SM
December 2008
Cover Story
Physicians of the night
The who, what and why of nocturnists
Disparities between day and night care, as well as new guidelines and public pressure, are pushing hospital administrators and hospitalist practices to offer 24/7 care. Quite a few hospitalists are willing to work at night under the right circumstances.
December '08
Newman’s Notions
The final page
Medical editor James S. Newman, FACP, remembers his first pager, and his next, and then wearing three at once…
December '08
Letter from the Editor
December '08
Write to the Editor
December '08
Mindful Medicine
Mindful Medicine: When diagnoses get lost in translation
Jerome Groopman, FACP and Pamela Hartzband, FACP review two cases where a patient's use of key words led to anchoring errors in diagnosing an abdominal aortic aneurism and a classic case of intermittent claudication.
December '08
Ethical Dilemmas
'Futile to whom' challenges views on reasonable recovery
By Lachlan Forrow, FACP
A reader debates how health care providers handle life-saving medical treatment despite no hope for recovery.
December '08
Cartoon Caption Contest
Put words in our mouth
December '08
Patient Safety
To err is human … to not plan for it is trouble
Hospitals should plan in advance for serious medical mistakes
Hospitals should always work to prevent serious or fatal medical errors, but they also need to have a plan in place for what to do if an error occurs. Chances are, it will happen eventually.
December '08
Your Career
Community hospitals branch out to clinical research
Partnering with academic medical centers benefits both sides
Clinical research at community hospitals in collaboration with academic medical facilities is gaining traction around the U.S.
December '08
Green Medicine
Wait—don’t throw that out!
More and more hospitals are using reprocessed medical devices
About 3,000 hospitals nationwide have turned to single-use medical device (SUD) reprocessing to save money and reduce their carbon footprint.
December '08
Coding Corner
Billing for interactions with a patient’s family or other caregiver
More than 44 million Americans care for an adult family member or friend. Physicians often will discuss the care of a patient with the patient’s caregivers, and may be able to bill for these interactions.
December '08
Success Story
Improvements in emergency department create ripple effect in hospital
Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center, Sioux Falls, S.D. used a manufacturing concept called Lean to identify wasted steps in the delivery of care. The result: decreased wait times and more efficiency in a new emergency department.
December '08
Web Watch
Podcast engages medical bloggers in virtual talk show
Doctor Anonymous’s weekly live podcast interviews well-known medical bloggers in an interactive talk show, including call in with questions and an instant-message in a chatroom while the show is live.
December '08
On the blog
What’s new on ACP Internist’s blog
The staff of ACP Internist and ACP Hospitalist update our blog daily with news about medical research and practice management, as well as onsite coverage of major medical conferences. On the lighter side, our “Medical news of the obvious” each Monday points out studies that fail to pass the “so what?” test. Read a sampling of posts that appeared on the blog over the past month.
December '08
National Trends
Steady increases in number of obese![[PDF]](/graphics/new/pdf.gif){kind=small}
adults drove sharp rise in overweight populations since 1980
The National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys showed substantial increases in overweight among adults since 1980, primarily reflecting an increase in the percentage of adults 20–74 years of age who are obese.
December '08
FDA Update
Recalls for heart pumps, intrathecal catheters, dextroamphetamine sulfate
December '08
Physician Profile
A passion for quality improvement, right from the start
Mark R. Chassin, FACP, outlines his role as President of The Joint Commission.
December '08
Quality Corner
Measure of the month: stroke and stroke rehabilitation
December '08
Q&A
ACP program introduces leadership skills to young members
ACP’s LEAD program (Leadership Enhancement and Development) grew out of the realization that training physicians in leadership skills would benefit both physicians and the College. ACP Hospitalist talked to Erik Wallace, FACP, who led the inaugural LEAD precourse at Internal Medicine 2008.
December '08
Clinical Medicine
Test yourself: Sleep disorders
December '08
Research News
Recent studies of note
December '08
In the News
Top-ranked hospitals have 70% fewer deaths, and other medical updates
December '08
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