Click here to listen to Dr. Brotman

Click here to listen to Dr. Feinberg

Check out our 6-minute feature video: "Five Reasons You Should Attend HM13"

Click here to listen to Dr. Brotman

Click here to listen to Dr. Feinberg

Check out our 6-minute feature video: "Five Reasons You Should Attend HM13"

Click here to listen to Dr. Brotman

Click here to listen to Dr. Feinberg

Check out our 6-minute feature video: "Five Reasons You Should Attend HM13"

CME: Coming to a Screen Near You Hospitalists often turn to

SHM for continuing medical education (CME) credits. Soon, SHM members will have even more options for earning and tracking CME through its new Learning Portal.

Due to launch in May, the Learning Portal will give hospitalists new online content for hospitalist-specific CME credits. It will offer personalized portfolios to track CME credits earned through the Learning Portal and other CME sources.

For more on the portal, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org in May.

HMX: Expanding the Conversation with More Than 1,400 Hospitalists

More and more hospitalists are turning to HMX, SHM's online collaboration and discussion site, for questions and answers from their HM colleagues. More than 1,400 hospitalists have logged into HMX; earlier this year, HMX notched its 10,000th log-in.

For topics ranging from paid time off to working with post-discharge clinics to reduce readmissions, HMX has quickly become the source for practical, up-to-date information from hospitalists in the know. Plus, HMX users have posted dozens of helpful documents and other resources to more than three dozen active, topic-based communities on HMX. Others have used HMX to connect with other hospitalists directly through the HMX directory.

Are you ready to connect? Visit www.hmxchange.org.

Project BOOST: It's Not Too Early to Apply

The best hospital discharge processes start at admission. And, as with planning for patient discharges, applying for SHM's Project BOOST is best done in advance. SHM will be accepting applications for its 2013 cohort through June, but the process requires a letter of support from an executive sponsor and an application, so April is a great time to get started.

Just ask Jean Range of The Joint Commission: "Project BOOST provides a clear plan of action for hospitals who want to improve the discharge process for their older patients. Utilizing the free resources that BOOST provides will result in decreased rehospitalization and better patient outcomes—a win-win situation for all involved."

For more information, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org/boost.

Hospitalists Can Lead by Following (and Friending)

SHM's presence is growing. More than 1,600 hospitalists and others interested in HM are getting the latest updates about hospital medicine from @SHMLive, SHM's Twitter feed. And SHM's Facebook page has received nearly 2,200 "likes."

To join the HM movement through social media, visit SHM's profiles on:

• Twitter: www.twitter.com/shmlive
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/Hospitalists
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/society-of-hospital-medicine
• YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/SHMLive

CME: Coming to a Screen Near You Hospitalists often turn to

SHM for continuing medical education (CME) credits. Soon, SHM members will have even more options for earning and tracking CME through its new Learning Portal.

Due to launch in May, the Learning Portal will give hospitalists new online content for hospitalist-specific CME credits. It will offer personalized portfolios to track CME credits earned through the Learning Portal and other CME sources.

For more on the portal, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org in May.

HMX: Expanding the Conversation with More Than 1,400 Hospitalists

More and more hospitalists are turning to HMX, SHM's online collaboration and discussion site, for questions and answers from their HM colleagues. More than 1,400 hospitalists have logged into HMX; earlier this year, HMX notched its 10,000th log-in.

For topics ranging from paid time off to working with post-discharge clinics to reduce readmissions, HMX has quickly become the source for practical, up-to-date information from hospitalists in the know. Plus, HMX users have posted dozens of helpful documents and other resources to more than three dozen active, topic-based communities on HMX. Others have used HMX to connect with other hospitalists directly through the HMX directory.

Are you ready to connect? Visit www.hmxchange.org.

