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Updates of the hospitalist model

Hospitalist Leadership Connection, November 18, 2008

Primary care physicians (PCP) drive the hospitalist model, according to Laurence Wellikson, MD, CEO of the Society of Hospital Medicine in an article for Current Clinical Practice, published in October. Many older physicians or office-based doctors might prefer referring their patients to hospitalists who may be up to date on inpatient regulations, according to the article. In addition, most PCP incomes increase as PCPs are able to spend more time in their primary care office.  

Wellikson says organizations are working toward improvement in hospitalist care:

  • SHM received a $1.4 million grant from The John A. Hartford Foundation in 2007 as part of a three-year project to create clinical and training tools, including a discharge planning tool, according to a SHM press release
  • SHM recommends that physicians receive Medicare reimbursement for the time they dedicate to information coordination, including patient or colleague telephone calls. Currently, Medicare does not reimburse for such duties.
  • The American College of Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians, and American Osteopathic Association are developing a Patient-Centered Medical Home, a healthcare setting that bridges hospitalists with patients and their primary care providers.

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