The number one priority of the Washington State Medical Association (WSMA) is to make Washington a better place to practice medicine and to receive care. Improving the quality of care in our state is of utmost important to the WSMA and our physician members.
Read WSMA Preceptor which is our 4-page quarterly publication on news and comment. Our goal with Preceptor is to better inform physicians and practice managers about the emerging performance, costs and quality measurements that are becoming integral to health care. This link is password-protected.
Survey shows hospital patients satisfied
with some aspects of care, dissatisfied
with other aspects
The first-ever
nationwide hospital quality survey by the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
found that 67%
of patients said they
would “definitely recommend”
the facility
in which they received
treatment to friends
and relatives and that
63% gave their hospitals
a nine or 10 rating
on a scale of zero to 10.
However, many patients reported being
dissatisfied with some aspect of their care,
the survey found, from noisy rooms at
night to a lack of instructions at discharge.
The survey was released on March 28.
Randomly selected patients at more than
2,500 hospitals nationwide completed a
questionnaire from October 2006 to June
2007. The survey asked 27 questions, such
as how well physicians, nurses and other
hospital providers handled complaints of
pain, how well they listened to patients
and whether they treated patients with
respect. The online results also show hospitals’
performance on a number of clinical
measures.
Alternative Therapy
Alternative Therapies—report
by the WSMA Executive Committee. This material includes
links to websites which contain information about alternative
therapies which physicians may find informative. (Coming soon.)
Clinical Laboratory Advisory Council
(CLAC): Practice Guidelines Practice guidelines as provided by Washington State Clinical Laboratory Advisory Council.
Genetics Testing
The AMA is offering Genetics in Clinical Practice: A Team
Approach, an Interactive Medical Laboratory Virtual Clinic.
This CD-ROM is now available at no cost to physicians and
other health care professionals that have an interest in
clinical genetics.
The program content focuses on simulated patients, who
have - or are at risk of developing - four different diseases.
It covers the assessment and counseling of patients; provides
case-based learning, which allows you to explore the medical
and psychosocial dimensions of genetic counseling; and includes
mini-lectures from experts in the field. A patient interview
feature allows users to hear how genetic conditions (breast
cancer, myotonic dystrophy, sickle cell anemia and osteogenesis
imperfecta) have affected the lives and families of real
patients.
Limited copies of the CD-ROM are available. Send an email
request that includes your name, shipping address and telephone
number.
Medical Marijuana
In November 1998, Washington voters passed Initiative 692
regarding the use of marijuana for certain terminal or debilitating
conditions. The initiative became law on December 3, 1998.
Medical Treatment Guidelines
The Department of Labor and Industries published Medical
Treatment Guidelines, which cover 21 conditions, as
an educational tool for medical providers treating injured
workers.
Pain Management
The AMA's complimentary Pain Management continuing medical
education series is available online.
Pain is a symptom encountered by every physician, crossing
all medical specialties. According to the American Pain
Society, 50 million people are partially or totally disabled
by pain and 45% of all Americans seek care for persistent
pain at some time in their lives.
Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement
The American Medical Association (AMA)-convened Physician
Consortium for Performance Improvement® (Consortium) is
committed to enhancing quality of care and patient safety
by taking the lead in the development, testing, and maintenance
of twenty-seven
evidence-based clinical performance measures and measurement
resources for physicians. The Consortium is comprised
of over 100 national medical specialty and state medical
societies; the Council of Medical Specialty Societies; American
Board of Medical Specialties and its member-boards; experts
in methodology and data collection; the Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality; and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services.
Physicians Desk Reference - MobilePDR (TM)
- free download
Clinicians with a Palm Pilot, Compaq IPAQ or other PDA can
now download "mobilePDR" for free, gaining instant access
to concise drug information for the 1,500 most prescribed
drugs.
WISHA Occupational Health and Safety
Guidelines and Sample Policies for Medical Office—manual
You may order the WISHA Occupational Health and Safety Guidelines and Sample Policies for Medical Office
online.
The WSMA has developed its second edition of WISHA
Occupational Health And Safety Guidelines and Sample Polices
for Medical Office Manual. The manual, designed to save
physicians and their staff time doing research and writing
policy and procedure manuals, includes: A summary of regulations
pertaining to blood-borne pathogens, hazardous communication
and accident prevention, a Sample Policies and Procedures
Manual available in hard copy and electronic format that
can be used as a template for developing your own manual
quickly and easily, WISHA Regional Directive 11.40, as well
as other resources to help your practice comply with these
regulations.
All practices in Washington state are required to comply
with the Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act (WISHA)
and its regulations (this law requires medical practices
to have policies in place addressing accident prevention,
hazard communications, and blood-borne pathogens). Failure
to comply with the law and regulations can result in serious
fines and penalties.
While these laws and regulations have been in place for
several years, the Needle-stick Safety and Prevention Act
resulted in new requirements for medical practices. The
new regulations require offices to incorporate a process
to identify and use safer devices in their blood-borne pathogen
policies and procedures.
