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Emergency Department Utilization May Be Lower for Attending-Only Physician Visits versus Supervised Visits
March 3, 2015
Clinical question: Does supervised learning in the ED lead to higher rates of resource utilization? Background: Care at academic medical centers might be more expensive than nonteaching hospitals because of the increased testing and resource utilization that occurs among learners.
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Physician Spending Habits During Residency Training Can Persist for Years
March 3, 2015
Clinical question: For primary care physicians (PCPs), does residency training area affect the pattern of physician spending after training is complete? Background: Regional and system-level variations in the intensity of medical services provided are common in the U.S.
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Malpractice Reform Does Not Change Physician Practice Patterns
March 3, 2015
Clinical question: Do malpractice reform policies shift physician practice patterns toward lower utilization of healthcare resources? Background: Physician-reported fears of lawsuits lead to defensive medicine practices, which contribute to high healthcare costs.
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Updated Guidelines for Management of Non-ST-Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome
March 3, 2015
Clinical question: What is the recommended approach for management of non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS)? Background: This is the first comprehensive update from the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology (AHA/ACC) on NSTE-ACS since 2007 and follows a focused u
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New Guidelines for Platelet Transfusions in Adults
March 3, 2015
Clinical question: What is the recommended approach to platelet transfusion in several common clinical scenarios? Background: The AABB (formerly American Association of Blood Banks) developed these guidelines from a recent systematic review on platelet transfusion. Synopsis: One strong recomme
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Shorter Treatment for Vertebral Osteomyelitis May Be as Effective as Longer Treatment
March 3, 2015
Clinical question: Is a six-week regimen of antibiotics as effective as a 12-week regimen in the treatment of vertebral osteomyelitis? Background: The optimal duration of antibiotic treatment for vertebral osteomyelitis is unknown.
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Hospitals Launch Bedside Procedure Services
March 3, 2015
A dedicated procedure team or service can give hospitals needed expertise without requiring a one-size-fits-all approach.
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Clinical Images Capture Hospitalists’ Daily Rounds
March 3, 2015
EDITOR’S NOTE: Fourth in an occasional series of reviews of the Hospital Medicine: Current Concepts series by members of Team Hospitalist. [caption id="attachment_8317" align="alignright" width="300"] Left: Image of patient with rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis, case number 48.Right: Image of
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How to Initiate a VTE Quality Improvement Project
March 3, 2015
While VTE sometimes occurs in spite of the best available prophylaxis, there are many lost opportunities to optimize prevention and reduce VTE risk factors in virtually every hospital.
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Little Progress Made Training Hospitalists to Stem Shortage of Intensivists
March 3, 2015
What would the status be for a hospitalist who could train for one year to become a critical care intensivist to address the shortage of intensivists?