Hospital Medicine 15

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD.– Clogs in patient throughput often are caused by top-heavy workloads, poor staffing models, and unbalanced patient to provider ratios, said Dr. Dean Dalili, vice president for medical affairs at Hospital Physician Partners, a practice management company based in Hollywood, Fla.

Hospitalists can manage such patient flow challenges by analyzing staff capacity and developing creative approaches to patient demand, Dr. Dalili said at the annual meeting of the Society of Hospital Medicine.

In this video, Dr. Dalili shares common reasons for patient throughput holdups and strategies that hospitalists and other doctors can employ to alleviate the problems. He also discusses how physician documentation can affect payment, performance and length of stay.

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On Twitter @legal_med

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD.– Clogs in patient throughput often are caused by top-heavy workloads, poor staffing models, and unbalanced patient to provider ratios, said Dr. Dean Dalili, vice president for medical affairs at Hospital Physician Partners, a practice management company based in Hollywood, Fla.

Hospitalists can manage such patient flow challenges by analyzing staff capacity and developing creative approaches to patient demand, Dr. Dalili said at the annual meeting of the Society of Hospital Medicine.

In this video, Dr. Dalili shares common reasons for patient throughput holdups and strategies that hospitalists and other doctors can employ to alleviate the problems. He also discusses how physician documentation can affect payment, performance and length of stay.

[email protected]

On Twitter @legal_med

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD.– Clogs in patient throughput often are caused by top-heavy workloads, poor staffing models, and unbalanced patient to provider ratios, said Dr. Dean Dalili, vice president for medical affairs at Hospital Physician Partners, a practice management company based in Hollywood, Fla.

Hospitalists can manage such patient flow challenges by analyzing staff capacity and developing creative approaches to patient demand, Dr. Dalili said at the annual meeting of the Society of Hospital Medicine.

In this video, Dr. Dalili shares common reasons for patient throughput holdups and strategies that hospitalists and other doctors can employ to alleviate the problems. He also discusses how physician documentation can affect payment, performance and length of stay.

[email protected]

On Twitter @legal_med

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD.– Taking leadership roles and searching for strategies to improve transparency are top ways that hospitalists can create stronger alignments with hospitals, said Dr. Chi Huang.

He spoke at the Society of Hospital Medicine annual meeting about improving care efficiency through stronger communication among health providers and stakeholders, broader partnerships and better delegation of duties. Dr. Huang is hospital medicine department chair and associate chief medical officer for Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Burlington, Mass.

In a video interview, Dr. Huang discussed the importance of good leadership and how to encourage more transparent hospital environments. He also shared how Lahey was able to reduce overutilization of some services through innovative approaches.

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On Twitter @legal_med

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD.– Taking leadership roles and searching for strategies to improve transparency are top ways that hospitalists can create stronger alignments with hospitals, said Dr. Chi Huang.

He spoke at the Society of Hospital Medicine annual meeting about improving care efficiency through stronger communication among health providers and stakeholders, broader partnerships and better delegation of duties. Dr. Huang is hospital medicine department chair and associate chief medical officer for Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Burlington, Mass.

In a video interview, Dr. Huang discussed the importance of good leadership and how to encourage more transparent hospital environments. He also shared how Lahey was able to reduce overutilization of some services through innovative approaches.

[email protected]

On Twitter @legal_med

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD.– Taking leadership roles and searching for strategies to improve transparency are top ways that hospitalists can create stronger alignments with hospitals, said Dr. Chi Huang.

He spoke at the Society of Hospital Medicine annual meeting about improving care efficiency through stronger communication among health providers and stakeholders, broader partnerships and better delegation of duties. Dr. Huang is hospital medicine department chair and associate chief medical officer for Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Burlington, Mass.

In a video interview, Dr. Huang discussed the importance of good leadership and how to encourage more transparent hospital environments. He also shared how Lahey was able to reduce overutilization of some services through innovative approaches.

[email protected]

On Twitter @legal_med

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD. – At HealthPartners Medical Group in Bloomington, Minn., SIM talks, or “something important to me,” are a part of regularly scheduled staff discussions.

SIM talks – which focus on sharing an important topic, value, or hobby with coworkers – are just one of several approaches designed to prevent physician burnout, Dr. Jerome Siy, department head for hospital medicine at HealthPartners, explained. SIM talks give physicians the freedom to share something important and to provide their team the chance to get to know them on another level. It is just one way to acknowledge the value and unique perspective of each individual on the team.

