Rating the ratings
A comparison of four U.S. hospital rating systems found discordant scores. Two of the study authors discuss what that means for hospitalists and patients.
Expediting ED-to-hospice transitions
A program doubled the percentage of appropriate patients who transitioned to hospice within 96 hours of presenting to the ED, improving alignment with goals for end-of-life care.
CMS reports demographics, quality, cost from hospital-at-home initiative
Length of stay was longer in patients treated under CMS's Acute Hospital Care at Home initiative than among similar patients in participating hospitals, but complications and postdischarge costs trended lower and patients and clinicians were highly satisfied with care under the waiver.
Electronic feedback on patients whose care was escalated helpful for hospitalists
Most hospitalists at an academic medical center who received electronic feedback about their care for patients who underwent ICU transfers and rapid responses reported being highly or moderately satisfied with the experience, a survey study found.
Overdose risk doubled after patient discharge before medically advised
A Canadian study of whether discharge before medically advised was associated with drug overdose risk found that the overdose rate went up significantly after hospitalization whether the discharge was advised or not, compared to earlier no-overdose periods in the patients' lives.
U.S. heart failure hospitalizations on the rise again after pandemic drop
Admissions with a primary diagnosis of heart failure decreased from 2010 through 2014 but increased from 2014 to 2021, and associated mortality went up from 2012 onward.
Take a quiz about the Oct. 2 issue!
Every week, ACP Hospitalist posts a question about the previous week's issue. See how well you remember what you've read compared to other readers.
Addressing partner, community violence
Hospitalists can help patients who've experienced violence by screening for the problem and offering resources to assist.
FDA approves self-administration of nasal flu vaccine
The FDA announced that the nasal spray vaccine may now be administered by patients and caregivers, among other recent actions. A prescription is still required.
Periop cardiovascular guideline updated, calls for avoiding overscreening
The American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, and other societies released new recommendations on evaluating and managing cardiovascular risk in patients undergoing noncardiac surgery.
New guideline calls for restrictive transfusion protocols in critically ill patients
The American College of Chest Physicians' guideline on red blood cell transfusion recommends using a hemoglobin level threshold of 7 to 8 g/dL for most critically ill patients based on evidence of reduced adverse events.
Restrictive transfusion thresholds associated with worse outcomes in MI plus anemia
In hospitalized patients with myocardial infarction (MI) and anemia, risk for death or repeat MI at 30 days was higher with hemoglobin thresholds for red blood cell transfusion below 8 g/dL than higher thresholds, but the results were imprecise, a recent analysis found.
Coronavirus | October 2, 2024 | FREE
Most ACP Hospitalist content is available exclusively to ACP Members. This article is free to the public.
Lower mortality in COVID-19 with remdesivir plus dexamethasone than dexamethasone alone
An industry-funded retrospective study found that COVID-19 patients who got both remdesivir and dexamethasone had lower inpatient mortality than matched patients who got dexamethasone alone, across all levels of respiratory support.
Be an antiracist hospitalist
A researcher provides insight into some of the problems faced by Black patients in the hospital.
Brief Case | September 25, 2024 | FREE
Most ACP Hospitalist content is available exclusively to ACP Members. This article is free to the public.
Severe rhabdomyolysis following COVID-19 infection
A patient was admitted with upper respiratory infection, dark urine, and myalgias.
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