Background: Hospitals nationwide increasingly shoulder the cost of unaddressed social determinants of health (SDOH). Preventable readmissions and prolonged hospital stays among patients experiencing homelessness increase healthcare expenditures and highlight unmet social needs linked to poorer outcomes. Every county in the United States administers housing assistance – including Permanent Supportive Housing, rapid rehousing, and emergency shelter [...]

Background: Patient After-Visit Summaries (AVSs) are critical to ensuring safe and effective hospital discharge. However, these documents are often written at reading levels that exceed many patients’ health literacy, leading to misunderstanding of care instructions and preventable post-discharge complications. Hospitalists face increasing documentation burden and limited time for discharge education. Large language models (LLMs) may [...]

Background: Patient After-Visit Summaries (AVSs) are critical to ensuring safe and effective hospital discharge. However, these documents are often written at reading levels that exceed many patients’ health literacy, leading to misunderstanding of care instructions and preventable post-discharge complications. Hospitalists face increasing documentation burden and limited time for discharge education. Large language models (LLMs) may [...]

Background: Limited diagnostic capacity in resource-constrained hospitals leads to delayed diagnoses and inequitable outcomes. At Hospital Nacional Juan José Ortega de Coatepeque in Guatemala, internists frequently manage conditions such as decompensated cirrhosis and pleural effusions with only plain radiography available and no access to a radiologist. A needs assessment of 36 providers showed limited prior [...]

Background: Limited diagnostic capacity in resource-constrained hospitals leads to delayed diagnoses and inequitable outcomes. At Hospital Nacional Juan José Ortega de Coatepeque in Guatemala, internists frequently manage conditions such as decompensated cirrhosis and pleural effusions with only plain radiography available and no access to a radiologist. A needs assessment of 36 providers showed limited prior [...]

Background: U.S. hospitals are facing unprecedented strain: ED boarding times are at an all-time high and a national hospital bed shortage is predicted as early as 2032. The leading hospital-substitution model, Hospital at Home, faces financial uncertainty as the waiver allowing its reimbursement expired in September 2025 and now only exists through a continuing resolution [...]

Background: U.S. hospitals are facing unprecedented strain: ED boarding times are at an all-time high and a national hospital bed shortage is predicted as early as 2032. The leading hospital-substitution model, Hospital at Home, faces financial uncertainty as the waiver allowing its reimbursement expired in September 2025 and now only exists through a continuing resolution [...]

Background: Pneumonia is the fourth most common cause of hospital admissions in the United States and the eighth most expensive condition, accounting for over $9.5 billion annually in inpatient costs alone. Multiple clinical trials have shown that shorter durations of antibiotic treatment (5 to 7 days) are as safe and effective as longer courses, findings [...]

Background: Patient care increasingly involves collaborative, team-based approaches in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Optimal transitions of care between the community and the hospital require bidirectional communication and collaboration. This presentation describes a structured, multidisciplinary electronic communication bundle implemented by an academic inpatient service to support care transitions in the management of patients between San [...]

Background:  Opiate, alcohol and polysubstance abuse are increasingly recognized for their catastrophic consequences on the health of populations across demographic groups.  Inpatient management of polysubstance use or dependence is often a crucial aspect of appropriate medical care.  Hospitalists are regularly involved in the care of patients with substance abuse. Co-management with Addiction Recovery specialists can [...]