Quality Care & Patient Safety

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SMJ Article | Perspectives

Optimizing Patient Experience to Improve Physician Survey Scores

A patient’s perception of his or her hospital experience has become an important driver in hospital metrics and reimbursement. Patient-centered care is one of the six domains of healthcare quality according to the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research.1 Studies show that patient experience is correlated with tangible outcomes such...

Posted in: Quality Health Care, Patient Safety, & Best Practices2

SMJ Article | Review Article

Open Access: Design and Impact of a Novel Rural Hospital Alliance

Without rural hospitals, many patients may not have access to essential services, or even any health care. Rural hospitals provide a community hub for local access to primary care and emergency services, as well as a bridge to specialized care outside the community. The goal of this review was to...

SMJ Article | Perspectives

State Advisory Council: Stakeholders’ Perspective for Shaping the Future of Chronic Kidney Disease Patients in Arkansas

The US Renal Data System (USRDS) reports that 15% of the adult US population has chronic kidney disease (CKD), whereas only 10% of those with CKD know that they have it.1 Timely interventions can prevent the debilitating effects of CKD. This perspective aims to share the experience of an innovative...

Posted in: Nephrology and Urology12 Chronic Kidney Disease2

SMJ Article | Perspectives

The Current Challenge of Suffering

“Appears older than stated age.” It is mid-afternoon. There are other patients to see. I do not elaborate on the opening line of the physical exam. The inadequacy of the phrase comes back to me as I am driving home: It doesn’t begin to convey the weariness I saw in...

SMJ Article | Review Article

CME Article: Physician Leader, Humble Thyself: Balancing Narcissism and Humility in Healthcare Leadership

Data on expert leadership have shown numerous benefits, including enhanced job satisfaction, productivity, and job retention. Similarly, many of the top hospitals in the United States are physician led; however, the training of a successful physician and that of a successful healthcare administrator often are significantly different. Here, we specifically...

SMJ Article | Review Article

Long COVID, Disability, and the Workplace

The long-term societal impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) includes not only those who have died from COVID-19 but also those who have survived with prolonged residual symptoms. “Long COVID” symptoms such as fatigue may impair an individual’s ability to work, but gaps in disability law may leave such workers...

Posted in: Infectious Disease120

SMJ Article | Original Article

Comparisons between White and Black Patients Hospitalized with Postliver Transplant Complications/Failure

Objectives: The impact of race on patients presenting to North American hospitals with postliver transplant complications/failure (PLTCF) has not been studied fully. We compared in-hospital mortality and resource utilization outcomes between White and Black patients hospitalized with PLTCF. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study that evaluated the years 2016...

Posted in: Gastroenterology40 Liver Disease6

SMJ Article | Letter to the Editor

Navigating Scope of Practice Tensions

To the Editor: The notion of scope of practice (SOP) has become a topic of contention between physicians and advanced practice providers across many medical specialties.

SMJ Article | Perspectives

Building Better Patient Care in Mississippi Radiation Oncology: Why Mississippi Needs a Collaborative Quality Initiative

Objectives: Cancer is an insidious and devastating disease that affects many people. Progress in mortality rate has not been realized universally across the United States, and challenges remain in how to best make up the ground that has been lost in these areas, one of which is Mississippi. Radiation therapy...

Posted in: Medical Oncology22

SMJ Article | Original Article

The Local Market of Major Teaching Hospitals

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the local communities served by major teaching hospitals. Methods: Using a dataset of hospitals around the United States provided by the Association of American Medical Colleges, we identified major teaching hospitals (MTHs) using the Association of American Medical Colleges’ definition of...

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