Page 35 - Hospitalists - Risks When You're the Doctor in the House (Part Two)

SVMIC Hospitalists - Risks When You’re the Doctor in the House

the hospital medical records, reviewed the final culture
and sensitivity results, and discovered that the bacteria

was not sensitive to Clindamycin. Neither the hospitalist
who ordered the labs nor the surgeon reviewed the final

results to confirm that the antibiotics prescribed at
discharge were effective. The patient had to be readmitted

to the hospital.

To minimize the risk of studies falling through the cracks after
discharge:

• Follow up on outstanding test results. If the test was
important enough to order, then it is important enough

to follow up on. Ultimately, the ordering physician will be
charged with bearing some degree of responsibility for

knowing the results of the testing he ordered, regardless of
what others did or did not do concerning its final report.

• If there is another hospitalist coming on duty assisting
with the patient’s care, make the covering physician aware

that there are test results still outstanding. It may not be

immediately apparent to a covering physician that the test
has been performed, but the results have not yet been
returned. This allows the covering physician to be aware

that there is a piece of information still unknown about the

patient, and it enables the covering physician to follow up
on the status of the outstanding results, too.

• When preparing a patient for discharge, consider whether
there are still any test results outstanding. If so, consider

whether the discharge is not yet timely. If it is ultimately
determined that discharge is appropriate despite an

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