Alicia Gallegos/Frontline Medical News

At the annual meeting of the Society of Hospital Medicine, Dr. Siy discussed how changing the systems in which physicians practice and bettering those environments can have an impact on mental status and improve the ability to handle stressors.

“At the end of the day, [easing and preventing burnout] is not just about how we’re doing up here,” Dr. Siy said, pointing to his head. “In many ways, it’s the effect of what the system is doing to us as well. We have to address (burnout) from every angle.”

Burnout is ubiquitous. A 2012 studyin JAMA Internal Medicine (172:1377-85 [doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2012.3199]) found nearly 50% of physicians had burnout. Doctors on the front lines of care access – family and emergency physicians – experienced the highest burnout rates.

In a March 2014 survey published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine, 52% of 130 hospitalists reported burnout (9:176-81 [doi:10.1002/jhm.2146.]).

To combat burnout, physician engagement is key, said Dr. Siy, chair of the SHM practice management committee and SHM Minnesota chapter president.

“Engagement is a relationship,” he said. “It’s not about doing a task. It’s about being a part of that relationship as you’re working together.”

Concrete ways that hospitalists can stimulate engagement within their work environments include improving communication, strengthening physicians’ value and purpose, promoting autonomy, and generating leadership opportunities.

Performance reviews are a perfect opportunity for physicians and staff members to improve communication and discuss issues, concerns and ideas, Dr. Siy said. These conversations need to happen more than once a year. Other opportunities for engagement include regular meetings to provide opportunities for doctors to discuss and give feedback on important topics.

Creating an environment in which open communication is nurtured helps physicians develop relationships, feel their voices are heard, and reduce bottled frustration.

Strengthening physicians’ sense of value and purpose is also critical, Dr. Siy said. Approaches can include developing a forum where hospitalists can share cases and discuss experiences. Additionally, physicians involved in volunteer or community activities should be celebrated and their accomplishments recognized.

Value and purpose are an important part of engagement, he said. “It helps to remember that our focus is on patient care.”

Building autonomy and sense of care and quality could mean participating in quality improvement activities and encouraging opportunities for doctors to be innovative.

Every doctor should also have an opportunity to grow, Dr. Siy said. Whether it’s enabling physicians to attend a conference or getting them involved in an annual retreat, cultivating leadership is vital.

Getting physicians engaged is about finding that niche, and helping doctors to grow as individuals. Letting them know that you care and that the system cares is key, he said.

[email protected]

On Twitter @legal_med

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD. – At HealthPartners Medical Group in Bloomington, Minn., SIM talks, or “something important to me,” are a part of regularly scheduled staff discussions.

SIM talks – which focus on sharing an important topic, value, or hobby with coworkers – are just one of several approaches designed to prevent physician burnout, Dr. Jerome Siy, department head for hospital medicine at HealthPartners, explained. SIM talks give physicians the freedom to share something important and to provide their team the chance to get to know them on another level. It is just one way to acknowledge the value and unique perspective of each individual on the team.

Alicia Gallegos/Frontline Medical News

At the annual meeting of the Society of Hospital Medicine, Dr. Siy discussed how changing the systems in which physicians practice and bettering those environments can have an impact on mental status and improve the ability to handle stressors.

“At the end of the day, [easing and preventing burnout] is not just about how we’re doing up here,” Dr. Siy said, pointing to his head. “In many ways, it’s the effect of what the system is doing to us as well. We have to address (burnout) from every angle.”

Burnout is ubiquitous. A 2012 studyin JAMA Internal Medicine (172:1377-85 [doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2012.3199]) found nearly 50% of physicians had burnout. Doctors on the front lines of care access – family and emergency physicians – experienced the highest burnout rates.

In a March 2014 survey published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine, 52% of 130 hospitalists reported burnout (9:176-81 [doi:10.1002/jhm.2146.]).

To combat burnout, physician engagement is key, said Dr. Siy, chair of the SHM practice management committee and SHM Minnesota chapter president.

“Engagement is a relationship,” he said. “It’s not about doing a task. It’s about being a part of that relationship as you’re working together.”

