Lynn T. Tanoue, MD, MBA
Vice Chair, Clinical Affairs
Clinical Affairs in the Department of Internal Medicine have continued to thrive, demonstrating consistent growth and continued flexibility in response to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic.
Ambulatory Care
The department’s ambulatory practice extends over 46 sites across Connecticut, bringing Yale’s Internal Medicine and specialty care within easier reach of patients. Despite ongoing challenges related to COVID-19, ambulatory care volume has risen over the years of the pandemic(>260,000 visits in FY22), the primary care practices and several subspecialty programs have moved to new facilities, more subspecialty programs have been opened, and many patients and providers have become adept in using telehealth technologies.
Inpatient Care
As is the case across the country, occupancy rates at Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH) are at record high levels. The causes of this sustained rise in hospitalized patients are multiple, and not fully explained by the continued steady number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Internal Medicine teams care for the majority of patients hospitalized at YNHH. Support for this extensive enterprise requires the collective efforts of faculty and inpatient hospital attending physicians, physician-trainees, and specialty consulting services working alongside the many services and disciplines required to provide state-of-the-art inpatient care.
Clinical Affairs Team
The Clinical Affairs team provides personalized live and digital support to the department. Its Epic specialists have developed extensive physician-friendly content to optimize the use of electronic health records, with the intent that more time-effective engagement with Epic will give faculty more time to interact with patients face-to-face. During FY22, the Clinical Affairs team piloted Epic STARS, a series of interactive live tutorials to enhance physicians’ Epic skills. Based on highly positive feedback, Epic STARS will be disseminated more widely in FY23. Access to these and many other clinical resources is available on the department’s intranet site.
Faculty Development Workshop During Orientation
Over the past decade, the department has presented a series of faculty workshops on topics including self-awareness, emotional intelligence, unconscious bias, and resilience during new faculty orientation. This year, given the ability to resume in-person orientations, workshops on sharing bad news and disclosures as well as actor simulation sessions on critical conversations were offered. Collectively known as RISE (Resilience, Innovation, and Sustainable Excellence) at Yale, these workshops are facilitated by trained Department of Medicine faculty and reflect the department’s commitment to faculty development.