Tip of the week: Understand hospitalist lingo

To foster communication between hospitalists and other healthcare providers, it is important to know the lingo. The following terms will help you navigate your next conversation:

• Voltage drop: The loss of information across the hospital threshold
• Handoff: The transfer of patient care between providers
• Fumble: The mishandling or loss of patient information
• Black hole: The time from a patient’s hospital discharge until his or her first appointment with the primary care physician
• Procedurists: Physicians who dedicate the majority of their time to performing various procedures in their fields of expertise 

This week’s tip is from Tools and Strategies for an Effective Hospitalist Program by Jeffrey R. Dichter, MD, FACP and Kenneth G. Simone, DO.