Page 11 - Hospitalists - Risks When You're the Doctor in the House (Part One)

SVMIC Hospitalists - Risks When You’re the Doctor in the House

including July 2015 to July 2016 data. The percentage of

hospital-employed physicians grew between 5 percent
and 22 percent in every region of the U.S. from July 2015 to

July 2016, according to an updated study from the nonprofit
Physicians Advocacy Institute and Avalere. The same is

true for the percentage of hospital-owned practices, which
increased between eight percent and four percent.
5

These figures are helpful to provide guidance about trends in

healthcare and explain the rapid increase in hospital-based
medicine. Many physicians are electing to forego the headaches

and financial responsibilities that go along with private practice
ownership and instead are choosing to focus their attention on

patient care as employees.

Experts assert this trend has the potential to result in better

overall care for the patients by having physicians specialized
in hospital medicine take the primary attending role for all

hospitalized patients. The hospitalist model purports to improve
care quality through evidence-based treatment, improved

discharge planning, and continuity of care. By removing
administrative burdens from hospitalists, this model allows them

to focus on caring for patients.

There also is an argument that this approach results in reduced
length of stay and better overall patient experience – both

of which can contribute to higher reimbursements for the
hospital. While this is true, it can potentially expose hospitalists

to unwanted liability by asking them to see patients with
complicated presentments in which they have little or no

expertise.
6

5 Becker’s Hospital Review, March 15, 2018, Morgan Haefner.
6 www.physicianleaders.org. February 1, 2019, Nagendra Gupta, MD.

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