Cohort design to assess the association between post-hospital primary care physician follow-up visits and hospital readmissions.

While multifaceted post-hospitalization interventions can succeed in preventing hospital readmissions, many of these interventions are labor-intensive and costly. We hypothesized that a timely post-discharge primary care physician (PCP) visit alone might prevent hospital readmission. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to assess whether post-hospitalization PCP visits within 14 days of discharge were associated with lower rates of 30-day hospital readmission.

Effectiveness of a smartphone application for weight loss compared with usual care in overweight primary care patients: a randomized, controlled trial.

Background: Many smartphone applications (apps) for weight loss are available, but little is known about their effectiveness.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of introducing primary care patients to a free smartphone app for weight loss.

Design: Randomized, controlled trial.