PALTC23 Conference Recordings SA14 What Do We Know About PALTC Medical Workforce Development?

What Do We Know About PALTC Medical Workforce Development?

This session will present known data on physician and APC supply in PALTC. There will be a particular focus on identifying where data are lacking and barriers to data collection. Presenters will highlight areas of specific concern, including shortages in rural areas, a need for diversity in the workforce, and opportunities to ensure PALTC is well represented in training programs. The session will review steps taken by PALTmed's Workforce Development Committee to acquire data and support the development of a qualified medical workforce in PALTC. A Q&A session will help to provide future direction and goals for the committee.

Learning Objectives:

At the completion of this session, learners will be able to:

  • Explain the gaps in workforce development for physicians and advanced practice clinicians working in PALTC.
  • Describe recruitment and retention challenges due to geography, diversity, and the lack of PALTC exposure during training programs.
  • Highlight steps being taken by PALTmed and other national organizations to support and expand the PALTC medical workforce.

Elizabeth White, APRN, PhD

Elizabeth White, APRN, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Health Services, Policy, and Practice at the Brown University School of Public Health. Her research agenda broadly focuses on understanding how frail medically-complex older adults receive healthcare services, and how factors affecting the nursing and primary care workforces impact quality outcomes in long-term care. She is a co-investigator on currently funded projects to evaluate the impact of Medicare’s new Patient Driven Payment Model on nursing home care quality, staffing, and costs; to explore the role of advanced practice clinicians in end-of-life care for individuals with dementia; and to examine various aspects of COVID-19 management, treatment, and outcomes in nursing homes. Dr. White completed an AHRQ T32 postdoctoral fellowship at Brown in the Center for Gerontology and Healthcare Research, and an NINR T32 predoctoral fellowship in the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. In addition to her research, Dr. White is a board-certified adult geriatric primary care nurse practitioner with extensive clinical experience in long-term care, primary care, and acute care. She currently practices as a nurse practitioner at the PACE Organization of Rhode Island.

Ralph Warnock, MD, CMD

Ralph Warnock, MD, CMD, is the CMO of this community health services provider. They primarily serve rural Georgians with Skilled Nursing facilities, Home Health and Hospice. His primary role is to insure evidence based, physician driven, person centered care. He served for 9 years as a CMD and attending physician before becoming CMO in 2020. Prior to that, he was in private family practice in Thomaston, GA from 1977 until beginning full time LTC in January 2013. He has been an attending in his local SNF throughout his years in practice. He is also working with Mercer Medical School's Rural Health Initiative to introduce students and residents to PALTC and to encourarge them to practice in rural, underserved areas in Georgia. He currently serves on the boards of CHS-GA and Upson Regional Medical Center.

Nancy Istenes, DO, CMD, FACP

Nancy Istenes, DO, CMD, FACP, is the Chief Medical Officer for Saber Healthcare Group which operates 120 skilled long-term care facilities in seven Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states. She is a graduate of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her residency training in Internal Medicine in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and a Geriatric Medicine Fellowship at The Cleveland Clinic. She is board certified in Internal Medicine and Geriatric Medicine and holds added qualifications in Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine. Dr. Istenes previously practiced for 15 years and specialized in developing innovative models of care delivery for complex medical patients. She is a Certified Medical Director and serves as the Workforce Development Chair for The Society for PALTC Medicine and is President of the Ohio Medical Directors Association.

  • 1.0 CME
  • 1.0 CMD Management 
  • 1.0 MOC

Release Date: 03/29/2023   |   Expiration: 03/01/2026

Credit Statements:

Accreditation: Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 

CME Designation: Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

CMD Credit Hours: This CME activity has been pre-approved by the American Board of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine (ABPLM) for up to 1.0 management hours toward certification or recertification as a Certified Medical Director (CMD) in post-acute and long-term care medicine. Each physician should claim only those hours of credit actually spent on the activity.

The CMD Program is administered by the ABPLM. Each physician should claim only those credit hours that he/she actually spent in the activity. For further information, contact ABPLM at 410-992-3117 or at cmd@paltmed.org.

ABIM Maintenance of Certification (MOC): Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.0 Medical Knowledge MOC points and patient safety credit in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program.

Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for the activity. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

Financial Disclosure Statement:

The Association requires the disclosure of all speaker/faculty/planner’s relevant financial relationships; presence of off-label use of a device or medication; and discussion of any experimental, new or evolving topic prior to each accredited education activity.

If the learner perceives any bias toward a commercial product or service, advocation of unscientific approaches to diagnosis or therapy, or recommendation, treatment, or manners of practicing healthcare that are determined to have risks or dangers that outweigh the benefits or are known to be ineffective in the treatment of patients please report this to the Association's staff.

The following speaker(s) disclosed relevant financial relationship(s): 

  • Julie Gammack, MD, CMD (Planner & Speaker): Stockholder: Amarin
  • Kenya Rivas Velasquez, MD, CMD, FAAFP (Planner & Speaker): OptumRx: Stockholder
  • All other planners, speakers, and AMDA staff have no relationships with ineligible companies.

All relevant financial relationships have been identified and mitigated.

Components visible upon registration.