Implementation of a medical coding curriculum for surgery residents.

Background: Medical coding knowledge is important for practice. We hypothesized that general surgery residents lack confidence in medical coding (MC) and that implementation of focused didactics would increase resident confidence and knowledge.

Methods: A MC curriculum was delivered to general surgery residents covering domains of the global procedural period (GPP), evaluation and management (E/M) coding, and hospital payment and quality metrics (HPQM).

Process Improvement Initiative for the Perioperative Management of Patients With a Cardiovascular Implantable Electronic Device.

Background: Economic, personnel, and procedural challenges often complicate and interfere with efficient and safe perioperative care of patients with cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs). In the context of a process improvement initiative, we created and implemented a comprehensive anesthesiologist-run perioperative CIED service to respond to all routine requests for perioperative CIED consultations at a large academic medical center. This study was designed to determine whether this new care model was associated with improved operating room efficiency, reduced institutional cost, and adequate patient safety.

United States anesthesiologists over 50: retirement decision making and workforce implications.

Background: Anesthesiology is among the medical specialties expected to have physician shortage. With little known about older anesthesiologists' work effort and retirement decision making, the American Society of Anesthesiologists participated in a 2006 national survey of physicians aged 50-79 yr.

Methods: Samples of anesthesiologists and other specialists completed a survey of work activities, professional satisfaction, self-defined health and financial status, retirement plans and perspectives, and demographics.

Moderate sedation for chest physicians.

Specialists in pulmonary and critical care medicine frequently perform invasive procedures that may require sedation or anesthesia for patient comfort. The number and complexities of interventional pulmonary procedures that can be performed in the bronchoscopy suite or critical care unit continues to expand. Procedures that formerly were done only in the operating room on inpatients are now done routinely in the office, ambulatory surgery center, or hospital outpatient department.