This Week:
Reena and Amol want you to:
1. Appreciate the challenges in reducing unplanned readmissions to hospital and concerns about that metric as a quality indicator.
2. Recognize that malpractice reform in three US states did not reduce the intensity of physician practice or resource utilization, suggesting that “defensive medicine” may not be a large contributor to the escalating cost of healthcare.
Continuing Medical Education
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The papers
Dhalla IA et al. Effect of a Postdischarge Virtual Ward on Readmission or Death for High-Risk Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2014;312(13):1305-1312. (PubMed).
Waxman DA et al. The Effect of Malpractice Reform on Emergency Department Care. N Engl J Med 2014; 371:1518-1525. (PubMed).