Heppenheimer
Well-Known Member
When I worked as a hospitalist, I always had my biggest census on the weekends because:You’ve got that reversed my friend. Elective procedures occur in weekdays and are scheduled so that those people leave prior to the weekend. Clinics are closed (or have reduced hours on weekends) and people have a higher threshold to seek a doctor on a weekend (which cuts into their free time) then a weekday (excused work absence.) The busiest days in hospital census is Tues-Thur, the weekends are quieter.
- I couldn't get lexiscans, echos or anything other than emergency ultrasound on the weekends, so I had to hold on to certain cases longer than I would have during the week.
- No social workers, so no rehab transfers even for the minority of local facilities that accepted during the weekends, or discharges for socially complicated patients.
- Last minute, Friday afternoon cases that would normally get an outpatient work-up end up in the ER.
-Friday afternoon ER granny dumps.
-Primary care clinics closed, so couldn't arrange the close follow-up some patients needed to avoid the dreaded re-admission penalty.
There were always more than enough of these to balance out the lack of elective surgery cases during the weekend. This hospital was also located in a rather economically depressed and extremely unhealthy community, so that may have skewed the numbers.
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