De-Escalation Training & Managing Challenging Patient Encounters

Nearly half of hospitalized patients experience emotional distress, and escalating aggression is a reality every healthcare worker will face. Most of us have never received formal training in how to respond. This presentation delivers evidence-based de-escalation techniques, communication frameworks, and boundary-setting strategies that protect both patient dignity and staff safety. You'll walk away with practical tools, from early warning sign recognition to documentation best practices, that you can apply in your very next challenging encounter.

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Availability

On-Demand

Expires on May 13, 2029

Cost

Member: $0.00

Non-Member: $95.00

Credit Offered

0.25 CME Credit

Overview
Faculty
Accreditation
Recommended

Learning Objectives
After completing this activity, learners should be able to:

Recognize early warning signs of escalating aggression
Apply evidence-based de-escalation and communication strategies
Understand legal, ethical, and documentation principles
Manage challenging patient requests while maintaining professionalism and safety

Faculty

Yelena Burklin, MD, MA
Ashwini Niranjan-Azadi, MD, SFHM
Megan Brooks, MD, MPH
Gabriela Bambrick-Santoyo
Lily Ackermann, ScM, MD, FACP, SFHM

Faculty Disclosures
The individuals in control of content for this activity have no relevant relationships with ACCME-defined ineligible companies to disclose unless listed here. Any relevant relationships were mitigated prior to the start of this activity.

Accreditation Statement
The Society of Hospital Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

CME Credit Statement
The Society of Hospital Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)^TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Partnering with Patients, Families and your Hospital to Manage and Decrease Challenging Patient Encounters

When stakes are high, even routine encounters can derail. In this clinician-led session, develop a practical framework for why conflicts arise, understand how illness shapes behaviors, and list key physician, patient, and family factors. Identify effective responses and describe system-level fixes that align teams with patients and families—so you reduce escalations, strengthen trust, and deliver calmer, safer care.

Multiple Credits

$0.00 - $95.00

Patient-Directed and Administrative Discharges

Learn to tackle two of the most legally and ethically fraught moments in hospital medicine--patient-directed discharges and administrative discharges--and turn them into a clear, evidence-based playbook you can actually use at the bedside. The session walks through using capacity assessments, care expectation plans, and documentation strategies that protect both your patients and your team from real malpractice and safety risks. If you've ever felt stuck between respecting autonomy and ensuring safe care, this session gives you the framework to handle these discharges with confidence, compassion, and legal soundness.

0.25 CME

$0.00 - $95.00

Hospital Metrics and Flow

This session cracks open the financial and documentation realities every hospitalist needs but is rarely taught, from the real dollar gap between observation and inpatient status to the myths around the 2-midnight and 3-midnight rules. We translate dense concepts like CMI, DRG, GMLOS, SOI/ROM, and CC/MCC capture into practical bedside habits that protect reimbursement, boost quality scores, and shorten length of stay.

0.25 CME

$0.00 - $95.00

Effective Physician APP Partnership in Hospital Medicine

Rounds run cleaner when physicians and APPs operate as one team. In this course, you’ll understand APP training and scopes and discuss how to collaborate and design workflows that fit real hospital practice—skills that synthesize into smoother care and greater efficiency to improve patient outcomes.

0.25 CME

$0.00 - $95.00

Billing and Coding for the Hospitalist (Part 2)

Picture rounding notes that actually pay off. In part two of billing and coding tips for hospitalists, you’ll address MDM versus time-based billing, review what counts in inpatient and observation care, rate problem complexity and risk, determine when documentation supports the most appropriate billing choice, and code confidently through a case you can apply tomorrow.

0.25 CME

$0.00 - $95.00

Billing and Coding for the Hospitalist (Part 1)

Precision starts at the bedside: learn to bill time-based hospital visits, code CPT for what you did, and document ICD‑10 for why it mattered. Connect provider billing to RVUs and determine DRGs from principal diagnoses, then evaluate scenarios to apply clean, defensible notes. By the end, you’ll design a workflow that reduces denials and elevates both compensation and patient care.

0.25 CME

$0.00 - $95.00