What Is A Hospitalist?

Hospitalists are physicians whose primary focus is providing medical care to patients who are admitted to the hospital. On-site hospitalists ensure that nurses and patients have access to an in-house physician around the clock, even on nights and weekends. “The hospitalist is a relatively new specialty,” Walt Fairfax, M.D., Kootenai Health chief medical officer, said. “It has developed in the past 10 to 15 years as primary care physicians have been unable to manage both their clinics and hospitalized patients.” Kootenai’s hospitalists have internal medicine or family medicine backgrounds, are board-certified and are experienced in the care of acutely ill patients. The biggest benefit to having hospitalists on staff for patients is having direct access to a physician who specializes in inpatient medicine at all times/ Kootenai Health . More here.

Question: Have you or a loved one ever been treated by a hospitalist?