The idea to create a group of separate hospital-based physicians began to take shape during the early 1990s, as managed care health insurers put greater demands on physicians. With the decision by hospitals to reduce high costs by cutting back on personnel and services, there were increasing concerns about patient safety and communication lapses that impacted the continuity of care.
But hospitalists are quickly filling the gap. According to the Society of Hospital Medicine, there are currently 12,000 board-certified hospitalists with the amount expected to rise.
Recent studies by universities in California and Iowa show hospitalists have made a positive influence on health. They focus their attention on caring for patients who do not have their own doctors, producing good results at lower costs.
Patient satisfaction is improved, and communication with the family is also better. In addition, hospitalists have reduced the length of hospital stays, as they oversee discharge planning and act as the lead contact between hospitals and home care agencies.
From groups of doctors who began a new medical specialty within community hospitals less than ten years ago, hospitalists are well established among medical communities and are familiar to some consumer groups across the country. A viable and needed group of medical professionals, hospitalists have arrived—and they are here to stay.