Project BOOST: It's Not Too Early to Apply

The best hospital discharge processes start at admission. And, as with planning for patient discharges, applying for SHM's Project BOOST is best done in advance. SHM will be accepting applications for its 2013 cohort through June, but the process requires a letter of support from an executive sponsor and an application, so April is a great time to get started.

Just ask Jean Range of The Joint Commission: "Project BOOST provides a clear plan of action for hospitals who want to improve the discharge process for their older patients. Utilizing the free resources that BOOST provides will result in decreased rehospitalization and better patient outcomes—a win-win situation for all involved."

For more information, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org/boost.

Hospitalists Can Lead by Following (and Friending)

SHM's presence is growing. More than 1,600 hospitalists and others interested in HM are getting the latest updates about hospital medicine from @SHMLive, SHM's Twitter feed. And SHM's Facebook page has received nearly 2,200 "likes."

To join the HM movement through social media, visit SHM's profiles on:

• Twitter: www.twitter.com/shmlive
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/Hospitalists
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/society-of-hospital-medicine
• YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/SHMLive

CME: Coming to a Screen Near You Hospitalists often turn to

SHM for continuing medical education (CME) credits. Soon, SHM members will have even more options for earning and tracking CME through its new Learning Portal.

Due to launch in May, the Learning Portal will give hospitalists new online content for hospitalist-specific CME credits. It will offer personalized portfolios to track CME credits earned through the Learning Portal and other CME sources.

For more on the portal, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org in May.

HMX: Expanding the Conversation with More Than 1,400 Hospitalists

More and more hospitalists are turning to HMX, SHM's online collaboration and discussion site, for questions and answers from their HM colleagues. More than 1,400 hospitalists have logged into HMX; earlier this year, HMX notched its 10,000th log-in.

For topics ranging from paid time off to working with post-discharge clinics to reduce readmissions, HMX has quickly become the source for practical, up-to-date information from hospitalists in the know. Plus, HMX users have posted dozens of helpful documents and other resources to more than three dozen active, topic-based communities on HMX. Others have used HMX to connect with other hospitalists directly through the HMX directory.

Are you ready to connect? Visit www.hmxchange.org.

Project BOOST: It's Not Too Early to Apply

The best hospital discharge processes start at admission. And, as with planning for patient discharges, applying for SHM's Project BOOST is best done in advance. SHM will be accepting applications for its 2013 cohort through June, but the process requires a letter of support from an executive sponsor and an application, so April is a great time to get started.

Just ask Jean Range of The Joint Commission: "Project BOOST provides a clear plan of action for hospitals who want to improve the discharge process for their older patients. Utilizing the free resources that BOOST provides will result in decreased rehospitalization and better patient outcomes—a win-win situation for all involved."

For more information, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org/boost.

Hospitalists Can Lead by Following (and Friending)

SHM's presence is growing. More than 1,600 hospitalists and others interested in HM are getting the latest updates about hospital medicine from @SHMLive, SHM's Twitter feed. And SHM's Facebook page has received nearly 2,200 "likes."

To join the HM movement through social media, visit SHM's profiles on:

• Twitter: www.twitter.com/shmlive
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/Hospitalists
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/society-of-hospital-medicine
• YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/SHMLive

SHM’s Boston area chapter is looking to award a $1,000 scholarship to a resident who has been accepted to present a research, innovation, or clinical vignette (RIV) poster at HM13 in May at the Gaylord National Resort and Conference Center just outside Washington, D.C. The scholarship is to help defray travel expenses to attend the four-day annual meeting.

“We want to encourage our trainees to be productive in academic work and contribute to the body of knowledge about hospital medicine,” says Joseph Ming Wah Li, MD SFHM FACP, director of hospital medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and past president of SHM, adding chapter organizers hope the scholarship will further the awardees’ interest in the HM and provide the resident the opportunity to meet and share ideas with leaders in the field. “Any resident in training in the state of Massachusetts whose abstract was accepted for poster presentation at HM13 is eligible,” he says.

