Hospitalists Across the Nation are Taking a Lead Role in Coordinating Patient Care

In recent years, hospitalists have become some of the most sought-after specialists in hospitals around the nation. These men and women are unique in that they have dedicated their careers to becoming experts in hospital-based healthcare. As a result, they are equipped to provide tremendous, personalized care to their patients while also serving as de facto hospital administrators who drive change in the way the organization operates.

Unlike general practice physicians who often have office hours away from the hospital or have large volumes of patients under their care, a hospitalist works solely in the hospital with his or her patients from the moment they are admitted through discharge. This provides a level of personal touch that patients have responded to and helps limit instances of avoidable error, oversight and even misdiagnosis. Hospitalists also have perspective on their patient’s condition. Since they have been with the patient since the day he or she was admitted, they naturally tend to develop relationships with them, learn about their condition with greater detail, and have a clear understanding of their treatment experience. What follows tends to be improved outcomes and a reduction in the length of time that patients are hospitalized.

Additionally, hospitalists seek to impart change in the hospital. Since they work exclusively in the hospital, they have strong insight into what works – and what doesn’t – in the way that the hospital is run from a day-to-day, patient-to-patient standpoint. This insight is invaluable as it allows the specialist to make clear, specific recommendations for improving processes, identifying inefficiencies, and managing each department on a micro level.

At the American Board of Physician Specialties®, we recognize the importance of Hospital Medicine and the role that hospitalists serve in improving patient care worldwide. That’s one reason why we developed the American Board of Hospital Medicine® (ABHM®), a Member Board dedicated solely to providing board certification in Hospital Medicine to highly motivated and qualified hospitalists. To learn about the process of becoming board certified and to learn more about the ABHM, contact us today.