Concrete ways that hospitalists can stimulate engagement within their work environments include improving communication, strengthening physicians’ value and purpose, promoting autonomy, and generating leadership opportunities.

Performance reviews are a perfect opportunity for physicians and staff members to improve communication and discuss issues, concerns and ideas, Dr. Siy said. These conversations need to happen more than once a year. Other opportunities for engagement include regular meetings to provide opportunities for doctors to discuss and give feedback on important topics.

Creating an environment in which open communication is nurtured helps physicians develop relationships, feel their voices are heard, and reduce bottled frustration.

Strengthening physicians’ sense of value and purpose is also critical, Dr. Siy said. Approaches can include developing a forum where hospitalists can share cases and discuss experiences. Additionally, physicians involved in volunteer or community activities should be celebrated and their accomplishments recognized.

Value and purpose are an important part of engagement, he said. “It helps to remember that our focus is on patient care.”

Building autonomy and sense of care and quality could mean participating in quality improvement activities and encouraging opportunities for doctors to be innovative.

Every doctor should also have an opportunity to grow, Dr. Siy said. Whether it’s enabling physicians to attend a conference or getting them involved in an annual retreat, cultivating leadership is vital.

Getting physicians engaged is about finding that niche, and helping doctors to grow as individuals. Letting them know that you care and that the system cares is key, he said.

[email protected]

On Twitter @legal_med

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD. – At HealthPartners Medical Group in Bloomington, Minn., SIM talks, or “something important to me,” are a part of regularly scheduled staff discussions.

SIM talks – which focus on sharing an important topic, value, or hobby with coworkers – are just one of several approaches designed to prevent physician burnout, Dr. Jerome Siy, department head for hospital medicine at HealthPartners, explained. SIM talks give physicians the freedom to share something important and to provide their team the chance to get to know them on another level. It is just one way to acknowledge the value and unique perspective of each individual on the team.

Alicia Gallegos/Frontline Medical News

At the annual meeting of the Society of Hospital Medicine, Dr. Siy discussed how changing the systems in which physicians practice and bettering those environments can have an impact on mental status and improve the ability to handle stressors.

“At the end of the day, [easing and preventing burnout] is not just about how we’re doing up here,” Dr. Siy said, pointing to his head. “In many ways, it’s the effect of what the system is doing to us as well. We have to address (burnout) from every angle.”

Burnout is ubiquitous. A 2012 studyin JAMA Internal Medicine (172:1377-85 [doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2012.3199]) found nearly 50% of physicians had burnout. Doctors on the front lines of care access – family and emergency physicians – experienced the highest burnout rates.

In a March 2014 survey published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine, 52% of 130 hospitalists reported burnout (9:176-81 [doi:10.1002/jhm.2146.]).

To combat burnout, physician engagement is key, said Dr. Siy, chair of the SHM practice management committee and SHM Minnesota chapter president.

“Engagement is a relationship,” he said. “It’s not about doing a task. It’s about being a part of that relationship as you’re working together.”

Concrete ways that hospitalists can stimulate engagement within their work environments include improving communication, strengthening physicians’ value and purpose, promoting autonomy, and generating leadership opportunities.

Performance reviews are a perfect opportunity for physicians and staff members to improve communication and discuss issues, concerns and ideas, Dr. Siy said. These conversations need to happen more than once a year. Other opportunities for engagement include regular meetings to provide opportunities for doctors to discuss and give feedback on important topics.

Creating an environment in which open communication is nurtured helps physicians develop relationships, feel their voices are heard, and reduce bottled frustration.

Strengthening physicians’ sense of value and purpose is also critical, Dr. Siy said. Approaches can include developing a forum where hospitalists can share cases and discuss experiences. Additionally, physicians involved in volunteer or community activities should be celebrated and their accomplishments recognized.

Value and purpose are an important part of engagement, he said. “It helps to remember that our focus is on patient care.”

Building autonomy and sense of care and quality could mean participating in quality improvement activities and encouraging opportunities for doctors to be innovative.

Every doctor should also have an opportunity to grow, Dr. Siy said. Whether it’s enabling physicians to attend a conference or getting them involved in an annual retreat, cultivating leadership is vital.

Getting physicians engaged is about finding that niche, and helping doctors to grow as individuals. Letting them know that you care and that the system cares is key, he said.

