Background: It is known that anemia is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic comorbidities. Here, we establish an association between mild and moderate anemia with increased healthcare utilization (HU). Methods: We conducted a retrospective study analyzing HU comprising Emergency Room (ER) visits and Inpatient (IP) admissions over 12 months in patients [...]

Background: Inpatient hypoglycemia (HG) is common and often avoidable, associated with poor outcomes and high costs, and its prevention reflects hospital performance. We investigated its risk factors and impact on mortality, hospital length of stay (LOS), charges, and readmissions. We defined HG as glucose ≤40 mg/dl (severe), >40 – ≤70 mg/dl (moderate), or euglycemia >70 [...]

Background: Asthma disproportionately affects racial minorities and individuals of lower socioeconomic status (SES). The introduction of biologic therapies in 2015 provided new treatment options for managing severe asthma. This study investigates the impact of biologics on racial and SES disparities in asthma-related emergency care visits before and after 2015. Methods: Data from the National Health [...]

Background: Social isolation is associated with various adverse health outcomes, including an increased risk of chronic diseases, higher mortality rates, higher healthcare utilization, and costs. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has identified social isolation as an emerging public health concern. However, there is limited data on the factors linked to perceived social [...]

Background: ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) presents a healthcare burden in the United States. However, STEMI patients with COVID-19 have elevated in-hospital mortality. The use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for COVID-19 patients with STEMI is debated. We aimed to compare hospitalized STEMI patients with and without COVID-19, using a national database to understand the impact [...]

Background: Medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) reduces mortality1-5 and is considered standard of care in all health care settings6, yet overall use of these life-saving medications remains low.7 Hospitalization represents a crucial opportunity to offer treatment and link patients to outpatient care. Patients who start MOUD during hospitalization are more likely to continue treatment [...]

Background: Classically, paracentesis and thoracentesis have been performed by interventional radiology (IR) at our institution. Despite the advantages of IR, the high demand for these services can lead to procedural delays, potentially increasing patients’ length of stay (LOS). Retrospective studies of well-established hospitalist medicine procedural services (HMPS) have shown improvements in length of stay. Methods: [...]

Background: The Surviving Sepsis Campaign strongly recommends that all hospitals screen for sepsis as part of performance improvement. The effect of screening for sepsis on mortality, length of stay, and time to antibiotics is uncertain. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted using Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, Ovid Embase, Ovid Medline, Scopus, and Web of [...]

Background: Dichotomous outcomes—such as mortality—rarely capture the range of potential outcomes important to patients and clinicians. To address this limitation, the Desirability of Outcome Ranking (DOOR) score was created to rank potential outcomes from least to most desirable. Currently, there is no standardized method to develop a DOOR score and data are limited on whether [...]

Background: Individuals with diabetes have a 2–3 fold higher hospitalization rate compared to those without diabetes. During hospitalization, individuals with diabetes frequently experience elevated blood glucose levels (or, hyperglycemia) (1), which can increase monitoring by nurses and hospitalists, length of stay, and healthcare cost. Therefore, we sought to develop a machine learning model to predict [...]