Background: Lab testing is critical for clinical decision-making and used throughout healthcare systems. Overuse of lab testing is known to be commonplace and contributes to shortages in lab testing materials. While practices exist at medical institutions that aim to limit lab test overuse, it is unclear which interventions are effective. Methods: We aimed to reduce […]

Background: Over-testing leads to inflated direct and indirect costs of care. Re-ordering tests prior to a given recommended interval, whether secondary to a lack of awareness of information in the patient’s chart or a lack of knowledge of the given recommended interval, most often increases costs without benefiting patients. Best Practice Advisory (BPA) pop-ups and […]

Background: Since the creation of Hospitalists in 1995, there has been much written about the importance of communication with primary care physicians (PCPs) as a routine staple of hospitalization. In practice, the inconsistent nature of hospitalist-PCP communication is well established. National surveys estimate the rates of communication to be between 20-40%. Amidst multiple barriers identified, […]