The application [PDF] deadline is April 8. Interested applicants should contact Dr. Li. The 2013 RIV poster sessions are Friday, May 16, and Saturday, May 17.

SHM’s Maryland chapter also awards annual meeting scholarships, and SHM leaders are looking to broaden the effort in years to come.

The Maryland chapter periodically solicits RIV abstracts from early-career hospitalists, residents, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants, inviting four or five to make oral presentations at a chapter meeting and then selecting a winner. Preeti Mehrotra, MD, internal medicine-pediatrics resident at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, and Jameka Riley, PA-C, physician assistant with Physician Inpatient Care Specialists in Annapolis, won the latest Maryland chapter contest and will have their HM13 registration fees covered.

Visit the SHM website for more information about chapters.

SHM’s Boston area chapter is looking to award a $1,000 scholarship to a resident who has been accepted to present a research, innovation, or clinical vignette (RIV) poster at HM13 in May at the Gaylord National Resort and Conference Center just outside Washington, D.C. The scholarship is to help defray travel expenses to attend the four-day annual meeting.

“We want to encourage our trainees to be productive in academic work and contribute to the body of knowledge about hospital medicine,” says Joseph Ming Wah Li, MD SFHM FACP, director of hospital medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and past president of SHM, adding chapter organizers hope the scholarship will further the awardees’ interest in the HM and provide the resident the opportunity to meet and share ideas with leaders in the field. “Any resident in training in the state of Massachusetts whose abstract was accepted for poster presentation at HM13 is eligible,” he says.

The application [PDF] deadline is April 8. Interested applicants should contact Dr. Li. The 2013 RIV poster sessions are Friday, May 16, and Saturday, May 17.

SHM’s Maryland chapter also awards annual meeting scholarships, and SHM leaders are looking to broaden the effort in years to come.

The Maryland chapter periodically solicits RIV abstracts from early-career hospitalists, residents, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants, inviting four or five to make oral presentations at a chapter meeting and then selecting a winner. Preeti Mehrotra, MD, internal medicine-pediatrics resident at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, and Jameka Riley, PA-C, physician assistant with Physician Inpatient Care Specialists in Annapolis, won the latest Maryland chapter contest and will have their HM13 registration fees covered.

Visit the SHM website for more information about chapters.

SHM’s Boston area chapter is looking to award a $1,000 scholarship to a resident who has been accepted to present a research, innovation, or clinical vignette (RIV) poster at HM13 in May at the Gaylord National Resort and Conference Center just outside Washington, D.C. The scholarship is to help defray travel expenses to attend the four-day annual meeting.

“We want to encourage our trainees to be productive in academic work and contribute to the body of knowledge about hospital medicine,” says Joseph Ming Wah Li, MD SFHM FACP, director of hospital medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and past president of SHM, adding chapter organizers hope the scholarship will further the awardees’ interest in the HM and provide the resident the opportunity to meet and share ideas with leaders in the field. “Any resident in training in the state of Massachusetts whose abstract was accepted for poster presentation at HM13 is eligible,” he says.

The application [PDF] deadline is April 8. Interested applicants should contact Dr. Li. The 2013 RIV poster sessions are Friday, May 16, and Saturday, May 17.

SHM’s Maryland chapter also awards annual meeting scholarships, and SHM leaders are looking to broaden the effort in years to come.

The Maryland chapter periodically solicits RIV abstracts from early-career hospitalists, residents, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants, inviting four or five to make oral presentations at a chapter meeting and then selecting a winner. Preeti Mehrotra, MD, internal medicine-pediatrics resident at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, and Jameka Riley, PA-C, physician assistant with Physician Inpatient Care Specialists in Annapolis, won the latest Maryland chapter contest and will have their HM13 registration fees covered.

Visit the SHM website for more information about chapters.

Look no further than SHM’s Web application for HM13 at www.eventmobi.com/hm13.

