In 1996, the term “hospitalist,” defined as an inpatient physician who coordinates care for hospitalized patients, appeared for the first time in the New England Journal of Medicine. Since then, hospitalist has swiftly become the fastest-growing medical specialty, and hospitalists have made significant contributions to the ever-changing healthcare landscape.
Last year, there were over 18,000 submissions for national days, but The National Day Calendar approved only 30. National Hospitalist Day was one of them and is now recognized annually on the first Thursday in March.
Today, we are pleased to celebrate well-deserving hospitalists by acknowledging their contributions to the healthcare industry. Hospitalist physicians are answering the increasing demand for services, filling gaps in the delivery of care across the country. Read on to discover more about these innovative physicians and the variety of reasons they can have a positive impact on your hospital or healthcare system.
Hospitalists serve as the single point of contact for a patient.
They help guide patients through treatment and reduce uncertainty during hospitalization. The hospitalist oversees the patient’s care from admittance to discharge, delivering direct patient care, consultations, and preoperative evaluations. Hospitalists are equipped to perform procedures, generate treatment plans, and communicate and coordinate with patients and staff, often multiple times a day. Their schedules are more flexible to follow up on tests, meet with family members to discuss results, and answer nurses’ questions.
Residency programs with hospitalist tracks incorporate business and operational aspects of medicine.
The hospitalist role is a hybrid of internist and generalist, which exposes hospitalists to more cases than if they focused on a single specialty and allows them to develop better instincts about patient needs. This exposure requires a unique, problem-solving mindset. They are an asset because in addition to their duties caring for patients, hospitalists are equipped to help develop effective processes to improve quality, inpatient flow, and hospital operations.
Hospitalists improve efficiency of care for hospitalized patients and overall optimization.
Since hospitalists are leaders in quality improvement initiatives, their presence has been proven to help reduce patient length of stay, hospital-acquired diseases, and treatment costs. Although patient care is the primary role of the hospitalist, the profession was built on a foundation of improving the hospital system. Responsible for internal innovation, hospitalists are often in charge of internal committees and initiatives to improve efficiency and foster collaboration between hospital departments.
To learn more about how a hospitalist may benefit your facility or how Optimum Permanent Placement Services can help meet your staffing needs, call 603.816.9070 to speak with a knowledgeable business development executive today.
