Background: Studies have reported an association of physician burnout with lower patient satisfaction and poor quality of health care. Hospitalists play a large role in inpatient care, however, to the best of our knowledge only one study has examined the association of hospitalist burnout on patient satisfaction but found no significant association. Therefore, the objective […]

Background: Patients are frequently ordered to fast while hospitalized. Though these “nil per os” (NPO) orders are often placed for sound clinical reasons (e.g. small bowel obstruction), they are also frequently placed in preparation for imaging studies or procedures to reduce the theoretical risk of aspiration. There is often a great deal of confusion among […]

Background: The insurance authorization process for Inpatient Rehab Facility (IRF) and Skilled Nursing Facility placement is lengthy. It takes several days for insurance companies to make decisions regarding patient disposition. This creates increased length of stay (LOS) for otherwise medically stable patients. Several factors contribute to delays and include the lack of weekend authorization staff […]

Background: The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey is an instrument used to evaluate patient experience and satisfaction during patients’ hospital stay. One of the areas assessed by the survey is education about medications. The survey asks patients how often they were educated about the purpose and possible side effects of […]