Hospitalist vs. Regular Doctors

my_0.02
Thu, 02 Aug 2007 03:14:29 +0000

Hospitalists admit patients to the hospital for internists who are in the office (or at night) and consult on internist or family medicince docs patients. Hospitalists are most often employed by hospitals, with the hospital receiving the third party compensation generated by the hospitalist’s activities.

Most hospitalists do not have clinic hours or maintain an office or office practice.

Hospitalist jobs are available in all size hospitals in all areas of the country. In many community hospitals, being able to stay in the office seeing patients can tip the balance of financial survival for an internist.

See the society of hospital medicine definition:

The term ‘hospitalist’ refers to physicians whose practice emphasizes providing care for hospitalized patients. The term was coined by Drs. Robert Wachter and Lee Goldman in a New England Journal of Medicine article in August of 1996 (Wachter RM, Goldman L. The emerging role of “hospitalists” in the American health care system. N Engl J Med 1996;335:514-7). While some doctors have emphasized inpatient care for many years, there has been an explosive growth of such doctors since 1994. There are more new jobs available for Hospitalists than in any aspect of internal medicine. Hospital medicine is a significant career path option for those trained in general internal medicine, general pediatrics, family practice, and obstetrics.

http://www.hospitalmedicine.org/Content/NavigationMenu/AboutSHM/DefinitionofaHospitalist/Definition_of_a_Hosp.htm

Core competencies: http://www.hospitalmedicine.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Education/CoreCurriculum/Core_Curriculum.htm

A nice 1998 ACP article describing hospitalist practice (including salary and financial arrangements): http://www.acponline.org/journals/news/jan98/growing.htm