Impact of a Hospitalist-Run Procedure Service on Time to Paracentesis and Length of Stay

Abstract

Hospitals are establishing procedure services to address resident training and patient safety. We examined whether a hospitalist procedure service affects a patient’s hospital length of stay (LOS) and the time from admission to paracentesis (A2P). We queried our electronic medical records for all inpatient peritoneal fluid samples from July 1, 2016, to May 31, 2019. LOS and A2P time were compared among patients who had paracentesis by the procedure service, by residents, or by radiology. Of the 1,321 procedures, 509 (38.5%) were performed by the procedure service. In the adjusted analysis, as compared with procedure service, the group that underwent paracentesis by the radiology service had a 27% longer LOS (95% CI, 2%-58%) and 40% longer A2P time (95% CI, 5%-87%). The resident group had shorter A2P (–19%; 95% CI, –33% to 0.2%; P = .05) than the procedure service group but similar LOS. To our knowledge, this is the first study that suggests patient-centered benefits of a hospitalist procedure service.