New Grant Will Continue Spread of Choosing Wisely

PHILADELPHIA –The ABIM Foundation has received a third round of funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to continue efforts to promote the implementation of Choosing Wisely®, a national campaign focused on advancing a dialogue between clinicians and patients about what care is appropriate. The $750,000 grant will be administered over a three-year period.

The new grant dives further into implementation of Choosing Wisely recommendations, with a focus on sharing what the Foundation has learned about implementation and improving reach to diverse populations.

This work will include expanding:

A learning network to support health systems, hospitals and clinical practices seeking to reduce overuse based on specialty society recommendations

Partnerships and collaborations to reach diverse audiences

Efforts to evaluate and disseminate the most promising systems-based interventions to de-implement unnecessary services

"Choosing Wisely started with conversations between clinicians and patients and has grown into a dialogue across communities and states," said Dr. Richard J. Baron, President and CEO of the ABIM Foundation. "For the next phase of the campaign, we want to ensure that ongoing conversations include everyone, especially those in underserved areas, and continue to drive reductions in low-value care."

This work will build on two previous Choosing Wisely grant cycles:

In 2013, RWJF funded the work of 21 projects led by state medical societies, specialty societies and regional health collaboratives to educate physicians about the Choosing Wisely recommendations and help them build skills to have conversations with patients.

In 2015, a second grant supported seven initiatives focused on reducing utilization of inappropriate tests and treatments. Each initiative included delivery systems, hospitals and/or medical groups collaborating with multi-stakeholder, community-based groups and physician-led organizations.

"Patients and clinicians need tools and resources to help them have conversations and make informed decisions about care aligned with what matters to patients," said Susan R. Mende, BSN, MPH, senior program officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. "Especially for underserved patients, we're seeking ways to make sure care is equitable and delivered in ways that respect the goals and needs of patients and the expertise of clinicians."

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About ABIM Foundation
The mission of the ABIM Foundation is to advance medical professionalism to improve the healthcare system. This is achieved by collaborating with physicians and physician leaders, medical trainees, healthcare delivery systems, payers, policy makers, consumer organizations and patients to foster a shared understanding of professionalism and how they can adopt the tenets of professionalism in practice. To learn more about the ABIM Foundation, visit www.abimfoundation.org, connect on Facebook or follow on Twitter.

About Choosing Wisely®
First announced in December 2011, Choosing Wisely® is part of a multi-year effort led by the ABIM Foundation to support and engage physicians in being better stewards of finite healthcare resources. Participating specialty societies are working with the ABIM Foundation to share the lists widely with their members and convene discussions about the physician's role in helping patients make wise choices. Learn more at www.ChoosingWisely.org.

About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
For more than 40 years the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has worked to improve health and health care. We are working with others to build a national Culture of Health enabling everyone in America to live longer, healthier lives. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org. Follow the Foundation on Twitter at www.rwjf.org/twitter or on Facebook at www.rwjf.org/facebook.