Although there isn’t a consensus about what constitutes a full-time hospitalist, it is clear that they cover the vast majority (85%) of HMG staff hours. Part-time hospitalists are responsible for 10% of hospitalist staff hours, and “casual” hospitalists—temporary hospitalists or moonlighters—make up the remaining 5%.
Part-time hospitalists share the same responsibilities as their full-time colleagues, according to the report. More than 70% of HMG leaders said their part-time staff is deployed to cover the same shifts and responsibilities as full-time staff. Many HMGs use part-time staff to cover night and weekend shifts.
Trend Today, Initiative Tomorrow
Taken together, SHM’s bi-annual survey and Focused Survey have begun to reveal some of the most prevalent trends within the specialty, including low turnover and a specialty-wide QI emphasis. However, Flores sees room for additional research in the near future.
“There is a lot more to learn about the nature of hospitalists’ involvement in organizational quality initiatives and what benefits that involvement is delivering to their organizations,” she says. “The survey suggests some areas, particularly in the quality arena, where SHM can develop additional programs and services to support hospitalists and the work they do.”
The 10-page 2008-2009 Focused Survey report is available at www.hospitalmedicine.org/shmstore. TH
Brendon Shank is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia.
Chapter Update
Philadelphia Tri-State Area
The Philadelphia Tri-State Area chapter kicked off its 2009 meeting March 26 with its new “pharma-free” format. The chapter’s decision to forgo an expensive meal and industry-sponsored lecture was the result of an agreement to create more open dialogue among its members.
Chapter co-presidents Jen Myers, assistant professor of clinical medicine and patient safety officer at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and Erik DeLue, MD, MBA, medical director of the hospitalist program at Virtua Memorial Hospital in Mount Holly, N.J., kicked off the meeting, which focused on recruiting in a competitive market. Despite SHM’s collective recruiting challenges, most medical directors indicated that their groups were fully staffed.
Future meetings will be held at various medical institutions around the greater Philadelphia area. The next is to be held this month at Christiana Medical Center in Wilmington, Del. Future topics will be centered on pragmatic, nonclinical concerns for hospitalists, such as how to best utilize allied health providers.