image by: Getty Images For Unsplash+

HWN Suggests

Hospitalists and Squeezed Balloons

I began thinking about – and yes, advocating for – the concept of hospitalists in the mid-1990s, when I became convinced that having separate inpatient and outpatient physicians would improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of healthcare. A study in today’s Annals of Internal Medicine reports that, while hospitalists did cut hospital lengths of stay and costs (consistent with the prior literature), these savings were eaten up by increased 30-day post-discharge costs, driven largely by higher rates of readmission.

While the study has its limitations, overall I though it was well done, credible, and a bit disheartening. But my core belief…

read full article

Articles of Interest

Hospitalists Are Increasingly Essential Across Specialties

Where would hospitals be without hospitalists? Today, hospitalists are so deeply integrated into many organizations that it might be hard to remember this role has only existed for a few decades.

Hospitalists Talk about Rebuilding Trust in Health Care

Trust is fundamental to the practice of medicine. As the foundation of a therapeutic relationship, it’s essential for effective care delivery. Trust is a fragile bond, an agreement that, in a state of vulnerability, a patient can rely on the clinician to act in their best interest with integrity and fairness. Traditionally, trust-based relationships existed solely on a patient-clinician level but in modern health care, the concept of trust operates in a complex ecosystem of health care networks, organizations, and multidisciplinary teams.

Hospitalists: The New Wave of Hospital Medicine

The use of the hospitalist can be seen as a threat to some physicians. However, they actually serve to allow the outpatient physician more time to spend with his/her office patients, rather than rushing back and forth to the hospital for patient coverage. It is a matter of convenience. Physicians are guaranteed that expert medical care is always available for their hospitalized patients, even when they can not be present. Once patients are discharged, they are once again treated by their outpatient physicians. Thus, there is no concern about the hospitalist “stealing” their patients.

The Hospitalist Movement 25 Years Later

There are now more hospitalists than practicing physicians in any other internal medicine subspecialty. Several key forces catalyzed the growth in the field of hospital medicine, including the quality, safety, and value movements; residency duty hour restrictions; the emergence of electronic health records; and the COVID-19 pandemic. Looking ahead, we see new opportunities in the realms of technology and telemedicine, and challenges persist in regard to balancing financial considerations with increasing workload and burnout. Hospitalists must remain nimble and seize emerging opportunities to continue supporting the field's prominence and growth.

The New Breed of Doctor Is In: BMC hospitalists preview medicine’s future

The half dozen white coats sweep briskly down stairs and through halls at Boston Medical Center. The leader, Muhammad Syed, is very familiar with this tiled, fluorescent-lit honeycomb: he’s a “hospitalist,” medicine’s newest specialty, a doctor who treats patients only here, not in an office. After leading his team on rounds, Syed peels away for some one-on-one with the sick, including a woman just admitted with cold-like symptoms.

Resources

Today's Hospitalist

Today's Hospitalist is a monthly magazine that reports on practice management issues, quality improvement initiatives, and clinical updates for the growing field of hospital medicine.

ACP Hospitalist

ACP Hospitalist provides news and information for internists about the practice of medicine and reports on the policies, products and activities of ACP.

Journal of Hospital Medicine

The Journal of Hospital Medicine advances excellence in hospital medicine as a defined specialty through the dissemination of research, evidence-based clinical care, and advocacy of safe, effective care for hospitalized patients.

Notes From Dr. RW

Hospitalist in Northwest Arkansas opining on clinical topics, the interface between medicine and politics and whatever else grabs my attention.

Practical Reviews

Each month, you receive curated journal summaries providing new medical updates, a source of continuing medical education credits and where to go for more in-depth reviews. In addition, our audio commentaries tell you whether the new information confirms current protocols or suggests a practice change.

The Hospitalist

The Hospitalist publishes articles about news, trends, and issues in hospital medicine. Every story must present practical, usable information for our readers material that is immediately helpful to them in their professional lives.

British Journal of Hospital Medicine

British Journal of Hospital Medicine covers all specialties in hospital medicine, making it essential reading for doctors of all grades who want to ensure that their practice is evidence-based and up-to-date with all the latest clinical developments.

Current Emergency and Hospital Medicine Reports

Current Emergency & Hospital Medicine Reports publishes expert review articles on the most significant recent developments in emergency and hospital medicine, with particular emphasis on the transition of patient care from the emergency department to the hospitalist service.

Journal Watch

NEJM Journal Watch equips today's caregivers with the information and perspective needed to be clinically prepared and practice with confidence. NEJM Journal Watch is used by practicing clinicians - physicians, nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, residents, students, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals - to stay informed and current in their fields.

The Doctor Weighs In

The Doctor Weighs in (aka TDWI) is a blog about all things health and health care. We have both regular and occasional contributors. Some of the posts are original and others are reposted with permission of the authors. We curate the materials carefully to be sure they are well written and offer a diversity of opinion.