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When Physicians Fail To Take Responsibility For Their Own Orders

A physician asked me a question regarding what should be the role of hospitalists in carrying out discharge orders written by other physicians.

I have been following your blog since I was a resident and recommend it to a lot of people.  Thank you so much for enlightening me on so many day to day hospital issues.  I wanted to know your opinion about something that puzzles me.  When a specialist changes a medication or requires a lab to be done as outpatient after a discharge order is written (for example you write: okay to D/C if okay with cardiology, and they change a dose or request stress test out-pt) who is required to write the new scripts and arrange that test? Is it the hospitalist’s responsibility to do it? Or is the specialist who changed the dose after you rounded required to handle it? It was easier during residency due to abundance of residents/fellows and the fact it was electronic RX access. What are your thoughts? As so far I always return back and make the adjustments needed for the patient welfare, and the fact I don’t know whether I should take stance and request that physician to do their job.

Dear physician, there is nothing puzzling here.  It’s black and white.   Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at The Happy Hospitalist*

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