This decision is on appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court. 32 U. Mich. J.L. Ref. Hospitals view this hospitalist system as an effective way to impose greater managerial discipline on patient care decisions, in order to improve scheduling, reduce costs, and improve quality. Primary care physicians like the convenience of being able to concentrate their attention on their office-based practice, especially under capitated payment structures that do not reward them, or may even penalize them, for hospital care. However, many physicians view this as an invasion of their established patient relationships, and specialists see this as a threat to their source of referrals and income.
Patients have mixed reactions.
Most would like to be treated by their usual physician when they are hospitalized, but doctors typically see their hospital patients only once a day, very early in the morning, and so some patients and family members like the ability to contact hospitalists who are on site all day. So far, hospitalist programs are voluntary, in the sense that primary care physicians can use them at their discretion, but it is anticipated that hospitals may soon make this new system mandatory. Att'y Gen. Opin. Return to home page .