This year, SHM is introducing the HM13 at Hand app as the sole source for HM13 content, including session presentations and speaker information for all of the conference. In previous years, attendees have used the meeting’s “paperless site” as the online location for all of the meeting’s content.

At HM13, attendees can get all of the content seamlessly on their tablets or smartphones in real time through the HM13 At Hand app.

HM13 At Hand puts HM13 in your hands with meeting content and tools:

• Presentations
• Speaker information
• HM13 schedule and planner
• “Scan to Win” contest
• Real-time alerts and updates
• Links to other HM13 resources and social media

Check out our 6-minute feature video: "Five Reasons You Should Attend HM13"

Look no further than SHM’s Web application for HM13 at www.eventmobi.com/hm13.

This year, SHM is introducing the HM13 at Hand app as the sole source for HM13 content, including session presentations and speaker information for all of the conference. In previous years, attendees have used the meeting’s “paperless site” as the online location for all of the meeting’s content.

At HM13, attendees can get all of the content seamlessly on their tablets or smartphones in real time through the HM13 At Hand app.

HM13 At Hand puts HM13 in your hands with meeting content and tools:

• Presentations
• Speaker information
• HM13 schedule and planner
• “Scan to Win” contest
• Real-time alerts and updates
• Links to other HM13 resources and social media

Check out our 6-minute feature video: "Five Reasons You Should Attend HM13"

Look no further than SHM’s Web application for HM13 at www.eventmobi.com/hm13.

This year, SHM is introducing the HM13 at Hand app as the sole source for HM13 content, including session presentations and speaker information for all of the conference. In previous years, attendees have used the meeting’s “paperless site” as the online location for all of the meeting’s content.

At HM13, attendees can get all of the content seamlessly on their tablets or smartphones in real time through the HM13 At Hand app.

HM13 At Hand puts HM13 in your hands with meeting content and tools:

• Presentations
• Speaker information
• HM13 schedule and planner
• “Scan to Win” contest
• Real-time alerts and updates
• Links to other HM13 resources and social media

Check out our 6-minute feature video: "Five Reasons You Should Attend HM13"

How do you go from being an early-career hospitalist to a leader in healthcare? Are there opportunities to do quality-improvement (QI) programs as a hospitalist?

Medical students and residents often have lots of questions about the many career paths available to hospitalists, and a special lunch at HM13 is designed to help answer many of them. This year’s lunch is May 17, the first day of the full HM13 program. It will link the specialty’s future hospitalists with leaders in the field.

Check out our 6-minute feature video: "Five Reasons You Should Attend HM13"

How do you go from being an early-career hospitalist to a leader in healthcare? Are there opportunities to do quality-improvement (QI) programs as a hospitalist?

Medical students and residents often have lots of questions about the many career paths available to hospitalists, and a special lunch at HM13 is designed to help answer many of them. This year’s lunch is May 17, the first day of the full HM13 program. It will link the specialty’s future hospitalists with leaders in the field.

Check out our 6-minute feature video: "Five Reasons You Should Attend HM13"

How do you go from being an early-career hospitalist to a leader in healthcare? Are there opportunities to do quality-improvement (QI) programs as a hospitalist?

Medical students and residents often have lots of questions about the many career paths available to hospitalists, and a special lunch at HM13 is designed to help answer many of them. This year’s lunch is May 17, the first day of the full HM13 program. It will link the specialty’s future hospitalists with leaders in the field.

Check out our 6-minute feature video: "Five Reasons You Should Attend HM13"

SHM Sections offer opportunities for members to connect with communities of their peers who share specialties or interests. At present, SHM Sections include:

• Med-Peds
• International
• Global Health and Human Rights
• Rural Hospitalists
• Practice Administrators

SHM Section of the Month

Seeing as how the focused-practice pathway for hospitalists is a first of its kind for physician credentialing boards, the ABIM is planning a “fairly significant” research effort tracking participants’ experience, Dr. Holmboe says.

