membership, with the added qualifications of a HCQM Board certification and the sub-specialty designation (Physician Advisor), will augment any physician’s qualifications for a leadership role as a Physician Advisor, quality and utilization medical director, or many other related positions. It is a great honor to collaborate with an established and prestigious organization such as ABQAURP, and we look forward to a long-term relationship as we continue to provide quality healthcare education and certification for our future healthcare leaders.”
Arthur I. Broder, MD, CHCQM, FABQAURP, Chairman of the Board of Directors at ABQAURP added, “We are truly excited about this new collaboration and expect many great things to come. It is through joint ventures like this that we break new ground, forge greater relationships, and increase health care quality and patient safety, leading ultimately to better, safer care for our patients.”
Additionally, ABQAURP and ACPA members may receive discounts on the HCQM exam, Core Body of Knowledge (CBK) course, and membership with both organizations. Details are available at www.abqaurp.org and www.ACPAdvisors.org.
The Physician Advisor sub-specialty is available to physicians that are current ABQAURP Diplomates or HCQM exam candidates; it is endorsed by the ACPA and will only be awarded to physicians who have first achieved certification in HCQM (CHCQM) and met additional sub-specialty requirements established and approved by ABQAURP and ACPA. HCQM certification is recognized as a benchmark of professional achievement in quality and patient safety practices and is the only HCQM certification developed and administered through the National Board of Medical Examiners® (NBME®).*
It’s not too late!
We are accepting applications for the 2015 HCQM Exam through June 30, 2015
Exam Window: August 15 – October 15, 2015
Don’t delay, seating is limited!
Quality Conundrums
Patient Age: A Quality Conundrum?
How often do we start a clinical note or presentation with the language, “Mrs. Smith is an x-year-old ….”? We violate societal norms against asking or sharing a lady’s age because we believe that the value of the information exceeds the downside of sharing it.
Last week, I saw three economically disadvantaged 62-year-old ladies in the same session.
The first, Susie, is a vivacious, former New Yorker who recently retired to the shore. She wears trendy clothing, pays close attention to all preventive and other recommended healthcare services, maintains an ideal body weight and active lifestyle, and takes her one prescribed medication for long term depression religiously. She is concerned on this visit with possible loss of libido and whether there is a medical reason (or solution) for this. She also thinks it might just be the available men.
The second, who we’ll call Mrs. Ramirez, speaks with an accent and is happy to report that she had her thumb fixed/injected in Mexico when she last went home. She reminds me that ‘home’ is actually in Texas, and that the Mexican city she visits for affordable care is just across the border. She sports a trendy new haircut and reports that she continues to work hard at her usual restaurant job. Her job-related shoulder pain is managed with occasional Ibuprofen. She does not feel that she needs anything else.
Jane is the third. She is disheveled, dirty, not taking any of her medication properly nor following any other recommendations. She refuses badly needed psychiatric follow up. She and her husband are both unemployed (he has turned down at least one job offer he didn’t like). They are soon to be homeless. None of her four children will take her in. She is very angry with me when I am unable to provide free housing vouchers. She is not eligible for most social services because she has not lived in the state long enough; she refuses to return to her prior home.
Does starting the clinical conversation with the patient’s age actually provide useful information or does patient age set up an expectation bias that does the patient a disservice? My three ladies made me wonder.
Please send inquiries and comments to abqaurp@abqaurp.org; please include Quality Column in the subject line. We look forward to your participation in this column.
Prepare Now!
CORE BODY OF KNOWLEDGE ONLINE COURSE 20 CME/CE Hours!
ABQAURP’s HCQM certification covers an immense scope of content and topics. To aid you in your preparation, the Core Body of Knowledge online course is designed to focus on key concepts and elements of HCQM. Utilize this tool to build upon your existing skills and knowledge and possibly discover new content to enhance your experience in quality health care. Completing this course now will meet the educational requirements for the 2015 exam.
Please call Barbara Morris at: (800) 998-6030, extension 116, or visit our website (www.abqaurp.org) for more information on certification and preparation.
IS YOUR MEDICAL EDUCATION ACCREDITED?
ABQAURP welcomes applications for joint providership of educational activities for continuing education credit. ABQAURP accredits a variety of activities, including live activities, enduring materials, and more.
ABQAURP is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to sponsor continuing medical education for physicians and is accredited by the Florida Board of Nursing to sponsor nursing contact hours. As an accredited provider, ABQAURP is here to work with each joint provider organization to ensure the accreditation process runs as smoothly as possible. Benefits of working with ABQAURP include: one-on-one assistance, on-site assistance, contact for speakers and commercial supporters, evaluation compilation, one-time mailing list to drive attendance, website placement, and advertising in Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare magazine.
For more information, please call Deborah Naser at (800) 998-6030, ext. 118.
A Special Thank You to ABQAURP’s Attendees, Faculty, and Board of Directors for a successful Annual Conference!
A sincere thank you to all who attended our 38th Annual Health Care Quality and Patient Safety Conference, High Quality and Affordable Care through Accountability, on April 17th in Houston, Texas.
If you missed the conference, watch for the self-study versions being released soon!
Save the Date – 2016 Annual Conference will be April 15, 2016 in Tampa, Florida!
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ABQAURP wants to recognize members for their achievements in advancing the field of health care quality management and patient safety. Please send your news to ABQAURP by email to feature@abqaurp.org for consideration. |