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Hospitalist-orthopedic comanagement improves patient care, study says

Hospitalist Leadership Connection, August 4, 2009

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Comangement between hospitalists and orthopedic physicians can help improve surgical care of patients, according to a new study, Hospitalist-orthopedic comanagement of high-risk patients undergoing lower extremity reconstruction surgery, published in the July issue of Orthopedics.

Researchers from Loyola University Medical Center’s department of orthopedic surgery looked at 86 patients in the academic medical center and evaluated patient outcomes (length of stay, costs, in-hospital mortality, complications, and admissions to the ICU).

The researchers found that costs for care were the same, but the hospitalist-orthopedic comanagement model had a positive result on the people who were the most severely ill. Although many debate current studies of hospitalists’ affect on patient care, Loyola University Medical Center’s comanagement model has shown to enhance patient safety and satisfaction and improve hospital efficiency since it launched in 2005, according to the study.

Patient satisfaction scores also jumped from 5% to 14%, based on the Healthcare Consumer Assessment of Hospital Programs and Services scores. Researchers attributed to the general patient satisfaction to the hospitalist-orthopedic comanagment model and the improved communication with doctors.



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