The Hospitalist

Article: ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Shifting Strategies Can Make Physician Workloads Manageable

More physician shifts mean more staff available to care for patients, which could lead to a lower and more manageable average census

Article: ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Med-Peds Physicians Make their Mark

Physicians trained in both internal medicine and pediatrics can help ease the transition of chronically ill adolescents to adult care

Audio File: ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Hospitalist, IHO president discuss how hospitals become overwhelmed with patients

Listen to Ellis Knight, MD, MBA, FHM, discuss research by the Institute for Healthcare Optimization (IHO) and IHO president and CEO Eugene Litvak, PhD, talk about how hospitals become overwhelmed with patients.

Article: Appropriate Patient Census: Hospital Medicine's Holy Grail

With no clear guideline, HM groups search for the perfect number. Some say more is better, some say less.

Article: Transitioning Pediatric Patients with Chronic Conditions

Forward thinking and clear communication are the keys to safe, worry-free transitions

Article: Do Pregnant Teens with Chronic Ailments Make You Nervous?

Pre-existing diabetes, hypertension, and other ongoing conditions are tough enough to manage in children as they blossom into adolescents and then young adults. To make matters more complex, hospitalists on occasion encounter pregnant teenagers with chronic illnesses.

In the Literature: In the Literature: Physician Reviews of HM-Related Research

Hospitalist views on readmission prevention;2 Characteristics of hospital ICU readmission; Effect of clopidogrel on bleeding outcomes in vascular surgery; Time- versus tissue-based diagnosis of TIA; ETT versus ETT with imaging for the diagnosis of CAD in women; Effect of high urine output with adequate hydration on contrast-induced nephropathy; Stroke rate in CABG patients with severe carotid artery stenosis; Effect of cardiac arrest on long-term cognition

Society Pages: Wachter, Washington Insiders Ready for HM12 Keynote Addresses

This year’s presenters at SHM's annual meeting will frame the conversations that hospitalists will have at HM13

Society Pages: Participate in the 2012 State of Hospital Medicine Questionnaire

The report provides thousands of data points that enable hospitalists to compare their own group’s productivity and compensation against national and regional averages

Society Pages: Continued Pressure, Collaboration, Member Action Key to Ending SGR

Congress was going to finally put an end to the Sustainable Growth Rate formula in 2011. What happened?

On the Move: Hospitalists on the Move

March S. Demyun, MD; J.P. Valin, MD; Sarah Swift, MD; David Levy, MD; Jaime Gray, MD; Vineet Arora, MD, MPP, FACP, FHM

Society Pages: CODE-H: Bringing Better Coding to Hospitalists

CODE-H (Coding Optimally by Documenting Effectively for Hospitalists), is a series of Web-based education sessions that will help hospitalists optimize their revenue streams through better coding.

Society Pages: Survey Insights: NPs and PAs in Hospital Medicine

In 2011, nearly half of respondents to the SHM-MGMA nonacademic survey have NPs/PAs in their practices; academic hospital medicine practices were only slightly lower.

Pediatric Hospital Medicine: Pediatric HM Literature: Serious Bacterial Infection Rates Very Low in Bronchiolitis

This study provides useful information to guide clinical decision-making in the setting of a young, febrile infant presenting with bronchiolitis.

Key Clinical Question: What Is the Appropriate Use of Antibiotics In Acute Exacerbations of COPD?

Antibiotics are not recommended as empiric therapy for all patients with AECOPD

Innovations: Hospitalist/Nurse Collaboration Drives Multidisciplinary Rounding

Preliminary data from a multidisciplinary patient rounding system shows higher patient satisfaction, positive feedback from staff.

Innovations: Adverse Events and Rural Discharges

The Center on Patient Safety at Florida State University College of Medicine in Tallahassee has been awarded a grant from the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to study adverse events during the three weeks following hospital discharge, both for urban patients and those returning to rural settings.

Innovations: Hand Hygiene Makes Headlines

Multiple efforts aim to raise awareness about hand hygiene in health facilities.

Innovations: By the Numbers: 57

Percentage of responding physicians who say they are using electronic health records

Career Development: Resume Red Flags

Recognize warning signs, mitigate damage, and promote your positives

Billing & Coding: Medical Decision-Making Factors Include Quantity of Information, Complexity

Physicians tend to undervalue their services, partly due to a general lack of understanding with respect to documentation guidelines

Public Policy: IPAB is Medicare's New Hammer for Spending Accountability

The Independent Payment Advisory Board will have the authority to cut Medicare provider spending to keep it below a cap, with unprecedented autonomy.

From the Editor’s Desk: Physician Involvement in Hospital Quality and Safety Programs

Do we encourage all doctors to participate, or do we require all doctors to participate?

Team Hospitalist Q&A: Patients, Many of Whom are in Crisis, are Tracy Cardin’s Reason for Being

Nurse practitioner has 22 years of experience providing inpatient care

President’s Column: Pioneer Participants Work to Define Hospitalist Role in ACOs

ACOs aim for quality care and cost savings; hospital medicine will be key player.

Practice Management: Hospital Value-Based Purchasing

The measures matter to patients, info is publicly reported, and money is at risk.

Ask Dr. Hospitalist: Healthcare Legislative Advocacy Isn't Above Your Pay Grade

It's imperative for hospitalists to educate, advocate, and lead in healthcare.