Kato H, Jena AB, Figueroa JF, et al. - Findings support the possibility of differences in patient outcomes by the number of days worked clinically per year by physicians. Clinical care by physicians working part time clinically in the inpatient setting may link with worse patient outcomes.

• In this cross-sectional study, nationally representative data of 392,797 Medicare beneficiaries admitted to hospitals and treated by 19,170 hospitalists, were included.

• Statistically significantly lower 30-day mortality was recorded among patients treated by hospitalists who worked more clinical days per year relative to patients treated by hospitalists working fewer clinical days, after adjusting for potential confounders (adjusted 30-day mortality for physicians in the bottom quartile of days worked clinically per year vs top quartile, 10.5% vs 9.6%).