Acute Appendicitis: Surgery vs. Conservative Antibiotic Approach
March 21, 2016
There is a new risk and safety issue in the world of appendicitis. In this issue of TSG Quarterly, we explore the issue of conservative, antibiotic-first management of acute appendicitis with appendectomy reserved for treatment failures. Is it the new standard? Have you proactively addressed this issue with your emergency medicine and surgical practitioners? It…Read More
Thoracic Aortic Dissection: The Great Masquerader
February 29, 2016
Not all chest pain is a heart attack. While acute coronary syndrome (ACS) may be the most common serious cause of chest pain, clinicians must keep other dangerous conditions in the differential diagnosis and eliminate the possibilities based on the patient’s history, risk stratification, physical exam and diagnostic testing. One of the most dramatic and…Read More
7 Strategies to Reduce Hospital Readmissions
February 16, 2016
Preventable hospital readmissions cost taxpayers billions of dollars each year. As we move further into the age of healthcare reform, practitioners will feel rising pressure to reduce costs and decrease unnecessary and preventable re-hospitalizations. Providers cannot and should not avoid the readmission of patients when medical or surgical situations require inpatient care. However, a fair…Read More
Avoid Readmissions vs. Death After Discharge
January 13, 2016
It is certainly a good idea to avoid readmissions that are deemed unnecessary. However, from the vantage point of risk and patient safety, the sword of readmissions reduction has another sharp and dangerous edge. Plain and simple, along with sensible system solutions, there will be irrational but powerful pressures exerted on the gatekeepers of inpatient…Read More
Evidence-based Medicine: What’s the Buzz?
November 10, 2015
Healthcare is all abuzz about evidence-based medicine (EBM), and legions of clinicians are struggling with how to incorporate EBM into the new paradigm of providing the safest possible high-quality healthcare in the most efficient manner. Evidence-based Medicine: Origins and Definition The term “evidence-based medicine” was coined over 20 years ago by a group of physicians…Read More
