Anyone can admit a patient for further work-up or look up a treatment plan for a confirmed diagnosis, but patients don't typically present with a firm diagnosis or a label that says, "Admit me."

The CC: Series will give you a framework and usable template for common complaints including all the obscure, but can't-miss, diagnoses that you should consider before discharging potentially high-risk patients. 

Take it from an expert witness, you should be documenting all considerations for dangerous diagnoses before every disposition, including admission. A missed diagnosis inside or outside of the hospital is a potential litigation. 

We are not perfect, and things will get missed, but you can protect yourself AND speed up your documentation by creating personalized templates that remind you of the important historical clues, high-risk features, physical exam findings, and tests and tools to consider using on these common presentations. 

This month we will look at...