News
Where Leading GOP Presidential Candidates Stand on Health Policies
December 15, 2015
As the long 2016 presidential election season draws on, Republican hopefuls strive to stand out among their fellow party candidates; however, many in the running remain tacit about specific policies on issues ranging from immigration to gun control and healthcare. “Many of these candidates … do n
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Audio
LISTEN NOW: Scott Sears, MD, Discusses Hospitalist Challenges with Unassigned, Uninsured Patients
December 1, 2015
Scott Sears, MD, chief clinical officer for Sound Physicians in Tacoma, Wash., discusses why patients without health insurance put hospitalists in a difficult situation.
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Opinion
Poor Continuity of Patient Care Increases Work for Hospitalist Groups
November 30, 2015
[caption id="attachment_12166" align="alignright" width="295"] Image Credit: ILLUSTRATION/PAUL JUESTRICH; PHOTOs shutterstock.com[/caption] I think every hospitalist group should diligently try to maximize hospitalist-patient continuity, but many seem to adopt schedules and other operational prac
News
New Medicare Rule Will Reimburse Physicians for Advance Care Planning
November 5, 2015
Hospitalists care for patients with the most serious, chronic, and complex illnesses. As a result, they are often faced with the daunting task of counseling their patients to help them clearly define their end-of-life wishes.
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News
Policy Changes Hospitalists May See in 2016
November 4, 2015
The year 2015 brought the repeal of the sustainable growth rate (SGR) and new rules for advanced care planning reimbursement.
News
Risk Adjusting Readmissions: Coming Soon?
November 4, 2015
Nearly three-quarters of hospitals will be receiving penalties from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in 2016 for excess readmissions, having failed to prevent enough patients from returning to the hospital 30 days post-discharge.
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News
Revolutionizing Quality Improvement in Hospital Medicine
November 4, 2015
As the senior physician advisor to SHM’s Center for Hospital Innovation and Improvement, Eric Howell, MD, SFHM, bridges the gap between clinical expertise and project support and development. The Hospitalist recently had a conversation with Dr.
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News
Medicare’s Readmission Reduction Program Cuts $420M to U.S. Hospitals This Year
November 4, 2015
It’s that time of year again … the time when hospitals around the country are being notified of their 30-day readmission penalties from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
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Opinion
Eliminations Hospitalist Groups Should Consider
November 4, 2015
[caption id="attachment_11771" align="alignright" width="295"] Image Credit: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM[/caption] Editor’s note: Second in a continuing series of articles exploring ways hospitalist groups can cut back. In last month’s column, I made the case that most hospitalist groups should think abo
News
CMS Releases Updated Two-Midnight Rule for 2016
November 2, 2015
On November 13, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is scheduled to publish its final OPPS rule for 2016. One of the biggest impacts for hospitalists is the update to the two-midnight rule. Here are six areas of interest to hospitalists: 1.
