Annals of internal medicine
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Previous studies suggest that specialty care is more costly but may produce improved outcomes for patients with acute cardiac illnesses. ⋯ In this observational study of patients hospitalized with congestive heart failure, cardiologist care was associated with greater costs and resource use and no difference in survival at 30 days of follow-up. Whether the trend toward better survival at longer follow-up represents differences in care or unadjusted illness severity is uncertain.