Hospitalists: do they represent a best practice for patients? Part I.

Hospitalists: Do they improve care? Hospitalists are physicians dedicated to the care of hospitalized patients. The use of hospitalists is growing rapidly nationwide, primarily in markets marked by competitive managed care environments. When hospitalists are used, length of stay and costs are cut about 20%. The "handoff" of the patient from primary physician to hospitalist upon admission is seen by many as a weak, and possibly fatal, characteristic of the hospitalist model. The key to making the hospitalist model work in today's health care system is to make the "handoff at the hospital" voluntary, thereby garnering vital primary physician support.