The August ACP Hospitalist is online

The latest issue of ACP Hospitalist is online. Top stories include the following:

Times are changing for hospitalists. Health care reform is bringing changes to payment mechanisms, patient volume, and the job market for hospitalists. Experts say hospital medicine doctors already possess many valuable skills for the new landscape, but it's wise to refine those abilities and to highlight your worth on the job.

Admitting patients for alcohol detox. Every hospitalist has experienced being called to the emergency department to decide whether or not to admit a patient for alcohol detoxification. Protocols can help in making this decision, though developing them can present challenges.

Rebuilding after disaster. A 2011 tornado that destroyed St. John's Regional Medical Center in Joplin, Mo., led to an opportunity to create a new and better Mercy Hospital Joplin. Safety, convenience, aesthetics, the patient experience—and much more—were considered in the redesign of the hospital, which opens this fall.