Why hospital culture influences medical costs
“You have to be affable, available, and able,” a senior general internal medicine physician taught me during my final year of residency. “Trust me,” he added, “when you’re in practice, you will love easy consults.”
A consult – short for “inpatient consultation” – occurs when physician caring for a hospitalized patient requests another physician to evaluate the patient and provide recommendations. Typically, both physicians are paid – one for providing overall …