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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.
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The Lone Hospitalist in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan
November 4, 2015
[caption id="attachment_11766" align="alignright" width="295"] Image Credit: www.nytimes.comA screenshot of the New York Times website featuring Times columnist Nicholas Kristoff’s article "The Worst Atrocity You’ve Never Heard Of,” which chronicles Dr.
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Coronary CT Angiography, Perfusion Imaging Effective for Evaluating Patients With Chest Pain
November 4, 2015
Clinical question: When evaluating the intermediate-risk patient with chest pain, should coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) be used instead of myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI)? Background: CCTA has been shown in prior randomized controlled trials to save time and money compared to
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ED Lung Ultrasound Useful for Differentiating Cardiogenic from Noncardiogenic Dyspnea
November 4, 2015
Clinical question: Is lung ultrasound a useful tool for helping to diagnose acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF)? Background: Lung ultrasound is an emerging bedside tool that has been promoted to help evaluate lung water content to help clinicians differentiate ADHF from other causes of dyspn
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When Should Hospitalists Order Continuous Cardiac Monitoring?
November 4, 2015
Case Two patients on continuous cardiac monitoring (CCM) are admitted to the hospital. One is a 56-year-old man with hemodynamically stable sepsis secondary to pneumonia. There is no sign of arrhythmia on initial evaluation.
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Maintenance of Certification Process Should Ensure Physicians Deliver Quality Care
November 4, 2015
[caption id="attachment_11777" align="alignright" width="295"] Image Credit: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM[/caption] When the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) announced changes to its Maintenance of Certification (MOC) process in early 2014, the response was overwhelmingly negative.
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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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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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Practice Administrator Elected Vice President of SHM Maryland Chapter
November 4, 2015
When you ask Tiffani Panek, division administrator for the division of hospital medicine at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center (BMC) in Baltimore, Md., about her thoughts on the future of hospital medicine, her passion and enthusiasm are immediately apparent.
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Clinical Care Pathway for Cellulitis Can Help Reduce Antibiotic Use, Cost
November 4, 2015
Clinical question: How would an evidence-based clinical pathway for cellulitis affect process metrics, patient outcomes, and clinical cost? Background: Cellulitis is a common hospital problem, but its evaluation and treatment vary widely.