Frustrations With Hospitalist Care: Need to Improve Transitions and Communication
Authors: The Editors
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2010)

Editorials6 April 2010Frustrations With Hospitalist Care: Need to Improve Transitions and CommunicationThe EditorsThe EditorsSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-152-7-201004060-00013 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail This issue includes several letters that comment on “Three Degrees of Separation” (1), Howard Beckman's sobering essay about hospitalist care. Dr. Beckman's personal recounting of adverse changes in hospital-based care over the past 2 decades raised several concerns about the burgeoning hospitalist movement in the United States. With great nostalgia, he described his early days as a generalist who managed both outpatient and inpatient care. The flow of information across these settings was relatively seamless, in part because the same physician cared for the patient. But Beckman encountered multiple logistical challenges that, over time, impeded his ability to meet the ...References1. Beckman H. Three degrees of separation. Ann Intern Med. 2009;151:890-1. [PMID: 20008765] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Ault MJ. The relationship between hospitalists and primary care physicians [Letter]. Ann Intern Med. 2010;152:475. LinkGoogle Scholar3. Stillman MD. The relationship between hospitalists and primary care physicians [Letter]. Ann Intern Med. 2010;152:475-6. LinkGoogle Scholar4. Kumar PD. The relationship between hospitalists and primary care physicians [Letter]. Ann Intern Med. 2010;152:476. LinkGoogle Scholar5. Wachter RM. The relationship between hospitalists and primary care physicians [Letter]. Ann Intern Med. 2010;152:474. LinkGoogle Scholar6. Reynolds CH, Zsenits B, Polashenski WA. The relationship between hospitalists and primary care physicians [Letter]. Ann Intern Med. 2010;152:474-5. LinkGoogle Scholar7. Harrison JP, Curran L. The hospitalist model: does it enhance health care quality? J Health Care Finance. 2009;35:22-34. [PMID: 19891205] MedlineGoogle Scholar8. Coffman J, Rundall TG. The impact of hospitalists on the cost and quality of inpatient care in the United States: a research synthesis. Med Care Res Rev. 2005;62:379-406. [PMID: 16049131] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. Meltzer D, Manning WG, Morrison J, Shah MN, Jin L, Guth T, et al. Effects of physician experience on costs and outcomes on an academic general medicine service: results of a trial of hospitalists. Ann Intern Med. 2002;137:866-74. [PMID: 12458986] LinkGoogle Scholar10. Lo B. Ethical and policy implications of hospitalist systems. Am J Med. 2001;111:48-52. [PMID: 11790371] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationDisclosures: None disclosed.Corresponding Author:Annals of Internal Medicine, American College of Physicians, 190 N. Independence Mall West, Philadelphia, PA 19106. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byVariation in Length of Stay and Outcomes among Hospitalized Patients Attributable to Hospitals and HospitalistsMoments in TimeLena M. Chen, MD, MS and Sanjay Saint, MD, MPH 6 April 2010Volume 152, Issue 7Page: 469KeywordsHealth care providersHospital medicineHospitalistsInpatientsIntensive care unitsOutpatientsPatientsPlague ePublished: 6 April 2010 Issue Published: 6 April 2010 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2010 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...