Background: A growing body of evidence supports the use of point of care ultrasound increasingly as augmentation of the physical exam and clinical decision making. The literature also supports that trainees, both medical students and residents, can acquire these skills. However, there is no consensus on the training approach and development of competency for hospitalists [...]

Background: Advance care planning can be challenging for both patients and providers.  Barriers to understanding patients’ goals of care include patient and provider discomfort with the topic, as well as family and cultural dynamics.  The Stanford Letter Advance Directive (LAD) is a simple tool written at a fifth grade reading level in eight different languages [...]

Background: Although point-of-care ultrasound can improve patient care and reduce unnecessary downstream costs, few economic models exist on hospitalist use and whether remuneration for imaging could offset equipment costs.  As the heart and lungs are commonly examined during admission, we observed the frequency of use and projected fiscal outcomes of point-of-care cardiac ultrasound by an [...]

Background: A growing body of evidence supports the use of point of care ultrasound increasingly as augmentation of the physical exam and clinical decision making. The literature also supports that trainees, both medical students and residents, can acquire these skills. However, there is no consensus on the training approach and development of competency for hospitalists [...]

Background:   Observation care has evolved significantly since its original inception by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).  Originally intended to span less than 48 hours in the majority of cases, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) reported that 11% of all observation stays lasted three or more nights in 2012.[1]Having a higher length [...]

Background: Advance care planning can be challenging for both patients and providers.  Barriers to understanding patients’ goals of care include patient and provider discomfort with the topic, as well as family and cultural dynamics.  The Stanford Letter Advance Directive (LAD) is a simple tool written at a fifth grade reading level in eight different languages [...]

Background: Although point-of-care ultrasound can improve patient care and reduce unnecessary downstream costs, few economic models exist on hospitalist use and whether remuneration for imaging could offset equipment costs.  As the heart and lungs are commonly examined during admission, we observed the frequency of use and projected fiscal outcomes of point-of-care cardiac ultrasound by an [...]

Background: Cardiac arrest on the wards may be preceded by unmet palliative care needs, including advance care planning and specialty palliative consultation that can seek to align patients’ prognoses and goals for care. Identification of hospitalized patients with limited life expectancy allows for the delivery of appropriate palliative interventions. However, the prognosis on admission of [...]

Background: Understanding of the Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) order varies among different ethnic backgrounds. In Korea, the concept of DNR is not well-known. We therefore conducted a questionnaire-based study to explore and characterize ethnic differences (Korean vs. Non-Korean) in the understanding of DNR.   Methods: Subjects were recruited from the Englewood Hospital and Medical Center where is [...]

Background: Substantial portions of hospitalized patients in the United States do not understand their plan of care. Hospitalized patients’ knowledge of their plan of care affects their ability to provide truly informed consent and assent to inpatient treatment, and to assume their medical care after discharge. There is a need for further study of the [...]