Background: Despite system-level focus on avoidance of potentially preventable hospitalizations, the decision to admit a patient with low medical acuity has been understudied. Our study sought to identify factors associated with admission versus discharge from the Emergency Department (ED) for patients considered unlikely to be medically appropriate for admission. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional […]

Case Presentation: A 57‐year‐old woman with a history of herpes encephalitis and residual right temporal lobe encephalomalacia (diagnosed 9 years prior to our encounter) presented to the emergency department on 2 separate occasions 1 month apart, with altered mental status and subjective fevers. The patient was taking valacyclovir prophylactically due to similar presentations in the […]

Case Presentation: A 73‐year‐old African American man presented with productive cough and shortness of breath for 2½ weeks. He was ex‐smoker with about a 30‐pack‐per‐year history and family history of lung cancer. On presentation, vital signs were stable. Chest examination was unremarkable and other systemic exam was within normal limit. Initial chest x‐ray showed a […]

Background: Hospitalists have increasingly engaged in admission decision-making for acute care medical patients. The role, duties, and impact of a Hospital Medicine Triage Attending (“triagist”) are emerging yet ill-defined. To our knowledge, no study thus far has catalogued the activities of these physicians in a comprehensive way. Our objectives were to 1) characterize the demands […]