Hospitalists are efficient diagnosticians, study says
We've known for years that hospitalist care cuts down on length of stay, but what about diagnostics and throughput?
Patients under hospitalist care, particularly intensivist care, experienced shorter length of stay and reduction in testing than teaching teams, according to a new study, “Determinants of Hospitalist Efficiency: A Qualitative and Quantitative Study,” published in the June issue of Medical Care Research and Review. Researchers also found that hospitalists are efficient diagnosticians and enhance throughput.
Although the study demonstrated the benefits hospitalists provide, it also showed little evidence that they are more focused on quality or use community resources better than non-hospitalist providers.
Do you know of any new studies that evaulate hospitalist care on overall patient quality and hospital revenue?
About the Author: Karen M. Cheung is the associate editor for HCPro, Inc., the healthcare compliance publisher, delivering news and information to the hospitalist market with products such as books, e-newsletters, seminars, and broadcast events.
Before arriving at HCPro, Karen served as the news editor for Reviewed.com (including DigitalCameraInfo.com and lead blogger for CamcorderInfo.com), providing unbiased tech reviews for the WashingtonPost.com. Having trained with The Washington Post photo department and earning a B.S. in Journalism from Boston University, Karen has experience with news and commercial photography. During her time in D.C., she covered Capitol Hill and the White House for daily New England newspapers.
