Improved Outcomes in a Voluntary Hospitalist Model
Authors: Andrew D. Auerbach, Robert M. Wachter, Lee Goldman
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2003)

Letters1 July 2003Improved Outcomes in a Voluntary Hospitalist ModelAndrew D. Auerbach, MD, MPH, Robert M. Wachter, MD, and Lee Goldman, MDAndrew D. Auerbach, MD, MPHUniversity of California, San Francisco; San Francisco, CA 94143 (Auerbach, Wachter, Goldman)Search for more papers by this author, Robert M. Wachter, MDUniversity of California, San Francisco; San Francisco, CA 94143 (Auerbach, Wachter, Goldman)Search for more papers by this author, and Lee Goldman, MDUniversity of California, San Francisco; San Francisco, CA 94143 (Auerbach, Wachter, Goldman)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-139-1-200307010-00019 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:We disagree with the statement that if doctors know that one of their explicit goals is to expedite patient discharge, it will happen. The site of our study was indeed experiencing financial difficulties, but these difficulties were visible to all physicians and expedited discharges were a priority for everyone. However, only hospitalists were able to improve clinical efficiency while simultaneously improving patient outcomes.The traditional model may preserve continuity, but at the price of inefficient care and, perhaps, poorer outcomes (1). Notwithstanding the shortcomings of our study or others, many outpatient-based generalists now routinely refer their inpatients to ...References1. Meltzer D, Manning WG, Morrison J, Shah MN, Jin L, Guth T, . Effects of physician experience on costs and outcomes on an academic general medicine service: results of a trial of hospitalists. Ann Intern Med. 2002;137:866-74. [PMID: 12458986] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Auerbach AD, Aronson M, Davis RB, Phillips RS. Anticipation vs. reality: how physicians view hospitalist services after implementation. Arch Intern Med. 2003; [In press]. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Andrew D. Auerbach, MD, MPH; Robert M. Wachter, MD; Lee Goldman, MDAffiliations: University of California, San Francisco; San Francisco, CA 94143 (Auerbach, Wachter, Goldman) PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoImplementation of a Voluntary Hospitalist Service at a Community Teaching Hospital: Improved Clinical Efficiency and Patient Outcomes Andrew D. Auerbach , Robert M. Wachter , Patricia Katz , Jonathan Showstack , Robert B. Baron , and Lee Goldman Effects of Physician Experience on Costs and Outcomes on an Academic General Medicine Service: Results of a Trial of Hospitalists David Meltzer , Willard G. Manning , Jeanette Morrison , Manish N. Shah , Lei Jin , Todd Guth , and Wendy Levinson Improved Outcomes in a Voluntary Hospitalist Model David Neely Metrics 1 July 2003Volume 139, Issue 1Page: 76KeywordsHospitalistsInpatients ePublished: 1 July 2003 Issue Published: 1 July 2003 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2003 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...