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Practice Managers Get Dose of Best Practices at Medication Management Workshop
Over 100 practice managers and staffers gathered to take part in a
Medical Mutual afternoon workshop titled Medication Management
in The Physician Office Practice at the Marriott Sable Oaks in
South Portland on Tuesday, June 23. Medical Mutual's professional
Risk Managers led discussions detailing Best Practices in
tandem with Case Studies presented by Company Claims representatives
to educate the assembled practice managers on the topics
of Medication Reconciliation, Prescribing and Ordering
Medications and Anticoagulation Management.
The best practices information and real-world case studies
proved to be a "very intriguing" teaching tactic, according to the
comments of one participant whose workshop feedback form was
supplied anonymously. "The studies," said the participant, "demonstrate
reality." The manager from an Augusta area practice said she
planned on taking the information she learned from the workshop
to conduct a "mini in-service (seminar) with my providers and
staff," adding, "I wish programs like this were offered more often
and that physicians could be encouraged to attend."
In fact, said Cheryl Peaslee, Assistant Vice President of Risk
Management at Medical Mutual, seven of the workshop's participants
are practicing physicians. Peaslee said such physician
involvement is very welcomed as it reinforces the importance of
patient safety within a practice. When a physician – in addition to
the practice manager – takes the time to educate him-or-herself
on everyday issues like medication management and brings
informed strategies back to the practice for improving the care environment in the office setting, everyone benefits, especially
patients. "It really is a testament to our insureds' commitment to
quality care when you see that many practice managers and
staffers, including a number of physicians, devoting an entire
afternoon to process improvement and patient safety."
Senior Vice President of Insurance Operations, Mick McCall,
said the topic of medication management is an important one for
two reasons. "From a financial standpoint, paid claims involving
medication management are an industry-wide issue and total in
the millions of dollars every year for Medical Mutual alone.
Moreover," he said, "by instituting the best practices we have
identified with regard to medication management, we know that
patients can be spared from unintentional, yet unnecessary, harm.
This is really part of the whole evidence-based learning that Dr.
Sheehan has advocated since he became President (and CEO of
Medical Mutual)."
Medical Mutual's next scheduled educational program is the 2009
installment of the Hospital Education series on Tuesday August 18 at
The Woodlands Club in Falmouth.