Global Health and Human Rights is one of the newest SHM Sections, and represents a growing passion among hospitalists as increasing numbers of internal-medicine physicians express interest in overseas placements in resource-limited settings. SHM also recognizes the need for mentored training in global health.

Over the last decade, interest in global health has grown significantly amongst trainees, faculty, and staff. Current priorities for global health include: health-system strengthening, workforce training, QI and patient safety. These priorities align to core strengths of hospital medicine, which is therefore well suited to meet these global health challenges.

For more information about this and other Sections, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org/membership.

SHM Sections offer opportunities for members to connect with communities of their peers who share specialties or interests. At present, SHM Sections include:

• Med-Peds
• International
• Global Health and Human Rights
• Rural Hospitalists
• Practice Administrators

SHM Section of the Month

Seeing as how the focused-practice pathway for hospitalists is a first of its kind for physician credentialing boards, the ABIM is planning a “fairly significant” research effort tracking participants’ experience, Dr. Holmboe says.

Global Health and Human Rights is one of the newest SHM Sections, and represents a growing passion among hospitalists as increasing numbers of internal-medicine physicians express interest in overseas placements in resource-limited settings. SHM also recognizes the need for mentored training in global health.

Over the last decade, interest in global health has grown significantly amongst trainees, faculty, and staff. Current priorities for global health include: health-system strengthening, workforce training, QI and patient safety. These priorities align to core strengths of hospital medicine, which is therefore well suited to meet these global health challenges.

For more information about this and other Sections, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org/membership.

SHM Sections offer opportunities for members to connect with communities of their peers who share specialties or interests. At present, SHM Sections include:

• Med-Peds
• International
• Global Health and Human Rights
• Rural Hospitalists
• Practice Administrators

SHM Section of the Month

Seeing as how the focused-practice pathway for hospitalists is a first of its kind for physician credentialing boards, the ABIM is planning a “fairly significant” research effort tracking participants’ experience, Dr. Holmboe says.

Global Health and Human Rights is one of the newest SHM Sections, and represents a growing passion among hospitalists as increasing numbers of internal-medicine physicians express interest in overseas placements in resource-limited settings. SHM also recognizes the need for mentored training in global health.

Over the last decade, interest in global health has grown significantly amongst trainees, faculty, and staff. Current priorities for global health include: health-system strengthening, workforce training, QI and patient safety. These priorities align to core strengths of hospital medicine, which is therefore well suited to meet these global health challenges.

For more information about this and other Sections, visit www.hospitalmedicine.org/membership.

On the Move

Nasim Afsar, MD, SFHM

Russell Holman, MD, MHM

Kurt Krupnick, MD

John M. Little Jr., MD, MBA

Nasim Afsar, MD, SFHM, has been named associate chief medical officer of UCLA Hospitals in Los Angeles. She comes to this position from her role as associate medical director of quality and safety at UCLA Hospitals.

Dr. Afsar serves on the SHM board of directors and is an active member of the hospitalist community. In addition to hospital medicine, she also specializes in neurosurgery.

Russell Holman, MD, MHM, is the new chief medical officer of LifePoint Hospitals, based in Brentwood, Tenn. Dr. Holman formerly was chief clinical officer at Cogent HMG. In 2002, he received the SHM Award for Outstanding Service in Hospital Medicine and is a former SHM president.

Charles Edwards, MBA, MD, FACP, has been appointed vice chair of clinical operations and quality assurance at the University of South Florida Department of Internal Medicine in Tampa. Dr. Edwards is director of the USF Morsani College of Medicine’s division of hospital medicine, of which he is a founding member.

Kurt Krupnick, MD, has been named physician of the year at Yavapai Regional Medical Center (YRMC) in Prescott, Ariz. Dr. Krupnick has been a YRMC hospitalist since 2009.

