Most hospitals want pediatricians to become board certified before gaining hospital privileges, according to a University of Michigan study published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
Researchers compared the results of a study first conducted in 2005 with a 2010 study to determine the changes in hospital policies regarding board certifications for pediatricians. During that time, the number of hospitals that required board-certified pediatricians grew from 67 percent to 80 percent.
They also found that more hospitals are incorporating the American Board of Pediatrics' Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program into their privileging policies.
The increase represents a trend by hospitals to use external quality measures, Gary L. Freed, M.D., professor of pediatrics and child health policy at the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and lead author of the study, said in a statement.
"More and more, hospitals need a way to differentiate themselves from their peers and competitors and to ensure the public's trust in the quality of their care," says Freed. "More hospitals are requiring their pediatricians to be board certified in an effort to maintain and promote the care they offer."
While the number of hospitals requiring pediatrician certification did increase in the five-year span, the researchers also found that more hospitals were also making exceptions to this policy. Exceptions included grandfathering physicians who had hospital privileges prior to the change or giving recent graduates the time to obtain board certification.
Meanwhile, new research by CMEology shows that continuing medical education can save significant costs to the healthcare system, even when some doctors change their practice as a result of what they learned.
That study evaluated the economic impact when cardiac and thoracic surgeons applied learning from a CME activity about the prevention of bleeding-related complications. The model base case predicted what would happen if 30 percent of learners prevented bleeding complications in 2 percent of their annual surgeries. The savings estimates ranged from $1.5 to $2.7 million.
"With the changing nature of healthcare economics, there was a need to communicate the benefits of CME, and everyone understands costs," said Dana Ravyn, scientific director and senior a analyst at CMEology in an announcement.
To learn more:
- read the University of Michigan study
- see the UofMHealth.org statement
- check out the CME research
- read the CME announcement
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