Research Studies
Since 1996 when the term hospitalist was first used, a number of studies have been conducted to evaluate the benefits they bring to PCPs and other physicians (see Table 2). In the past decade, the number of hospitalists has increased dramatically, lending credence to their value in an inpatient medical setting. In 2005, the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) estimates that there are 12,000 hospitalists in the US.
In a survey by Mitretek Healthcare, researchers asked hospital leaders to rate a number of strategies that impact on hospital-medical staff relations. Sixty-two percent of the leaders surveyed gave hospitalist programs a high rating pertaining to hospital-physician alignment (12). Other studies also support the growing belief that hospitalists can effectively and efficiently enhance physician practices.
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Conclusion
Joseph Li, MD, director of the hospitalist program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, hopes to build a career based on the belief that hospitalists are leading the way in “preventing medical errors and hospital-acquired infections, managing the complex hospital environment, finding the right transition to home care or rehabilitation, and providing palliative and end-of-life care” (13). As hospital medicine programs become more prevalent and accepted, more and more PCPs are seeing the value in their presence. A major national hospitalist management company surveyed PCPs in five markets on their experiences with hospitalists. The responses revealed a 100% satisfaction rating on the quality of inpatient care (14). In the future, hospitalists like Li will strive to maintain that rating while they help improve physician practices and enhance patient care.
Dr. Kealey can be contacted at [email protected]
Dr. Vidrine can be contacted at [email protected]
References
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- Trendy hospital medicine comes to Charlotte. Sunherald.com, February 13, 2004.
- Landro L. Medicine’s fastest-growing specialty: hospital-bound doctors take the place of your physician; effort to reduce costs, errors. The Wall Street Journal Online, October 6, 2004.
- Trousdale RT, Department of Orthopedics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. Telephone interview. January 3, 2005.
- Huddleston J, Long KH, Naessens JM, et al. Medical and surgical comanagement after elective hip and knee arthroplasty: a randomized controlled trial. Ann Intern Med. 2004;141:28-38.
- Asplin, Brent R., MD, MPH, research director, Department of Emergency Medicine, Regions Hospital, St. Paul, MN. Telephone interview January 5, 2005.
- Auerbach AD, Aronson MD, Davis RB, Phillips RS. How physicians perceive hospitalist services after implementation: anticipation vs. reality. Arch Intern Med. 2003;163:2330-6.
- Auerbach AD, Nelson EA, Lindenauer PK, et al. Physician attitudes toward and prevalence of the hospitalist model of care: results of a national survey. Am J Med. 2000;109: 648-53.
- Halpert AP, Pearson SD, LeWine HE, McKean SC. The impact of an inpatient physician program on quality utilization, and satisfaction. Am J Manag Care. 2000; 6: 549-55.
- Fernandez A, Grumbach K, Goitein L, et al. Friend or foe? How primary care physicians perceive hospitalists. Arch Intern Med. 2000;160:2902-8.
- LeTourneau B, emergency department physician, professional physician executive consultant, Regions Hospital, St. Paul, MN. Telephone interview. January 7, 2005.
- McGowan RA. Strengthening hospital-physician relationships. Healthcare Financial Management Association. December 2004. www.hfma.org/publications/HFM_Magazine/business.htm.
- Barnard A. Medical profession, patients have warmed to the ‘hospitalist’. The Boston Globe, January 30, 2002.
- PCPs and hospitalists: a new attitude? Cogent Quarterly, Vol. 1, No. 4, Fall 2001.