Role of the Hospitalist in the Hospital Setting

During this time of change in US healthcare, hospitalists are one solution to the question of how to manage care for seriously ill hospitalized patients.  Primary care physicians once spent nearly 90 hours per week with patient office/clinic visits, in addition to hospital rounds, caring for those who required hospitalization.  That is no longer the case.  Rather, primary care physicians are transferring the care of their patients to a hospitalist when the patient is admitted, and the hospitalist assumes 24/7 responsibility for the care of those patients from admission to discharge.  They may also have responsibility for patients who have no primary care or family physician.

"We are seeing more and more children's hospitals utilize Advanced Practice Providers in the Hospitalist role to manage inpatient care," says Jill Gilliland, President of Melnic Consulting Group.  "From admission to discharge, the Advanced Practice Hospitalist works to ensure the success of treatment plans, noting progress and recommending therapeutic interventions when necessary, providing patient/family education and completing the discharge process."

Hospitalists are providers who are employed by hospitals and do not have traditional primary care practices.  Many have specialized in pediatrics, internal medicine or family practice, to name a few, prior to assuming the hospitalist role.  A hospitalist manages treatment care plans, orders and interprets laboratory and diagnostic tests, consults with other healthcare providers, and is immediately accessible should a patient’s condition change.  They provide patient and family education throughout the hospitalization and particularly at the time of discharge, as they manage the discharge process.  Once the patient leaves the hospital, they are again under the care of their primary care physician.

While patients and their families may be anxious or concerned about not seeing their primary care physician while they are in the hospital, this can usually be alleviated through clear communication prior to hospitalization.  This sets expectations and creates a clear understanding of how their care will be managed until they are discharged and once again under the care of their primary care physician.  As hospitalists become more widely available in hospitals and accepted by patients and their families, the combination of hospital-based care with the care of the regular physician promises to provide a more efficient and improved quality of medical care with shorter stays, better outcomes and managed costs.

For further information on the role of hospitalists and how one hospital’s program impacted hospitalists, primary care physicians, hospital staff and patients, click here.

Pediatric Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants, considered one of our new Hospitalist Opportunities!
Click on the Hospitalist jobs below to learn more!

Pediatric Physician Assistant, Hospitalist/NICU - Waterbury, CT
Pediatric Physician Assistant, Hospitalist - Dallas, TX
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Hospitalist - Waterbury, CT
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Hospitalist - Dallas, TX




To inquire about these jobs visit Melnic Consulting Group or contact: Jill Gilliland 800-886-7906 jill@melnic.com