A taxonomy of seven-day readmissions to an urban teaching hospital.

Background: Understanding the mechanism of unplanned hospital readmissions is necessary for accurate prediction and prevention.

Objective: To identify specific mechanisms of unplanned readmissions through medical narratives obtained from chart reviews.

Design: Retrospective chart review.

Development of a hospitalist-led-and-directed physical examination curriculum.

Background: Deficiencies in physical examination skills among medical students, housestaff, and even faculty have been reported for decades, though specifics on how to address this deficit are lacking.

Methods: Our institution has made a commitment to improving key physical examination competencies across our general medicine faculty. Development of the Merrin Bedside Teaching Program was guided by a comprehensive needs assessment and based on a learner-centered educational model.

Current treatment of acute lower extremity deep venous thrombosis.

The long-term complications of acute deep venous thrombosis (DVT) include recurrence, increased mortality, and the development of the postthrombotic syndrome. Rates of recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) are elevated in patients with cancer and thrombophilia. Heparin, administered either as unfractionated or low-molecular weight, is indicated for at least five days for acute DVT.