The Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) defines a hospitalist as “Physicians whose primary professional focus is the general medical care of hospitalized patients. Their activities include patient care, teaching, research, and leadership related to hospital medicine.” It is now the fastest growing field in medicine.
Upon admission to the hospital, a patient may be assigned to a hospitalist who will oversee that patient’s care during his or her entire stay. Many primary care physicians refer their patients to hospitalists for inpatient care, then resume their care after the patients are discharged.
One of the many advantages of this new trend is that patients see a doctor as soon as they need one, instead of waiting for their primary care doctor to leave a busy clinic and make rounds. Whether practicing primary care or hospital medicine, the doctors are able to remain focused on what they do best.
To learn more about the field and why it is growing so rapidly, visit the Society of Hospital Medicine website.