December 2005
Who should receive beta-blockers in the surgical setting?
New and revised ICD-9 codes hospitalists need to know
How working with family members can improve care in the ICU
New studies on hospital performance show some progress, but is it enough?
A review of the evidence to treat sepsis and anemia
A patient sends you e-mail: Are you violating HIPAA?
A new view of why hospital mortality increases around the holidays
Mortality rates and the holidays: hospital medicine’s untold story
November 2005
A look at the evidence on preventing hospital-acquired infections
Rigorous review of quality improvement yields surprising results
Do your discharges need fine-tuning? A nurse coordinator may be the solution
Short-term jobs: Staffing solution or trouble for the specialty?
A look at pneumovax and other bumps in the road to quality improvement
A first for hospitalists: a clinical journal the specialty can call its own
Medication history discrepancies, PFP outcomes, more
Are hospitalists increasing their liability risk?
October 2005
Hospitalists and the hurricane: how three physicians worked through the storm and its aftermath
A new role for hospitalists: overseeing the transfer of patients within a hospital system
Profile: For this physician, teaching is the perfect antidote to exhaustion
Want to keep your JCAHO accreditation? Focus on improving hand-offs and sign-outs
The search for a therapy to prevent and treat postoperative ileus
Did you remember to remove the patient’s urinary catheter?
More questions “and answers ” about observation and inpatient consultation codes
Caught between evidence and a hard place
September 2005
Declaring victory in the war against drug errors, if only for a month
Hospitalists in the ED: moving beyond gains in throughput
Strategies to prescribe the right discharge drugs to ACS patients
Academic hospitalists cope with life after work-hour limits
The test results are in, but the patient has gone home. Will anyone notice?
One physician’s view of why 24/7 coverage is critical for hospital medicine
Hospitalists in demand: An opportunity or a “Band-Aid?”
August 2005
In a new role as “clog-busters,” hospitalists are helping streamline the ED
Time is tissue: Why emerging evidence on sepsis urges physicians to watch the clock
What hospitalists can learn from a computer-based alert to prevent inpatient DVT
Separate and unequal: comparing two hospitalist groups working under one roof
Pay for performance: a cure for hospital medicine’s reimbursement problems?
The diagnosis wasn’t right, but was it really a mistake?
Answers to questions about timing for discharge and observation codes
Coming to a city near you: hospitalist-centered CME
July 2005
Your hospital says the contract is illegal. Is that really the case?
How a shock team can detect and treat critical illness earlier
Strategies to make a definitive diagnosis of osteomyelitis
A little information can go a long way in preventing drug problems after discharge
Fake hospital inspectors, LOS, antipsychotics, more
How hospitalists can avoid common pitfalls of palliative care
Is a ward-based clinic the answer for high-risk patients?
June 2005
Measuring physician performance? These eight pearls of wisdom can help
As hospital medicine grows, so do the challenges of avoiding burnout
A long view of strategies to reduce inpatient mortality
Why withholding information from terminally ill patients can be a good thing
You think the diagnosis is correct, but are you right about being right?
In southeast Michigan, hospitalists take the lead on patient safety
Problems with your hospital’s EMR? Try a little creative thinking
Tired of tracking down patient information by hand, one resident found a better way
May 2005
Seven strategies to prevent VAP: a look at the evidence
When it comes to improving patient care, redundancy is not a bad thing
A new look at an old problem: missing clinical information
New survey yields clues about efforts to prevent drug problems
Tips to choose the right codes for incision and drainage
The business case for hospitalists heats up: Is your program ready?
Inpatient rounder or hospitalist: Which one are you?
April 2005
Boom times for hospitalists: What’s driving the growth?
One researcher’s view of what’s wrong with living wills
Hospital medicine and economics: a case of meeting market demands
How a “ticket home” can help streamline the discharge process
Considering a pay-for-performance program? Try these strategies
Does that pneumonia patient really need to be hospitalized?
Coming soon to a city near you: hospitalist-centered CME
Why timing is everything with prophylactic antibiotics and surgery
Tips to calculate the time you spend on discharge services codes
March 2005
Is pay for performance in your future?
Changing the structure, not just the process, of patient care
Taking a page from nuclear power to improve patient safety
Your patient may be delirious: What do you do next?
When QI research brings good news, can you believe the results?
Trends in medication errors: a look at five years of data
New ICD-9 and CPT codes that every hospitalist needs to know
February 2005
Strategies to spot the telltale signs of HIT
A syndrome that makes you choose sides
Computers and errors, report card on U.S. health care, more
A best-practice makeover to fine-tune VAP prevention
A new role for community-based hospitalists: teacher
A plan to save the lives of 100,000 inpatients by 2006
Putting a spotlight on discharge planning and problems with “care transitions”
The lumbar puncture was incomplete. How do you code for it?
January 2005
Co-managing orthopedic surgery patients: The next big thing for hospitalists?
How one health system encourages staff to give its patients a “safe passage”
Continuity of care vs. errors: Which is the bigger worry when reducing work hours for residents?
The new emphasis on medication reconciliation
To prevent drug errors, try “medication reconciliation”
Can one group’s recommendations create “leaps” in health care quality?