Improving Resident Understanding of Healthcare Business and Policy through the Development of a High-yield and Dynamic Educational Series

Objective: Residents have a strong desire to be engaged in and learn about the financial and societal impact of health care delivery and reform initiatives1,2. In order to address this need, a Business and Health Policy Educational Series was developed, with positive feedback from participating residents. Background: During the Program Evaluation Committee (PEC) meeting, as part of the annual review of the ACGME education curriculum for the Virginia Commonwealth University Neurology Residency Program, a deficiency was identified with regard to resident self-perception of understanding of the business and policy of healthcare and reform initiatives. This deficiency is one shared at many programs across most specialties1. A recommendation was put forth that this was an opportunity for improvement, and the design and rollout of an educational series on business and health policy was undertaken, with positive results. Design/Methods: A high-yield and interactive educational series consisting of 20-30 minute sessions was developed to address certain topics within the business and healthcare policy spectrum. Topics covered included: how does healthcare work?; overview of practice income and expenses; benchmarks; what is an RVU?; impact of rising medication costs; compensation plans and salary realities. Results: Results of the End of the Year Educational Survey by residents showed an overwhelmingly positive response to the curriculum initiative. The PEC recommended continuing the program, with minor modifications for the following year. Topics suggested to be included were: how do residents get paid?; the opiate epidemic; understanding the Affordable Care Act; and developing a hands-on billing and coding workshop. A set of relevant journal articles to provide resources will be included. Conclusions: Having an understanding of the business and policy of healthcare and reform initiatives is important to residents, and effective results are obtainable through the development of a high yield, interactive educational curriculum initiative