Over the past few years, U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations have expanded screening criteria for several types of cancer. In most of these cases, screenings are now recommended at an earlier age. These changes reflect new research as well as trends that show increasing rates of cancer in younger age groups. Here are
Category: High value care
We all see it on our patients’ med lists when they are admitted, but does Docusate actually work? -Early studies showed Docusate softened stool by increasing water content, decreased the need for enemas, decreased the need for manual disimpaction, and had positive endorsements from hospital formularies and from the World Health Organization! -Replicated studies have
Discharge Medication Price Checks – New Workflow Starting Sunday, March 6th – When e-prescribing discharge medications for a patient, Epic’s Real Time Prescription Benefits (RTPB) can be used to prescribe the most cost effective medication for the patient. Occasionally, RTPB may not provide cost information, prompting the need for an e-prescription to the Pharmacy for
Hey team! I am writing to share a high-value care pearl this week from the Things We Do For No Reason (TWDFNR) series! For those who haven’t read before, the Journal of Hospital Medicine’s TWDFNR series was inspired by ABIM’s Choosing Wisely Campaign and highlights practices that have become common in medicine but don’t necessarily
I wanted to take a moment to highlight a 2019 QI project at NMH. Alcohol use disorders is a common illness among hospitalized patients. A 2015 epidemiological study found the 12–month prevalence of alcohol use disorder among adults to be 13.9%.1 Identification of patients at high risk for complicated withdrawal (seizures, delirium tremens and severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms) is crucial to provide the appropriate treatment to patients.
As the COVID pandemic continues and flu season begins, proper utilization of hospital resources becomes a priority. We wanted to take a moment to highlight key components of the most recent American Health Association’s (AHA) 2017 recommendations regarding telemetry use. Cardiac conditions where telemetry is not required: Frequent PVC’s or non-sustained VT in the absence
This morning, Peter Glynn led us on a discussion on high-value care for abnormal LFTs. One study looked at the cost-effectiveness of focused testing (testing that is deliberate, patient-centered) compared with extensive, non-directed testing (testing for all etiologies at once). Some take-aways: When accounting for pre-test probabilities and clinical evaluation, focused testing was more cost-effective,