Background: Length of Stay (LOS) can provide important information regarding the efficiency and quality of patient care. Often, LOS is used as a proxy of efficient hospital management because reducing LOS can allow capacity for emergent admissions and interhospital transfers.2 Increased LOS is associated with negative patient outcomes including increased risk for mortality, hospital acquired [...]

Background: Hospitalists at Froedtert Hospital and the Medical College of Wisconsin play a critical role in managing over one-third of the inpatient population, thus having a substantial influence on patient outcomes and overall hospital efficiency. Despite the growing recognition of hospitalist-driven care, the relationship between years of experience and measurable patient and institutional outcomes remains [...]

Background: Difficult intravenous access is a common challenge in patients with obesity, often resulting in placement of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs). However, little is known about the relationship between obesity and the risk of device-related complications in patients with PICCs. We sought to assess associations between obesity and PICC-related complications in hospitalized medical patients. [...]

Background: Healthcare networks not only address medical needs but also connect patients with critical social support services. Socioeconomic factors significantly influence both healthcare utilization and outcomes, and screening for health-related social needs (HRSN) has improved outcomes, particularly among at-risk patients (Hood 2016; Gulati 2024). Despite these benefits, widespread implementation lagged until January 2024, when the [...]

Background: Community acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a leading cause of hospitalization, economic burden and excess antibiotic use in the United States.1,2 Previously, a multidisciplinary group at University of Utah Health launched a clinical decision support triggered CAP pathway in 2017 that was associated with cost savings and decreased duration of antibiotics.3 Based on review of [...]

Background: As hospitalists take over additional patient care duties in teaching hospitals, many issues that impact residents are now being experienced by hospitalists. Previous studies have shown that between 22% and 27.7% of nighttime pages were nonurgent, including patient-status updates, low-priority order request, and non-critical lab values. Unnecessary interruptions distract from patient care, contribute to [...]

Background: Vitamin D (Vit D) is a fat-soluble vitamin that supports normal bone development and maintenance by increasing the absorption of calcium, magnesium, and phosphate, which are essential for bone mineralization. Vitamin D is commonly assessed through serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels, with sufficient levels defined as ≥30 ng/mL, and deficient as < 20 ng/ml. [...]

Background: Discharge planning plays a critical role in managing hospital length of stay (1). We report on the implementation of a program in a large hospital system where health care providers were requested to estimate and record the Medically Ready for Discharge Date (MRDD) in the electronic health record (EHR) for hospitalized patients to facilitate [...]

Background: Our standard Hypoglycemia Protocol primarily utilizes juice to treat hypoglycemia. The system currently allows both the Hypoglycemia Protocol and a renal diet to be active simultaneously. This algorithm has no restrictions on administering orange juice to treat hypoglycemia for patients despite exclusion of orange juice for patients on a renal diet. Considering anecdotal instances [...]

Background: Identifying discharge barriers, reducing length of stay (LOS) and optimizing the observed over expected (O/E) ratio for LOS are crucial in healthcare management. Addressing obstacles—DME needs, medical issues, diagnostic/procedure delays, administrative hurdles—can streamline discharge, enhancing outcomes, optimizing resources, cutting costs, and improving hospital efficiency. Effective discharge planning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and patient education are vital [...]