A report published online May 24 in the Journal of Hospital Medicine found that smoothing inpatient occupancy and scheduled admissions in 39 children’s hospitals helped reduce midweek overcrowding. Evan S. Fieldston, MD, MBA, MSHP, of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia and colleagues previously demonstrated occupancy variability and midweek crowding weekends (J Hosp Med. 2011;6:81-87). Strategies the team studied included controlling admissions when possible to achieve more level occupancy, with a mean of 2.6% of admissions moved to a different day of the week.
Related Articles
Update in Hospital Medicine
November 4, 2011
Dr. Zahir Kanjee (left) and Dr. Suchita Shah Sata educated—and entertained!—with their updates in hospital medicine. This year’s annual Update in Hospital Medicine transported learners to...
The Art and Science of Hospitalist Workloads: Designing and Implementing Evidence-Informed Strategies for Optimal Patient, Workforce, and Organizational Outcomes
November 4, 2011
This engaging strategy session was led by two passionate speakers committed to optimizing hospital operations while prioritizing the well-being of hospitalists. They delved into various challenges,...
SIG Spotlight: Patient Experience
November 4, 2011
Length of stay, work-relative value units, hospital-acquired infections. There is no shortage of metrics—and their accompanying acronyms—that silo, summarize, and study whether hospitalists are...
How Do You Ethically Integrate a GIP Hospice Service into the Hospital?
November 4, 2011
Case An 86-year-old female with a history of metastatic pancreatic cancer and diabetes was admitted for chest pain and dyspnea and found to have an acute pulmonary embolism. The hospital...