Professor of Medicine
Edmund G. Brown Sr., Distinguished Professorship in Geriatrics
Staff Physician (SFVAMC)
Contact Information
Office Address:
4150 Clement Street
Bldg. 1, Rm 303
UCSF Box VA-181G
San Francisco, CA 94121
Phone: 415-221-4810 x4363
Fax: 415-750-6641
Email: covinsky@medicine.ucsf.edu
Click here to download Curriculum Vitae (pdf)
Areas of Specialization/Research Interests
- Outcomes research
- Quality of life and functional outcomes
- Prognostic modeling
Selected Publications/Presentations
1. Covinsky KE, Goldman L, Cook EF, Oye R, Desbiens N, Fulkerson W, Connors A, Lynn J, Phillips RS, for the SUPPORT Investigators. The impact of serious illness on patients' families. JAMA 1994;272:1839-1844.
2. Covinsky KE, Landefeld CS, Teno J, Connors AF, Dawson N, Youngner S, Desbiens N, Lynn J, Fulkerson W, Reding D, Oye R, Phillips RS, for the SUPPORT Investigators. Is economic hardship on the families of the seriously ill associated with patient and surrogate care preferences? Arch Intern Med 1996;156:1737-1741.
3. Covinsky KE, Bates CK, Davis RB, Delbanco TL. Physicians’ attitudes towards using patient reports to assess quality of care. Acad Med 1996;71:1353-1356.
4. Covinsky KE, Fortinsky RH, Palmer RM, Kresevic DM, Landefeld CS. Relation between symptoms of depression to health status outcomes in acutely ill hospitalized elders. Ann Intern Med 1997;126:417-425.
5. Covinsky KE, Justice AC, Rosenthal GE, Palmer RM, Landefeld CS. Measuring prognosis and case-mix in hospitalized elders: The importance of functional status. J Gen Intern Med 1997;12:203-208.
6. Covinsky KE, King JT, Quinn LM, Siddique RM, Palmer R, Kresevic D, Fortinsky RH, Kowal J, Landefeld CS. Do acute care for elders units increase hospital costs? A cost analysis using the hospital perspective. J Am Geriatr Soc 1997;45:729-734.
7. Covinsky KE, Palmer RM, Kresevic DM, Kahana E, Counsell SR, Fortinsky RH, Landefeld CS. Improving functional outcomes in older patients: Lessons from an Acute Care for Elders Unit. Jt Comm J Qual Improv 1998;24:63-76.
8. Covinsky KE, Rosenthal GE, Chren MM, Justice AC, Fortinsky RH, Palmer RM, Landefeld CS. The relation between health status changes and patient satisfaction in older hospitalized medical patients. J Gen Intern Med 1998;13:223-229.
9. Covinsky KE, Wu AW, Landefeld CS, Connors AF, Phillips RS, Tsevat J, Dawson NV, Lynn J, Fortinsky RH. Health status versus quality of life in older patients: does the distinction matter? Am J Med 1999;106:435-440.
10. Covinsky KE, Kahana E, Chin MH, Palmer RM, Fortinsky RH, Landefeld CS. Depressive symptoms and 3-year mortality in older hospitalized medical patients. Ann Intern Med 1999;130:563-569.
11. Covinsky KE, Martin GE, Beyth RJ, Justice AC, Sehgal AR, Landefeld CS. The relationship between clinical assessments of nutritional status and adverse outcomes in older hospitalized medical patients. J Am Geriatr Soc 1999;47:532-538.
12. Covinsky KE, Chren MM, Harper DL, Way LE, Rosenthal GE. Differences in patient reported outcomes between men and women with myocardial infarction. J Gen Intern Med 2000;15:169-174.
13. Covinsky KE, Palmer RM, Counsell SR, Pine ZM, Walter LC, Chren MM. Functional status before hospitalization in acutely ill older adults: validity and clinical importance of retrospective reports. J Am Geriatr Soc 2000;48:164-169.
14. Covinsky KE, Fuller JD, Yaffe K, Johnston CB, Hamel MB, Lynn J, Teno JM, Phillips RS. Communication and decision making in seriously ill patients: Findings of the SUPPORT Project. J Am Geriatr Soc 2000;48:S187-S188.
15. Covinsky KE, Kahana EM, Kahana B, Kercher K, Schumacher JG, Justice AC. History and mobility exam index to identify community dwelling elderly persons at risk of falling. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2001;56:M253-M259.
16. Walter LC, Covinsky KE. Cancer screening in elderly patients: A framework for individualized decision making. JAMA 2001;285:2750-2756.
17. Walter LC, Brand RJ, Counsell SR, Palmer RM, Landefeld CS, Fortinsky RH, Covinsky KE. Development and validation of a prognostic index for 1-year mortality in older adults after hospitalization. JAMA 2001;285:2987-2994.
18. Covinsky KE, Eng C, Liu LY, Sands LP, Sehgal AR, Walter LC, Weiland D, Eleazar GP, Yaffe K. Reduced employment in caregivers of frail elders: Impact of ethnicity, patient clinical characteristics, and caregiver characteristics. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2001;56A:707-713.
19. Covinsky KE, Covinsky MH, Palmer RM, Sehgal AR. Serum albumin concentration and clinical assessments of nutritional status in hospitalized elders: Different sides of different coins? J Am Geriatr Soc 2002;50:631-637.
20. Covinsky KE, Palmer RM, Fortinsky RH, Counsell SR, Stewart AL, Kresevic D, Burant CJ, Landefeld CS. Loss of independence in activities of daily living in older adults hospitalized with medical illness: Increased vulnerability with age. J Am Geriatr Soc 2003;51:451-458.
21. Covinsky KE, Eng C, Lui LY, Sands LP, Yaffe K. The last two years of life: Functional trajectories of frail older people. J Am Geriatr Soc 2003;51:492-498.
22. Covinsky KE, Newcomer R, Dane CK, Sands LP, Yaffe K. Patient and caregiver characteristics associated with depression in caregivers of patients with dementia. J Gen Intern Med 2003;18:1006-1014.
23. Covinsky KE, Hilton J, Lindquist K, Dudley RA. Development and validation of an index to predict activity of daily living dependence in community-dwelling elders. Med Care. 2006;44:149-157.
24. Lee SJ, Lindquist K, Segal MR, Covinsky KE. Development and validation of a prognostic index for 4-year mortality in older adults. JAMA. 2006;295:801-808.
