Entries requested for annual Innovations in Medical Education exhibit
The AAMC is seeking submissions for the yearly Innovations in Medical Education exhibits to be showcased Nov. 6 and 7 in conjunction with the association's annual meeting in Washington, D.C. The exhibits provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and activities in medical education, and serve to encourage communication among colleagues. Participants are invited to exhibit work in progress, innovations recently introduced or established projects or components of the continuum of medical education. Exhibitors demonstrating innovation in all aspects of medical education, ranging from instructional design or evaluation of basic sciences to community-based health promotion and disease prevention programs, are encouraged to participate. Submissions must be received by June 10. For more information, please contact Caroline Ford Coleman in the AAMC Division of Medical Education at ccoleman@aamc.org or visit http://www.aamc.org/members/gea/ime/start.htm.

U.S., Canadian students earn 96% pass rate on clinical skills exam
Sponsors of the United States Medical Licensing Examination released preliminary data last month indicating that 96 percent of the U.S. and Canadian medical students who completed the Step 2 clinical skills examination had successfully passed. Since the clinical skills exam was implemented last year, approximately 17,700 examinees have received their test results. About half of these examinees were students of U.S. and Canadian medical schools; the other half were students or graduates of international medical schools. The overall pass rate for international students and graduates was 83 percent. USMLE sponsors note that these values are for examinees who took the Step 2 exam during the first months of testing, and that it is likely that these values will change as the examinee group grows. For more information, please visit http://www.usmle.org/step2/Step2CS/Step2Indexes/Step2CS_Scoring.htm#prelim.

Medicare access will be compromised by physician payment reductions, AMA survey shows
An American Medical Association survey released last week indicates that steep Medicare payment cuts to physicians, nurses and other health professionals will hurt access to care for America's seniors and disabled. More than one-third of physician respondents indicated that they would decrease the number of new Medicare patients accepted into their practice if Medicare payment rates are cut by 5 percent on Jan. 1. Eighteen percent would decrease the number of established Medicare patients that they treat. More than half of respondents also indicated that they would defer purchase of new equipment; reduce time spent with Medicare patients; defer purchase of information technology; and begin referring complex cases. For more information, please visit http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/14924.html.

AHRQ data compares states' health-care quality performance
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has released data on health-care quality in each of the nation's 50 states and the District of Columbia. The data is based on AHRQ's 2004 "National Healthcare Quality Report" and allows for state-by-state comparison of care based on approximately 100 measures of quality. For more information, please visit http://www.qualitytools.ahrq.gov/qualityreport/state.