Hospitalist Care
Authors: William Rifkin, Brad Flansbaum, Steven Walerstein
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2003)

Letters21 October 2003Hospitalist CareWilliam Rifkin, MD, Brad Flansbaum, DO, MPH, and Steven Walerstein, MDWilliam Rifkin, MDFrom Maimonides Medical Center Brooklyn, NY 11219; Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center New York, NY 10032; and New York Methodist Hospital Brooklyn, NY 11215.Search for more papers by this author, Brad Flansbaum, DO, MPHFrom Maimonides Medical Center Brooklyn, NY 11219; Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center New York, NY 10032; and New York Methodist Hospital Brooklyn, NY 11215.Search for more papers by this author, and Steven Walerstein, MDFrom Maimonides Medical Center Brooklyn, NY 11219; Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center New York, NY 10032; and New York Methodist Hospital Brooklyn, NY 11215.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-139-8-200310210-00018 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:In light of the findings of Auerbach and Meltzer and colleagues (1, 2), specifically that hospitalists' efficiency of care became more evident during the second year of each of their studies, we would like to present a subanalysis of published data that also supports increased hospitalist efficiency (3). Rifkin and colleagues studied 455 patients who were hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia and were cared for by a full-time hospitalist or a community-based primary care physician during 1 calendar year (3). After multivariate adjustment, the authors concluded that hospitalist care yielded shorter length of stay (6.5 vs. 5.6 days; ...References1. Auerbach AD, Wachter RM, Katz P, Showstack J, Baron RB, Goldman L. Implementation of a voluntary hospitalist service at a community teaching hospital: improved clinical efficiency and patient outcomes. Ann Intern Med. 2002;137:859-65. [PMID: 12458985] LinkGoogle Scholar2. 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 Scholar3. Rifkin WD, Conner D, Silver A, Eichorn A. Comparison of processes and outcomes of pneumonia care between hospitalists and community-based primary care physicians. Mayo Clin Proc. 2002;77:1053-8. [PMID: 12374249] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Maimonides Medical Center Brooklyn, NY 11219; Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center New York, NY 10032; and New York Methodist Hospital Brooklyn, NY 11215. 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 Hospitalist Care Jonathan P. Whitney Hospitalist Care Tariq Shafi Hospitalist Care Jerome S. Tannenbaum Metrics 21 October 2003Volume 139, Issue 8Page: 702KeywordsDeath ratesHospitalistsInpatientsLength of stayMortalityPneumoniaPrimary care physicians ePublished: 21 October 2003 Issue Published: 21 October 2003 CopyrightCopyright © 2003 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...