The Hospitalist

A new position in the medical field, the hospitalist, is drastically changing the way hospitals run. Hospitalists spend regular hours working with patients to treat disease and ease pain. They also work with the hospital to minimize cost and cut time spent switching patients between residents and doctors. Hospitalists are always around during the day, and work, to design better discharge systems, which can use a lot of time. Other responsibilities include determining efficient medical waste management and medical waste disposal. Medical waste management, for example, is the kind of thing that traditional doctors never preoccupied themselves with, but the hospitalist is dedicated to overall efficiency throughout the hospital.

This is in contrast to the busy doctors who make rounds early and never see families. They often visit patients while they’re still sleeping, early in the morning, and their relationship with the patient is weak.

It seems like the hospitalist is the kind of family doctor that is becoming increasingly popular and important. Being a physician in the 21st century will be more about efficiency and the doctor patient relationship. This role will fit seamlessly with the Obama Care Health Reform system that will be implemented by 2014.