In June 2013 the AAHPM board approved the following priorities, including the addition of a senior level staff position fully dedicated to overseeing workforce, leadership, and academic initiatives for the Academy.
General
1. Addition of 1.0 FTE staff position (Director level) dedicated to workforce, leadership and Academic initiatives. One clear outcome of the workgroups is the recognition of the growing needs related to these areas. There is complexity with many stakeholders and much to gain with more Academy focus dedicated to workforce and leadership. This position would align one senior level staff person for each of the five strategic areas of AAHPM.
2. Assess and propose partnerships with other stakeholders (such as ASCO and AGS) to advocate for and promote educational innovations to address common workforce challenges, to partner on MOC activities, and to partner on data collection efforts.
3. Prioritize recommendations and develop implementation plan, timeline and clear delineation of assigned staff and committees.
4. Increase communication, information sharing and documentation related to certification requirements and fellowship training options with Academy leaders, members and between key contacts within external organizations.
5. Ensure ongoing workforce initiatives align with strategic plan goals and related governance structure.
6. Identify opportunities for increased engagement, collaboration and reporting regarding workforce issues and initiatives among Academy leadership (Board, SCC Chairs, senior staff and others).
Workforce Data & Health IT
7. Update existing workforce study with available projections (comprehensive study not necessary)
8. Conduct an assessment of currently available health information technology to increase clinical practice efficiency in HPM and meet regulatory expectations, including data collection and clinical decision support tools, as well as quality monitoring solutions. Conduct gap analysis and generate recommendations for new product development.
9. Identify data available in existing health information databases. Systematically review to ensure HPM inclusion
10. Gather information on post-fellowship trained physicians in order to track data and impact workforce
11. Enrich workforce information and practice data in AAHPM member profile/database, including if feasible and available, data from the 2010 salary survey
Maintenance of Certification and Alternative Pathways
Current Specialist Workforce
12. Provide effective member education about MOC, MOL, OCC including next steps
13. Develop two HPM MOC modules in at least three specialties (ABIM, ABFM, ABP) and ideally all 10; seek same with OCC. Sustain and grow the number of HPM subspecialists.
Generalist and Mid-Level Providers
14. Promote generalist level education to non-HPM specialists and mid-level practitioners including marketing of UNIPACS/Amplifire to hospitalists, geriatricians, emergency physicians, (for example) and mid-level providers.
Innovative Fellowship Models
15. Develop a document from AAHPM outlining the process and providing a template for obtaining the sponsoring board and the ACGME permission for an exception to allow a single individual to complete a fellowship half time over two years.
16. Propose to the ACGME a focused or full revision in program requirements to allow programs to organize to accommodate a fellow taking longer than 12 months, at less than full time. A focused revision would address ONLY the time taken to complete fellowship and allow less than full-time; a full revision would include the time element as well as a complete re-evaluation of fellowship requirements as is common with a new specialty after five years of review.
17. Work with the Veterans Administration to encourage the VA to develop, fund and implement an HPM fellowship structure geared to mid-career trainees that would meet the VA’s need for more certified HPM physicians.
18. Seek grant funding to develop and pilot innovative fellowship model as described in the workgroup charter.
19. Offer strategic and consultative guidance to mature hospices interested in developing or collaborating with fellowship programs. AAHPM role might range from suggesting opportunities (such as hospice providing salary support for medical directors seeking midcareer part time fellowship training) to technical assistance about meeting fellowship requirements.
The recommendations directly support Strategic Plan Goal B: Build Workforce & Leadership.
Objective 1: Monitor and address pertinent workforce metrics and gaps.
Objective 3: Increase exposure to hospice and palliative medicine through expanded training in all medical schools and within residency and fellowship programs.
Objective 4: Support the development of mechanisms and pathways for mid-career certification in hospice and palliative medicine.