Challenger Medical Education Blog

November 7, 2024 Customer Newsletter

Written by Challenger Corporation | Nov 7, 2024 10:02:50 PM

  • MOC Program Faces New Challenges

  • Make the Most of CME Funds

  • How Many FAST Exams Equal Competency
  • Physicians Face Reimbursement Cuts

  • Challenge of Funding Digital Health

  • QUIZ QUESTION!

'That criticism was justified': ABIM MOC Program Adapts, Faces New Challenges and Success 

This Healio article provides ABIM-friendly coverage of the ongoing MOC fights and petitions in ABIM, listing some of the history, changes, and justifications. The other article is from Medical Economics and explains the change in status for 12,000 internal medicine physicians currently flagged by ABIM as “not participating in MOC.” The 5-year requirement remains.

Internal Medicine faces its own challenges with MOC implementation due to the high number of sub-specializations and surgical specializations. This is a problem we expect to see more of in other specialty areas.

'That criticism was justified': ABIM MOC Program Adapts, Faces New Challenges and Success - Healio

ABIM eliminates two-year points requirement for MOC - Medical Economics


How Many is Enough? Measuring the Number of FAST Exams Needed by Emergency Medicine Trainees to Reach Competence

An interesting study from the International Journal of Emergency Medicine. The answer, in case you were wondering, is more than 11 and less than 12. The study included 663 exams and 99 residents. While it doesn’t answer the question entirely, it does provide some valid insights into “how much experience is enough” for standardized POCUS.

How Many is Enough? Measuring the Number of FAST Exams Needed by Emergency Medicine Trainees to Reach Competence - International Journal of Emergency Medicine

Physicians Face a 2.83% Reimbursement Cut unless Congress Takes Action

That’s the final rule.  It’s aimed mostly at primary care, fifth cut in a row.  There was a bump for COVID, but that’s what expiring at the end of 2024.   There’s a bill introduced that would provide a 4.7% payment update in Congress, but the status is uncertain.   

Also note that when we talk about cutting reimbursement, they are not using inflation adjusted dollars, which seems like kind of a slap, given that 5 year inflation is 23.33%.

Physicians Face a 2.83% Reimbursement Cut unless Congress Takes Action

AMA 4.7% Payment Update Bill

Digital Health Has Evolved Rapidly, but Medical Insurance Hasn’t Kept Up

Remote patient monitoring, digital biomarkers, home and wearable monitoring systems, connected telehealth, remote rehab - including extended reality - and connected home systems for fall detection.  Among many other rapid advancements in digital healthcare, the tracking and monitoring a growing array of disease conditions accurately and effectively.  Insurance and CMS are not keeping up, seriously limiting deployment.  Most of these, outside of activity trackers, have passed some form of FDA scrutiny.

Digital Health Has Evolved Rapidly, but Medical Insurance Hasn’t Kept Up

QUIZ QUESTION

32 year-old man presents with a spider bite

A 32-year-old man presents 3 to 4 hours after a spider bite in rural Kansas. He states that he saw the spider (see Figure 1) but did not have any initial sensation of the bite.

The area where the bite occurred now has a stinging sensation and there is some evidence of developing blisters (see Figure 2).

Which of the following is the most appropriate therapy for this patient?

  • Wound care, immobilization, tetanus prophylaxis, analgesics, and antipyretics
  • Administration of dapsone 100 mg twice daily for 2 weeks
  • Early excision or intralesional injection of corticosteroids
  • Hyperbaric oxygen therapy