New Study Finds Over Half Of US Hospitals Utilize Hospitalists

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 09 Jan 2009 - 5:00 PDT

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Data from the 2007 survey of 4,897 community hospitals conducted by the American Hospital Association (AHA) indicates over half of US hospitals have hospital medicine programs, and that there were over 23,000 hospitalists in the US. Annually, AHA provides the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) with a special analysis on the prevalence of hospitalists.

Reasonable projections would put the figures at 58 percent penetration and 28,000 hospitalists in 2009. "In 1996, there were perhaps 1,000 hospitalists practicing around the country," said Joe Miller, MS, executive assistant to the CEO for SHM. "Today, approximately 28,000 hospitalists are improving quality of care and efficiency in hospitals everywhere. The growth of hospital medicine is clearly one of the success stories in healthcare this decade." Other noteworthy findings from the 2007 AHA data:

- For hospitals with 200 or more beds, 83 percent have hospital medicine programs.
- On average, there are 9.4 physicians in a hospital medicine program, an increase from 8.3 physicians in 2006.
- From 2006 to 2007, the number of hospitalists grew 20 percent (from 19,000 to 23,000).

A hospitalist is defined as a physician whose primary professional focus is the care of hospitalized patients. The hospitalist assumes care of the patient from admission to discharge.

Representing more than 8,000 members, SHM is the premier medical society for the hospitalist specialty. Across the country, hospitalists increase quality of care and hospital efficiency by decreasing patient lengths of stay, reducing hospital costs and readmission rates, all while increasing patient satisfaction. Since 1996, the hospital medicine specialty has grown to 28,000 practicing hospitalists the United States. For more information about SHM, visit http://www.hospitalmedicine.org.

Note: Joseph A. Miller, MS - Executive Assistant to the CEO and principal SHM analyst of the AHA survey is available for perspective on the state of hospital medicine and the roles that hospitalist play in improving quality within hospitals.

Society of Hospital Medicine

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