John M. Little Jr., MD, MBA, is the new chief payor development officer at national hospitalist management company Cogent HMG, based in Brentwood, Tenn. Dr. Little previously was vice president of healthcare services and chief medical officer for the South Carolina division of Blue Cross and Blue Shield. He previously practiced family medicine full time.

Business Moves

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based TeamHealth will provide hospitalist services at West Boca Medical Center in Raton, Fla.; Lincoln Medical Center in Fayetteville, Tenn.; Roane Medical Center in Harriman, Tenn.; and Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare System in Morristown, Tenn. TeamHealth was founded in 1979 and now provides hospitalist management services in 10 states across the country.

IPC: The Hospitalist Company Inc., based in North Hollywood, Calif., announced its acquisition of Morristown, N.J.-based Internal Medicine Consultants (IMC). IMC currently serves nearly 18,000 patients per year. IPC manages hospitalist services in 28 states across the U.S.

Sound Physicians, based in Tacoma, Wash., is overseeing hospitalist services at Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center (SJRMC) in Mishawaka, Ind. SJRMC is part of the Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health hospital system, the fourth-largest Catholic healthcare system in the U.S. Sound Physicians currently employs more than 500 doctors in more than 70 hospitals nationwide.

On the Move

Nasim Afsar, MD, SFHM

Russell Holman, MD, MHM

Kurt Krupnick, MD

John M. Little Jr., MD, MBA

Nasim Afsar, MD, SFHM, has been named associate chief medical officer of UCLA Hospitals in Los Angeles. She comes to this position from her role as associate medical director of quality and safety at UCLA Hospitals.

Dr. Afsar serves on the SHM board of directors and is an active member of the hospitalist community. In addition to hospital medicine, she also specializes in neurosurgery.

Russell Holman, MD, MHM, is the new chief medical officer of LifePoint Hospitals, based in Brentwood, Tenn. Dr. Holman formerly was chief clinical officer at Cogent HMG. In 2002, he received the SHM Award for Outstanding Service in Hospital Medicine and is a former SHM president.

Charles Edwards, MBA, MD, FACP, has been appointed vice chair of clinical operations and quality assurance at the University of South Florida Department of Internal Medicine in Tampa. Dr. Edwards is director of the USF Morsani College of Medicine’s division of hospital medicine, of which he is a founding member.

Kurt Krupnick, MD, has been named physician of the year at Yavapai Regional Medical Center (YRMC) in Prescott, Ariz. Dr. Krupnick has been a YRMC hospitalist since 2009.

John M. Little Jr., MD, MBA, is the new chief payor development officer at national hospitalist management company Cogent HMG, based in Brentwood, Tenn. Dr. Little previously was vice president of healthcare services and chief medical officer for the South Carolina division of Blue Cross and Blue Shield. He previously practiced family medicine full time.

Business Moves

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based TeamHealth will provide hospitalist services at West Boca Medical Center in Raton, Fla.; Lincoln Medical Center in Fayetteville, Tenn.; Roane Medical Center in Harriman, Tenn.; and Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare System in Morristown, Tenn. TeamHealth was founded in 1979 and now provides hospitalist management services in 10 states across the country.

IPC: The Hospitalist Company Inc., based in North Hollywood, Calif., announced its acquisition of Morristown, N.J.-based Internal Medicine Consultants (IMC). IMC currently serves nearly 18,000 patients per year. IPC manages hospitalist services in 28 states across the U.S.

Sound Physicians, based in Tacoma, Wash., is overseeing hospitalist services at Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center (SJRMC) in Mishawaka, Ind. SJRMC is part of the Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health hospital system, the fourth-largest Catholic healthcare system in the U.S. Sound Physicians currently employs more than 500 doctors in more than 70 hospitals nationwide.

