Postdischarge clinics: hospitalist attitudes and experiences

Novel methods for improving transitions of care are needed. Hospitalist-run postdischarge clinics (PDCs) may improve access to postdischarge care, but require practice change from providers. We conducted a Web-based cross-sectional survey of hospitalists at 37 academic medical centers across the United States and a large private employer of hospitalists to assess the attitudes of hospitalists toward postdischarge care and PDCs. Two hundred twenty-eight of 814 hospitalists responded to the survey (28%). Responding hospitalists commonly (55%) experienced difficulty arranging outpatient follow-up, and felt that lack of access was responsible for most patient problems after discharge (61%). Despite this, 62% felt hospitalists should not provide postdischarge care in a clinic, and 77% felt they would require extra compensation for work in a PDC. However, 74% thought such a clinic would decrease emergency department visits. Practicing in a PDC was associated with a trend toward positive attitudes about providing postdischarge care (P = 0.054). Responding hospitalists expressed difficulty arranging appropriate postdischarge care, confidence that PDCs would reduce postdischarge utilization, and reservations about working in a PDC, perhaps because of practical or financial concerns. These results are important given the current emphasis on reducing hospital readmissions. Further work evaluating the experience of hospitalists in PDCs is needed.