Page 16 - Hospitalists - Risks When You're the Doctor in the House (Part One)

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

over compensation models. The inability to establish rules
12
and protocols, select systems, implement new programs,

and sufficiently control staff can lead to additional risk for the
hospitalist.

Moreover, the hospitalist model often results in fragmented
patient care. Hospitalists and consulting physicians often work

in individual silos with coordination and/or communication
hurdles. A frequent problem in malpractice claims involving a

hospitalist and another specialist is neither doctor is clear about
who was actually in charge of the patient. For example, there

are cases where critical neurologic checks were not performed;
essential tests were not followed up; and medications were

given in the wrong dosages.

What the Data Shows

With the skyrocketing rise in the number of hospitalists, the
hospitalists’ increasing responsibilities and roles within the

hospital, and the uptick in the number of patients seen on a
daily basis, the number of lawsuits filed against hospitalists has

soared. Exact numbers, however, are difficult to discern. Until
13
recently, most insurance companies lumped hospitalist claims

in with claims against other physicians. Therefore, it is difficult
to get a clear picture of recent claims against hospitalists today

as compared to claims against hospitalists in the past. As
the number of hospitalists increase, it is reasonable to expect

insurance companies to separate claims against hospitalists out
of claims against physicians in general.

12 Medscape, Physician Business Academy, What it’s Really Like to Work for a Hospital:
Physicians Employed by Hospitals, Jan. 1, 2018.
13 Malpractice Risks for Hospitalist – Medscape. March 21, 2013, Mark Crane.
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