[email protected]

On Twitter @legal_med

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD. – It’s time for hospitalists to embrace affordability of care by concentrating on quality improvement, length of stay management, and efforts to reduce readmissions, said Dr. Shaun D. Frost, a hospitalist at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minn., at the annual meeting of the Society of Hospital Medicine.

Dr. Frost, associate medical director for care delivery systems for HealthPartners Health Plan, said that simultaneously targeting quality improvement and patient experience improvements often results in concatenated cost savings. Become familiar with the many quality and experience objectives of government programs such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service’s Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) Reduction Program and Hospital Value-Based Purchasing, he advised, to align quality and patient experience improvement efforts with payment reforms that aim to meet pay-for-value targets between hospitals and payers.

Alicia Gallegos/Frontline Medical News

Taking that approach,“you stand to potentially double your financial return on your investment by driving unnecessary expenses out of the system and capitalizing on potential revenue opportunities that are associated with meeting these value-based improvement reimbursement targets,” Dr. Frost said during the meeting.

Dr. Frost gave the example of a structured process to assess discharge preparedness. The protocol should routinely include a patient risk assessment, patient education strategies focused on the adequacy of discharge instructions, a literacy assessment of patients, and postdischarge telephone calls, he said.

Another readmissions cost containment approach is that of hospitalist care transition services. For example, hospitalists can consider running a postdischarge follow-up clinic or an emergency department consultation service that focuses on patients who present to the ED soon after discharge. Home visits to at-risk patients by hospitalists are another consideration, he said.

Dr. Frost also emphasized the importance of implementing cost-containment measures surrounding length of stay management. Primary strategies in this area include efficient personal rounding strategies, daily multidisciplinary meetings, and rational use of consultation. Hospital medicine groups should strongly consider geographic provider placement by assigning hospitalists to select floors or wards within a hospital. He pointed to a 2014 study in the Journal of Hospital Medicine that found a geographic provider placement program at Emory University Hospital decreased in-hospital mortality from 2.3% to 1.1% and reduced length of stay from 5 to 4.5 days.

Analyzing patient data is also an effective avenue toward improving value and identifying cost strategies, added Kelly Logue, senior director of care affordability, hospital medicine, and critical care at HealthPartners. Data on high-risk patients as well as a list of discharge medications can help hospitalists develop unique care plans and educate patients about medication costs and optimal treatment, Ms. Logue said. She noted the value in predictive analysis and using patient data with census data to determine when patients in specific geographic areas may be in need of more customized patient care.

Sociogeographic approaches are one example of “getting ahead of the curve; not just focusing on what’s happening inside the hospital, but what is going on outside the hospital, and how hospitalists can really affect the changes that are coming to prevent patients from having an unnecessary admission.”

[email protected]


On Twitter @legal_med

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD. – It’s time for hospitalists to embrace affordability of care by concentrating on quality improvement, length of stay management, and efforts to reduce readmissions, said Dr. Shaun D. Frost, a hospitalist at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minn., at the annual meeting of the Society of Hospital Medicine.

Dr. Frost, associate medical director for care delivery systems for HealthPartners Health Plan, said that simultaneously targeting quality improvement and patient experience improvements often results in concatenated cost savings. Become familiar with the many quality and experience objectives of government programs such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service’s Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) Reduction Program and Hospital Value-Based Purchasing, he advised, to align quality and patient experience improvement efforts with payment reforms that aim to meet pay-for-value targets between hospitals and payers.

Alicia Gallegos/Frontline Medical News

Taking that approach,“you stand to potentially double your financial return on your investment by driving unnecessary expenses out of the system and capitalizing on potential revenue opportunities that are associated with meeting these value-based improvement reimbursement targets,” Dr. Frost said during the meeting.

Dr. Frost gave the example of a structured process to assess discharge preparedness. The protocol should routinely include a patient risk assessment, patient education strategies focused on the adequacy of discharge instructions, a literacy assessment of patients, and postdischarge telephone calls, he said.

Another readmissions cost containment approach is that of hospitalist care transition services. For example, hospitalists can consider running a postdischarge follow-up clinic or an emergency department consultation service that focuses on patients who present to the ED soon after discharge. Home visits to at-risk patients by hospitalists are another consideration, he said.

