News
How Hospitalist Groups Make Time for Leadership
February 2, 2015
Negotiating salaries. Improving patient flow. Increasing patient satisfaction. Reducing readmissions. Championing quality improvement efforts. Planning strategically. Handling schedule issues. Dealing with coverage issues. Working on Ebola preparation.
News
Time-Based Physician Services Require Proper Documentation
February 2, 2015
Providers typically rely on the “key components” (history, exam, medical decision-making) when documenting in the medical record, and they often misunderstand the use of time when selecting visit levels.
News
Fit Direct Observation of Medical Trainees Into Your Day
January 7, 2015
All of us who work with housestaff understand that a crucial component of teaching clinical medicine is to take the time to both supervise resident work and deliver constructive feedback on its quality.
News
Academic Hospitalist Groups Use Observation Status More Frequently
January 7, 2015
Insurers’ use of certain criteria to separate hospital stays into inpatient or observation status remains widespread. Observation status ensures provider reimbursement for hospitalizations deemed necessary by clinical judgment but not qualifying as inpatient care.
News
Avoid Billing, Coding Discrepancies When Documenting Patient History
November 3, 2014
Avoid Billing, Coding Discrepancies When Documenting Patient History
News
State of Hospital Medicine Report an Evaluation Tool for Hospital Medicine Groups
November 2, 2014
State of Hospital Medicine Report an Evaluation Tool for Hospital Medicine Groups
News
Eliminating Adverse Events and Redundant Tests Could Generate U.S. Healthcare Savings
October 27, 2014
Clinical question: Using available data, what is the estimated cost savings of eliminating adverse events and avoiding redundant tests? Background: Reimbursement schemes are changing such that hospitals are reimbursed less for some adverse events.
News
Patient Signout Is Not Uniformly Comprehensive and Often Lacks Critical Information
October 27, 2014
Clinical question: Do signouts vary in the quality and quantity of information, and what are the various factors affecting signout quality? Background: Miscommunication during transfers of responsibility for hospitalized patients is common and can result in harm.
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Emergency Department Signout via Voicemail Yields Mixed Reviews
October 27, 2014
Clinical question: How does traditional, oral signout from emergency providers to inpatient medicine physicians compare to dictated, voicemail signout? Background: Communication failures contribute to errors in care transition from ED to inpatient medicine units.
News
Decreased ICU Duty Hours Does Not Affect Patient Mortality
October 27, 2014
Clinical question: Does the reduction in work hours for residents affect mortality in medical and surgical ICUs? Background: A reduction in work hours for residents was enforced in July 2003.