APMA News - November/December 2021 - 29

Final Chance for MIPS 2021
2
E
021 has been a tough year on many fronts, notably as
you continue to navigate clinical practice during the
public health emergency. You may have struggled to get
patients in your office, keep staff employed, and find
time to participate in MIPS (if you are eligible). CMS recently
announced it will apply an automatic COVID-19 exception
for those reporting as individuals ONLY to stay neutral for the
2021 performance year. If you would like to take the exception,
simply do not report when the reporting period opens.
Additionally, for those who are reporting or plan to report
MIPS Improvement Activities (IA) and/or Promoting Interoperability
(PI) measures, the final continuous 90-day performance
period of 2021 started October 3.
If you are not sure if you are required to report MIPS, check
your status at https://qpp.cms.gov/participation-lookup.
For additional information or one-on-one assistance, contact
APMA Registry Manager Richard Schwarz at rlschwarz@
apma.org or 301-581-9281. n
Why 'Soft Skills' Are Essential Skills
mpathy, communication skills, leadership acumen-
you know these are indelible marks of a great physician,
but how are these " soft skills " really defined? They
are less tangible and measurable than the " hard skills "
learned in clinical and surgical education and training, but
just as essential to your success in practice. Soft skills allow
you as a physician to see beyond the biology of disease and
into the human experience of being ill. " Being an outstanding
clinician is not enough to ensure a successful practice, " said
APMA Executive Director and CEO James R. Christina, DPM.
" You must develop 'soft skills' that demonstrate your empathy,
caring, and connection with patients, and in turn, your
practice will thrive. "
APMA has created a new online resource, " Soft Skills in
Health-Care Management " (www.apma.org/softskills), where
members can peruse a collection of relevant mainstream
news articles pulled from our weekly digital publication,
APMA News Brief. The articles are organized into the following
categories: Empathy, Communication, Leadership, Physician
Well-Being, and Time Management. Members are encouraged
to take advantage of these timely articles with
practical tips for a more productive practice and enhanced
professional relationships.
Defining Empathy
Empathy in particular is an essential quality in great leaders,
but recent research indicates that it also drives business success.
A new study at Georgetown University found workplace
incivility is on the rise as the pandemic continues, and
its effects include reduced performance and collaboration,
breakdown of customer (i.e., patient) experiences, and increased
turnover1
.
Clear communication, empathy, and strong leadership result
in more positive clinical outcomes. In fact, a report published
by the Brookings Institution in February 2021 indicated
that distrust and poor communication related to racial and
cultural differences pervade the health-care system and drive
health-care inequity as much as more tangible and measurable
factors that could be alleviated by budgetary and organizational
reforms2
).
APMA News November/December 2021 29
Endnotes
1
www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/people-and-organizational-performance/
our-insights/the-hidden-toll-of-workplace-incivility?cid=soc-web
2
www.brookings.edu/research/how-poor-communication-exacerbates-healthinequities-and-what-to-do-about-it
Chief
Transformation Officer and Medical Director at Mary's
Center in Washington, DC, Seiji Hayashi, MD, MPH, considers
these " soft skills " to be essential skills. " How well we engage
our patients determines the likelihood of them understanding
the health issue, adhering to care plans, and ultimately leading
to improved health outcomes, " said Dr. Hayashi.
Watch for the January-February issue of APMA News to
include a conversation with M. Barton Laws, PhD, a medical
sociologist at Brown University who researches provider-patient
relationships. Dr. Laws will offer concrete actions podiatrists
can take to improve the effectiveness of communication
and support patient agency.
Until then, visit www.apma.org/softskills to learn more!
Related Resources:
APMA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force www.
apma.org/dei
APMA Physician Well-Being www.apma.org/wellbeing n

https://qpp.cms.gov/participation-lookup http://www.apma.org/softskills http://www.apma.org/softskills http://www.apma.org/dei http://www.apma.org/dei http://www.apma.org/wellbeing http://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/the-hidden-toll-of-workplace-incivility?cid=soc-web http://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/the-hidden-toll-of-workplace-incivility?cid=soc-web http://www.brookings.edu/research/how-poor-communication-exacerbates-health-inequities-and-what-to-do-about-it http://www.brookings.edu/research/how-poor-communication-exacerbates-health-inequities-and-what-to-do-about-it

APMA News - November/December 2021

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