Dr. Frost also emphasized the importance of implementing cost-containment measures surrounding length of stay management. Primary strategies in this area include efficient personal rounding strategies, daily multidisciplinary meetings, and rational use of consultation. Hospital medicine groups should strongly consider geographic provider placement by assigning hospitalists to select floors or wards within a hospital. He pointed to a 2014 study in the Journal of Hospital Medicine that found a geographic provider placement program at Emory University Hospital decreased in-hospital mortality from 2.3% to 1.1% and reduced length of stay from 5 to 4.5 days.

Analyzing patient data is also an effective avenue toward improving value and identifying cost strategies, added Kelly Logue, senior director of care affordability, hospital medicine, and critical care at HealthPartners. Data on high-risk patients as well as a list of discharge medications can help hospitalists develop unique care plans and educate patients about medication costs and optimal treatment, Ms. Logue said. She noted the value in predictive analysis and using patient data with census data to determine when patients in specific geographic areas may be in need of more customized patient care.

Sociogeographic approaches are one example of “getting ahead of the curve; not just focusing on what’s happening inside the hospital, but what is going on outside the hospital, and how hospitalists can really affect the changes that are coming to prevent patients from having an unnecessary admission.”

[email protected]


On Twitter @legal_med

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD. – It’s time for hospitalists to embrace affordability of care by concentrating on quality improvement, length of stay management, and efforts to reduce readmissions, said Dr. Shaun D. Frost, a hospitalist at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minn., at the annual meeting of the Society of Hospital Medicine.

Dr. Frost, associate medical director for care delivery systems for HealthPartners Health Plan, said that simultaneously targeting quality improvement and patient experience improvements often results in concatenated cost savings. Become familiar with the many quality and experience objectives of government programs such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service’s Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) Reduction Program and Hospital Value-Based Purchasing, he advised, to align quality and patient experience improvement efforts with payment reforms that aim to meet pay-for-value targets between hospitals and payers.

Alicia Gallegos/Frontline Medical News

Taking that approach,“you stand to potentially double your financial return on your investment by driving unnecessary expenses out of the system and capitalizing on potential revenue opportunities that are associated with meeting these value-based improvement reimbursement targets,” Dr. Frost said during the meeting.

Dr. Frost gave the example of a structured process to assess discharge preparedness. The protocol should routinely include a patient risk assessment, patient education strategies focused on the adequacy of discharge instructions, a literacy assessment of patients, and postdischarge telephone calls, he said.

Another readmissions cost containment approach is that of hospitalist care transition services. For example, hospitalists can consider running a postdischarge follow-up clinic or an emergency department consultation service that focuses on patients who present to the ED soon after discharge. Home visits to at-risk patients by hospitalists are another consideration, he said.

Dr. Frost also emphasized the importance of implementing cost-containment measures surrounding length of stay management. Primary strategies in this area include efficient personal rounding strategies, daily multidisciplinary meetings, and rational use of consultation. Hospital medicine groups should strongly consider geographic provider placement by assigning hospitalists to select floors or wards within a hospital. He pointed to a 2014 study in the Journal of Hospital Medicine that found a geographic provider placement program at Emory University Hospital decreased in-hospital mortality from 2.3% to 1.1% and reduced length of stay from 5 to 4.5 days.

Analyzing patient data is also an effective avenue toward improving value and identifying cost strategies, added Kelly Logue, senior director of care affordability, hospital medicine, and critical care at HealthPartners. Data on high-risk patients as well as a list of discharge medications can help hospitalists develop unique care plans and educate patients about medication costs and optimal treatment, Ms. Logue said. She noted the value in predictive analysis and using patient data with census data to determine when patients in specific geographic areas may be in need of more customized patient care.

Sociogeographic approaches are one example of “getting ahead of the curve; not just focusing on what’s happening inside the hospital, but what is going on outside the hospital, and how hospitalists can really affect the changes that are coming to prevent patients from having an unnecessary admission.”

[email protected]


On Twitter @legal_med

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD.– Communication between hospitalists and primary care physicians is not always easy, but doctors should strive to overcome barriers to the interactions, Dr. Roy I. Sittig said during the Society of Hospital Medicine annual meeting.

“We need to do a better job communicating with each other,” explained Dr. Sittig, hospitalist director and associate chief for clinical affairs at the University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, during a rapid-fire panel at the meeting. “You should communicate with the [primary care physician] whenever you can.”

