Home 2006 Issues

2006 Issues

December 2006


How to build your business case

When it comes to CPOE, tough talk from physicians may not reflect reality

How well are you managing your heart failure patients?

A look at three different ways to report your discharge services

A look at how much you should be earning “and how you should be…

Expanded CME series for hospitalists is coming to Los Angeles and Boston

Do you know how to prove what your program is worth?

One hospital gets big results with a new type of rapid response team

Are your discussions about risk getting lost in translation?

News Briefs


November 2006


Is your program promising more than it can deliver? Prepare for trouble

Questions and answers about coding for subsequent visits and discharge management

Why hospitalists may be destined to become the first responders for inpatient stroke

To help with hand-offs, this group adapted a sign-off system for nurses

Employment contracts: Nine items you don’t want to find

Breaking down barriers to clinical research

Sedate or not sedate? Strategies to manage delirium in the hospital

News Briefs

The surging demand for hospitalists: when it’s better to just say “no”


October 2006


Getting a handle on a billion-dollar problem: drug errors in the U.S.

Are you missing opportunities to immunize your patients?

This new breed of hospitalists comes out only at night

A look at new and revised ICD-9 codes that will affect hospitalists

How the laws of supply and demand are giving hospitalists new options.

Whose job is it anyway? Strategies to take ownership of the discharge process

To prevent ordering errors, one hospital is bringing “read backs” to the bedside

A tight job market for hospitalists brings a new perk: flexibility


September 2006


When it comes to pain management, are you part of the problem?

A reality check for a widely-used performance measure

The patient experiences problems after discharge. What’s the responsibility of the hospitalist?

Know all about tail coverage before you take that job

Seven mistakes to avoid when billing for subsequent visits

In the world of quality improvement, is COPD being left behind?

Building a better safety net to detect “and prevent “medication errors

News Briefs

New data on quality measures: a warning sign for physicians?


August 2006


The truth behind some common myths about how to use critical care codes

The past: Has the hospitalist specialty lived up to it potential?
The present: When it comes to “best practices,” how does your group

measure up?

The future: Will hospitalists play a role in fixing health care?

How one hospital slashed its rate of drug events without breaking the bank

One-day CME series for hospitalists coming to Chicago and Tampa

Screening for pulmonary complications of surgery: a look at the evidence


July 2006


What hospitalists need to worry about when it comes to malpractice

Why discontinuing medications for elderly patients may be the right thing to do

A review of the medical literature for hospitalists

To keep nurses in the loop, this hospital gave them access to its sign-out…

You’ve spent 20 minutes counseling the patient. Can you bill for the time?

Hospitalists and malpractice: time to think about your risk

Assessing cardiac risk before surgery: strategies to make the right call


June 2006

PPIs in the hospital: Too much of a good thing?
Are you covering all bases when choosing a level of history?

Does your discharge process need fine-tuning?

How a “shift coupon” can help hospitals learn more about adverse events

New guidelines dispel old myths about pulmonary complications after surgery

Eight rules to consider when rounding on elderly patients

In the nation’s hospitals, much work remains to be done in the QI arena


May 2006


Surgical co-management: protocols, processes and occasional headaches

Medication reconciliation: key lessons learned

Why steroids are making a comeback for treating septic shock

One hospital is making mentoring worthwhile for its physicians

Can a new document help bring hospitalists the respect they deserve?

Hospitalists and pharmacists: breaking new ground by teaming up

MRSA, the Match, glycemic control, more

Join us in Chicago and Tampa for hospitalist-centered CME


April 2006


Restrictive covenants: A look at what’s fair, what’s legal and everything in between

How to get the credit you deserve for medical decision-making

Does practice really make perfect? New data raise questions

As they move into specialty medicine, hospitalists are finding a warm welcome

Non-complete clause and hospitalists: Think before you sign on the dotted line

Why intracerebral hemorrhage presents hospitalists with some difficult choices

When it comes to discharge summaries, bigger isn’t always better

Reducing central-line infections? Start with the little things


March 2006


Strategies to steer clear of trouble managing acute coronary syndrome

Managing intracranial pressure? Don’t forget about cerebral perfusion pressure

Six years after the IOM report, is patient safety lagging at hospitals?

To keep its physicians sharp, one group is trying new ways to educate hospitalists

Exploring a weak link in hospital care: handoffs and signouts

Too much of a good thing?

Glucose control in the hospital “an emerging standard of care?


February 2006


Why the red-hot job market has hospitalist programs singing the blues

Handoff problems? Speak the same language as your colleagues

Weighing in on the debate over DVT assessment and prevention

Teaching residents to take a new view of quality improvement

Neurologic emergencies: Diagnosing a syndrome that’s as life-threatening as it is treatable

New CPT codes for 2006, and shortcuts to document a review of systems

Is quality improvement raising the liability risk of hospitals?

Need more information about that pneumonia patient? Try these strategies


January 2006

Getting your patients off the sliding-scale insulin roller coaster

Neurologic emergencies: Fighting status seizures with “real-world” algorithms

Overcoming physician’s reluctance to embrace end-of life care

News Briefs

One hospital finds that a light touch is the best way to improve quality

When it comes to hospital administrators, a little education can go a long way

New heart failure guidelines: Not all beta-blockers are created equal

Looking for respect around the hospital? Try touting your return on investment

A look at what’s wrong with performance measures for AMI and heart failure