Geriatrician-hospitalist model cut costs and LOS
A collaborative consultation model between geriatricians and hospitalists can help improve the care of older hospital patients with acute illness, according to a new study, “Development and Implementation of a Proactive Geriatrics Consultation model in Collaboration with Hospitalists,” published in the September issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Called the Proactive Geriatric Consultation Service, hospitalists, geriatricians, and nurse practitioners at Indiana University worked together to consult on cases early during the hospital stay. They focused these consultations on functional and psychosocial issues.
Researchers found that the geriatrician-hospitalist model reduced length of stay and cut hospital costs. In addition, most hospitalists (96%) rated this model as excellent and believed it to improve the care of the patients.
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.