On the Move

Nasim Afsar, MD, SFHM

Russell Holman, MD, MHM

Kurt Krupnick, MD

John M. Little Jr., MD, MBA

Nasim Afsar, MD, SFHM, has been named associate chief medical officer of UCLA Hospitals in Los Angeles. She comes to this position from her role as associate medical director of quality and safety at UCLA Hospitals.

Dr. Afsar serves on the SHM board of directors and is an active member of the hospitalist community. In addition to hospital medicine, she also specializes in neurosurgery.

Russell Holman, MD, MHM, is the new chief medical officer of LifePoint Hospitals, based in Brentwood, Tenn. Dr. Holman formerly was chief clinical officer at Cogent HMG. In 2002, he received the SHM Award for Outstanding Service in Hospital Medicine and is a former SHM president.

Charles Edwards, MBA, MD, FACP, has been appointed vice chair of clinical operations and quality assurance at the University of South Florida Department of Internal Medicine in Tampa. Dr. Edwards is director of the USF Morsani College of Medicine’s division of hospital medicine, of which he is a founding member.

Kurt Krupnick, MD, has been named physician of the year at Yavapai Regional Medical Center (YRMC) in Prescott, Ariz. Dr. Krupnick has been a YRMC hospitalist since 2009.

John M. Little Jr., MD, MBA, is the new chief payor development officer at national hospitalist management company Cogent HMG, based in Brentwood, Tenn. Dr. Little previously was vice president of healthcare services and chief medical officer for the South Carolina division of Blue Cross and Blue Shield. He previously practiced family medicine full time.

Business Moves

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based TeamHealth will provide hospitalist services at West Boca Medical Center in Raton, Fla.; Lincoln Medical Center in Fayetteville, Tenn.; Roane Medical Center in Harriman, Tenn.; and Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare System in Morristown, Tenn. TeamHealth was founded in 1979 and now provides hospitalist management services in 10 states across the country.

IPC: The Hospitalist Company Inc., based in North Hollywood, Calif., announced its acquisition of Morristown, N.J.-based Internal Medicine Consultants (IMC). IMC currently serves nearly 18,000 patients per year. IPC manages hospitalist services in 28 states across the U.S.

Sound Physicians, based in Tacoma, Wash., is overseeing hospitalist services at Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center (SJRMC) in Mishawaka, Ind. SJRMC is part of the Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health hospital system, the fourth-largest Catholic healthcare system in the U.S. Sound Physicians currently employs more than 500 doctors in more than 70 hospitals nationwide.

Clinical question: What are the long-term outcomes of pediatric pleural empyema?

Background: Hospitalizations for complicated pneumonia have increased in recent years. In the U.S., early intervention—commonly video-assisted thorascopic surgery (VATS)—has become popular. Although short-term outcomes appear cost-effective with this approach, long-term comparative-effectiveness outcomes are not entirely clear.

Study design: Prospective observational study.

Setting: Tertiary-care children's hospital.

Synopsis: Over a two-year period, 82 patients were enrolled and available for at least one follow-up visit in a 12-month period. Chest drain was used in 62% of children; fibrinolytics were used in 78% of those cases. All patients received antibiotics. Six patients (7%) were readmitted in the first month, with three patients requiring a chest drain. At 12 months, four patients (5%) had mildly abnormal spirometric or radiographic abnormalities but were asymptomatic with normal quality-of-life scores.

This prospective observational study is notable for the relatively conservative approach (antibiotics alone or chest drainage, without VATS) employed in all subjects. The results provide a comprehensive summary of outcomes at 12 months in this population. Unfortunately, comparative-effectiveness data for VATS are not available in a generalizable form. Nevertheless, this single-center snapshot suggests that long-term outcomes are good with a conservative approach.

Given these findings, and the low likelihood that significant advantages of VATS will be demonstrated in the absence of a large multicenter trial, better understanding of parental preferences will become critical to making the right decision for each patient.

Bottom line: Conservative management of pediatric pleural empyema yields good long-term outcomes.