Different primary care physicians may prefer different methods of communication, Dr. Sittig noted, and efforts by hospitalists to communicate may not always be well received. However, hospitalists should get to know their patients’ primary care physicians and build the relationship, he said.

In a video interview, Dr. Sittig discussed why communications between hospitalists and primary care physicians is vital. He also spoke about the benefits of physician engagement and how to strengthen such engagement at hospitals.

[email protected]

On Twitter @legal_med

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD.– Communication between hospitalists and primary care physicians is not always easy, but doctors should strive to overcome barriers to the interactions, Dr. Roy I. Sittig said during the Society of Hospital Medicine annual meeting.

“We need to do a better job communicating with each other,” explained Dr. Sittig, hospitalist director and associate chief for clinical affairs at the University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, during a rapid-fire panel at the meeting. “You should communicate with the [primary care physician] whenever you can.”

Different primary care physicians may prefer different methods of communication, Dr. Sittig noted, and efforts by hospitalists to communicate may not always be well received. However, hospitalists should get to know their patients’ primary care physicians and build the relationship, he said.

In a video interview, Dr. Sittig discussed why communications between hospitalists and primary care physicians is vital. He also spoke about the benefits of physician engagement and how to strengthen such engagement at hospitals.

[email protected]

On Twitter @legal_med

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD.– Communication between hospitalists and primary care physicians is not always easy, but doctors should strive to overcome barriers to the interactions, Dr. Roy I. Sittig said during the Society of Hospital Medicine annual meeting.

“We need to do a better job communicating with each other,” explained Dr. Sittig, hospitalist director and associate chief for clinical affairs at the University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, during a rapid-fire panel at the meeting. “You should communicate with the [primary care physician] whenever you can.”

Different primary care physicians may prefer different methods of communication, Dr. Sittig noted, and efforts by hospitalists to communicate may not always be well received. However, hospitalists should get to know their patients’ primary care physicians and build the relationship, he said.

In a video interview, Dr. Sittig discussed why communications between hospitalists and primary care physicians is vital. He also spoke about the benefits of physician engagement and how to strengthen such engagement at hospitals.

[email protected]

On Twitter @legal_med

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD. – Inefficient hospital staffing structures can waste resources, stifle work flow, and frustrate hospitalists and their teams.

That’s why hospitalists should consider unique ways to approach staffing that can increase productivity and enhance care delivery, according to a presentation at the annual meeting of the Society of Hospital Medicine.

Examples of innovative staffing include rethinking provider hand-offs, shifting the workloads of interns and residents, and changing hospitalist rotations.

In a video interview, Dr. John R. Nelson of Overlake Medical Center, Bellevue, Wash., and Dr. Daniel J. Hanson of Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, discuss innovative staffing models employed at their hospitals and how they have impacted their teams.

View the video interview on YouTube.

[email protected]


On Twitter @legal_med

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD. – Inefficient hospital staffing structures can waste resources, stifle work flow, and frustrate hospitalists and their teams.

That’s why hospitalists should consider unique ways to approach staffing that can increase productivity and enhance care delivery, according to a presentation at the annual meeting of the Society of Hospital Medicine.

Examples of innovative staffing include rethinking provider hand-offs, shifting the workloads of interns and residents, and changing hospitalist rotations.

In a video interview, Dr. John R. Nelson of Overlake Medical Center, Bellevue, Wash., and Dr. Daniel J. Hanson of Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, discuss innovative staffing models employed at their hospitals and how they have impacted their teams.

View the video interview on YouTube.

[email protected]


On Twitter @legal_med

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD. – Inefficient hospital staffing structures can waste resources, stifle work flow, and frustrate hospitalists and their teams.

That’s why hospitalists should consider unique ways to approach staffing that can increase productivity and enhance care delivery, according to a presentation at the annual meeting of the Society of Hospital Medicine.

Examples of innovative staffing include rethinking provider hand-offs, shifting the workloads of interns and residents, and changing hospitalist rotations.

In a video interview, Dr. John R. Nelson of Overlake Medical Center, Bellevue, Wash., and Dr. Daniel J. Hanson of Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, discuss innovative staffing models employed at their hospitals and how they have impacted their teams.

View the video interview on YouTube.

[email protected]


On Twitter @legal_med