A Hospitalist is a physician who specializes in caring for patients in the hospital and who does not have an outpatient medical practice. Most Hospitalists are general internal medicine physicians while some are trained as specialists in pulmonary/critical care medicine, cardiology or other sub-specialties.

Many primary care physicians are referring their patients to a Hospitalist when they are too sick to be cared for in the outpatient setting. During your hospital stay, a Hospitalist will see you. You will see your regular doctor soon after discharge from the hospital.

Because they are on site, your Hospitalist is never more than a few minutes away. Your Hospitalist knows every specialist and department in the hospital and will assist you through a smooth and speedy recovery process by following up on tests and adjusting your treatment regimens as needed.

Hospitalists talk to primary care physicians on a frequent basis. At the time of your admission to the hospital, your primary care physician calls the Hospitalist to provide information on your condition and sends over records to provide as much information as possible about your illness. The process is similar to when your physician refers you to a specialist for another opinion or for additional testing and treatment. During the course of your hospitalization, your Hospitalist and primary care physician may talk further regarding your treatment. At discharge your Hospitalist will communicate with your primary care physician to discuss your further treatment needs, help arrange follow-up and prescribe the necessary medications, as well as send your hospital records to your primary care physician.