Citation: Cohen E, Mahant S, Dell SD, et al. The long-term outcomes of pediatric pleural empyema: a prospective study. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2012;166(11):999-1004.

Reviewed by Pediatric Editor Mark Shen, MD, SFHM, medical director of hospital medicine at Dell Children's Medical Center, Austin, Texas.

Clinical question: What are the long-term outcomes of pediatric pleural empyema?

Background: Hospitalizations for complicated pneumonia have increased in recent years. In the U.S., early intervention—commonly video-assisted thorascopic surgery (VATS)—has become popular. Although short-term outcomes appear cost-effective with this approach, long-term comparative-effectiveness outcomes are not entirely clear.

Study design: Prospective observational study.

Setting: Tertiary-care children's hospital.

Synopsis: Over a two-year period, 82 patients were enrolled and available for at least one follow-up visit in a 12-month period. Chest drain was used in 62% of children; fibrinolytics were used in 78% of those cases. All patients received antibiotics. Six patients (7%) were readmitted in the first month, with three patients requiring a chest drain. At 12 months, four patients (5%) had mildly abnormal spirometric or radiographic abnormalities but were asymptomatic with normal quality-of-life scores.

This prospective observational study is notable for the relatively conservative approach (antibiotics alone or chest drainage, without VATS) employed in all subjects. The results provide a comprehensive summary of outcomes at 12 months in this population. Unfortunately, comparative-effectiveness data for VATS are not available in a generalizable form. Nevertheless, this single-center snapshot suggests that long-term outcomes are good with a conservative approach.

Given these findings, and the low likelihood that significant advantages of VATS will be demonstrated in the absence of a large multicenter trial, better understanding of parental preferences will become critical to making the right decision for each patient.

Bottom line: Conservative management of pediatric pleural empyema yields good long-term outcomes.

Citation: Cohen E, Mahant S, Dell SD, et al. The long-term outcomes of pediatric pleural empyema: a prospective study. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2012;166(11):999-1004.

Reviewed by Pediatric Editor Mark Shen, MD, SFHM, medical director of hospital medicine at Dell Children's Medical Center, Austin, Texas.

Clinical question: What are the long-term outcomes of pediatric pleural empyema?

Background: Hospitalizations for complicated pneumonia have increased in recent years. In the U.S., early intervention—commonly video-assisted thorascopic surgery (VATS)—has become popular. Although short-term outcomes appear cost-effective with this approach, long-term comparative-effectiveness outcomes are not entirely clear.

Study design: Prospective observational study.

Setting: Tertiary-care children's hospital.

Synopsis: Over a two-year period, 82 patients were enrolled and available for at least one follow-up visit in a 12-month period. Chest drain was used in 62% of children; fibrinolytics were used in 78% of those cases. All patients received antibiotics. Six patients (7%) were readmitted in the first month, with three patients requiring a chest drain. At 12 months, four patients (5%) had mildly abnormal spirometric or radiographic abnormalities but were asymptomatic with normal quality-of-life scores.

This prospective observational study is notable for the relatively conservative approach (antibiotics alone or chest drainage, without VATS) employed in all subjects. The results provide a comprehensive summary of outcomes at 12 months in this population. Unfortunately, comparative-effectiveness data for VATS are not available in a generalizable form. Nevertheless, this single-center snapshot suggests that long-term outcomes are good with a conservative approach.

Given these findings, and the low likelihood that significant advantages of VATS will be demonstrated in the absence of a large multicenter trial, better understanding of parental preferences will become critical to making the right decision for each patient.

Bottom line: Conservative management of pediatric pleural empyema yields good long-term outcomes.

Citation: Cohen E, Mahant S, Dell SD, et al. The long-term outcomes of pediatric pleural empyema: a prospective study. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2012;166(11):999-1004.

Reviewed by Pediatric Editor Mark Shen, MD, SFHM, medical director of hospital medicine at Dell Children's Medical Center, Austin, Texas.