University of Colorado Hospital Medicine Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS)

Welcome! We are academic hospitalists and clinical educators with expertise in point of care ultrasound. We are passionate about POCUS and believe that it has the power to improve patient care, a belief that is now well supported by evidence. Our hospitalist group is committed to integrating POCUS into our practice to ensure that our patients receive the highest standard of care with precision and compassion.

We are dedicated to educating a wide spectrum of learners, including medical students, residents, fellows, attendings, and advanced practice providers. Our co-directors oversee the Internal Medicine Residency POCUS Curriculum, ensuring that emerging medical professionals are well-versed in this essential skill. We also run three internal workshops focused on lung ultrasound and fluid assessment, tailored to new hires.

With eighteen faculty members credentialed to perform POCUS, our team brings expertise and experience to the bedside. Our faculty has taught ultrasound at the national level, including with the American College of Physicians (ACP) and the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM). Additionally, we offer the Rocky Mountain SHM POCUS Course twice a year. We are actively developing a POCUS curriculum for our advanced practice fellowship and are expanding the number of faculty credentialed in this transformative technique.

We offer a wide variety of ultrasound training options that allows for longitudinal mentoring to providers who wish to attain a level of competency that will allow them to confidently integrate POCUS into their routine care of patients. Our curriculum is designed to help clinicians develop image acquisition and interpretation skills. Additionally, we emphasize how to appropriately integrate POCUS findings into clinical decision-making.

Contact Us

Program Administrator
Melisha Begerman
POCUSDHM@cuanschutz.edu

Frequently Asked Questions

A: Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) is a medical imaging technique performed at the bedside using portable ultrasound machines. This is in contrast to a formal ultrasound study performed by a radiology technician that requires interpretation by a radiologist, which can be a time limiting factor in scenarios where clinicians need to make accurate diagnoses and management decisions quickly and in real-time. POCUS is utilized in various clinical settings, including emergency departments, intensive care units, and general wards, to assess conditions like cardiac function, abdominal pain, and fluid status.

A: There are many POCUS applications within hospital medicine and its use will depend on resource level and clinical setting. In our division, the highest yield applications include pathologic fluid identification, complete lung ultrasound, and volume assessments. POCUS allows for real-time assessment of the amount and character of pathologic fluid, including pleural effusion and ascites, which then guide management and the consideration of potential procedures. Additionally, lung ultrasound can evaluate for interstitial syndromes and pneumonia and is often a more accurate test than chest x ray for these etiologies. Finally, POCUS allows for a more holistic volume assessment by combining the physical exam with ultrasound evaluation of the IVC, JVP and lungs. While these are the highest yield applications, it is also utilized in a host of other clinical scenarios: assessment for pericardial effusion, assessment of LV/ RV function, assessment for hydronephrosis, and assessment for bladder distension.

A: POCUS offers several benefits, including rapid diagnosis, reduced need for more invasive procedures, and improved patient safety. By providing immediate visual feedback, POCUS helps clinicians make timely decisions, leading to expedited treatment plans and better patient outcomes. It also enhances patient comfort and satisfaction by minimizing the need for patient transport to radiology departments and improving provider-patient communication, as patients can better understand their condition and are involved in their care when POCUS images are shared at the bedside.

A: We offer two types of POCUS trainings:

Quarterly “lung ultrasound and finding fluid” workshops that are 4 hours long and available to all faculty. The goal of these workshops is to provide faculty with the skills to obtain good quality lung ultrasound and pleural effusion/ascites images and integrate these scans into their clinical practice. The time is split between hands on scanning practice and case review. During these workshops, we also provide the criteria for hospital credentialing and assist faculty in beginning this process.
Society for Hospital Medicine (SHM) Foundations of POCUS course: This is a two-day intensive course that focuses on introduction to all POCUS systems for the hospitalist. It is a national course taught by faculty across the country and is offered twice per year in the spring. More details will be posted once they are available.

A: To date, we have credentialed 18 providers in lung ultrasound with 39 in the process of becoming credentialed. There are four providers credentialed in cardiac, renal/bladder, and vascular ultrasound. Nearly all of our procedure service faculty are credentialed in lung POCUS, and we now offer diagnostic POCUS consults as part of our procedure workflow.

A: For the future of our POCUS program, we aim to:

Increase the use of POCUS so all hospitalists feel comfortable assessing for ascites and pleural effusion
Implement a volume assessment protocol within the procedure service
Create externally facing workshops for other departments who are interested in POCUS
Develop a high quality and clear quality assurance system to ensure competency is maintained and we continue to perform the highest quality scans

Tools & Resources

CU Campuses

CU Anschutz Medical Campus