Teach key aspects of systems-based practice with this workshop model

By: Julie McCoy July 21st, 2009

Congratulations to Cynthia Pineda, MD FFAPM&R, associate program director for the physical medicine and rehabilitation residency program at National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington DC. She has won free entry to 4th Annual Residency Program Management Workshop, which will be held October 22-23 in Atlanta, GA. Click here to find out how to win free entry.

For many physicians and educators, systems-based practice (SBP) is one of the more complex and challenging ACGME competencies to teach and assess.

Physical medicine and rehabilitation (PMR) is a field that emphasizes interdisciplinary care in a team-oriented approach with the aim of providing quality comprehensive care that is unique to each individual patient. Physiatrists are involved in every segment of the healthcare delivery system on a daily basis while providing a continuum of care to patients, while effectively using available resources and maximizing functional outcomes. In our program, residents learn about SBP in a one-day collaborative pilot workshop entitled “The Alpha-numeric Soup: A Systems-based Practice Workshop for the PMR Resident.”

Topics covered during the workshop include:
• Understanding Acronyms Used in Healthcare
• Billing and Coding 101
• The Therapeutic Recreation Program: Volunteering in Community Activities
• Understanding Reimbursement Systems and Documentation in Rehabilitation
• How to Build and Run a Private Practice in PMR
• Understanding Information Systems

Multiple methods of instruction were employed to promote participant interaction such as case-based presentations, videos, hands-on-exercises on billing and coding and the use of the audience response system. A multi-disciplinary team composed of physiatrists, nurses, quality improvement staff, referrals and care management staff, a recreation therapist, a clinical documentation specialist, a systems coordinator and administrators facilitated the educational exercise. Post-survey workshop evaluations were favorable.

Future steps include developing our SBP curriculum and build an evaluation tool that will help assess knowledge translation to best practice. This workshop provides an innovative opportunity for residents to increase their awareness of the healthcare system and relate with an interdisciplinary team of rehabilitation and allied health professionals, which is the heart of both SBP and PMR.

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