Background: Patients who are frequently admitted to the hospital are a highly vulnerable population, facing discontinuity between hospital admissions and care settings. At the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, the multidisciplinary STEP program works intensively with patients with extreme hospital utilization on the inpatient general medicine service (minimum of 5 but often 10-30 admissions […]

Background: Interhospital transfer (IHT), which is often performed to provide patients with necessary procedural and specialized care, is a common occurrence in modern healthcare. Racial/ethnic inequities in IHT have been described using nationally representative data, however such inequities have not been characterized at a more local level, which can provide more granular data to adjust […]

Background: Care of the pediatric patient does not end after the family exits the hospital doors. Post-discharge issues can lead to significant consternation for families, unnecessary risk to the patient, and re-utilization of healthcare resources. Despite careful preparation for transfer of care to the primary care physician (PCP), some post-discharge issues are unanticipated and lead […]

Background: Hospitalizations among patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) have skyrocketed in the past 10 years (1). These patients represent an ever-growing portion of the typical hospital medicine census and often have readmission rates greater than expected for their age and other health status. Discharge against medical advice (AMA) is common in this population, and […]