Background: Alzheimer disease (AD) is characterized by cognitive impairment including memory impairment, executive dysfunction, visuospatial impairment, and behavioral changes. Previous studies have shown that increasing level of physical activity serves as a protective factor against progression of AD. This study aims to assess the effect of long-term physical activity on cognitive function and identify whether [...]

Background: Aggressive EOL treatments in advanced cancer patients are associated with low-value care and frequently lead to unnecessary hospitalizations. Since 2012, the National Quality Forum (NQF), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have adopted EOL quality measures to reduce aggressive care. Using these measures, we conducted a [...]

Background: Control over work hours and schedule flexibility are important predictors of clinicians’ career satisfaction, work-life balance, and burnout, which are in turn linked to quality of patient care, recruitment, and retention. Additionally, several recent editorials questioned the “7-on/7-off scheduling.” In a rapidly expanding academic hospital medicine group with 63 physicians, the scheduling process is [...]

Background: Patient and family experience of care is a keystone of high-value care and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ value-based purchasing incentives for hospitals. As a result, most hospitals and health systems nationally have invested in improving patient experience. While hospitalists can greatly influence patient experience priorities, there is little is known about [...]

Background: Social determinants of health (SDOH) include stable housing, food security, and accessible transportation, and they are not universally identified or addressed in clinical health. Although physicians recognize the importance of screening patients for social needs, current hospital screening practices may only be applied occasionally, can be limited in the types of patients screened, and [...]

Background: Burnout among hospital medicine providers is well known. Advanced practice providers (APPs) are well-established in hospital medicine but there is a lack of data on burnout specific to the physician-APP model. As more hospitalist groups staff a physician-APP model, identifying contributors to burnout is key for ensuring career sustainability. Our academic hospital medicine group [...]

Background: Disparities in compensation and leadership still exist for women and underrepresented minorities in medicine. While studies have identified factors that lead to and perpetuate these inequities, institutions still struggle with how to implement long needed change to support increased diversity in our work environments, leadership opportunities, and equitable compensation specific to these populations. Purpose: [...]

Background: Bisphosphonates are the most commonly prescribed medications for treatment for osteoporosis (OP). Although increasing evidence supports a good safety profile, there is an emerging concern regarding the cardiovascular safety of these agents. Whereas the association with superficial phlebitis has been well documented, the risk of VTE is still not established. Limited data exist on [...]

Background: In the primary care setting, up to one third of patients are categorized as complex, while this proportion is not well known in the hospital setting. By definition, complex patients demand more effort and/or resources and required care processes are not routine or standard. The treating physician’s complexity assessment is the gold standard, which [...]

Background: The volume of opioid prescriptions in the US has increased dramatically over the last two decades, and strong evidence suggests that this has perpetuated opioid misuse, addiction, overdose, and drug-related deaths. We aimed to learn if there are differences in opioid prescribing among generalist physicians, NPs, and PAs to Medicare beneficiaries. Methods: We performed [...]