Fennelly J et al. - Hospitalists are here to stay. The forces driving this include increased profits for health insurers and hospitals, the need for 24/7 availability of health professionals in hospitals, and increasing office productivity for primary care physicians. When full-time hospital-based physicians assume care of patients, PCPs become much less involved. This creates a discontinuity in patient care. In order to encourage insurers to reimburse for continuity of care, hospital representatives and physicians need to bring pressure for change. The authorities must focus on continuity of care and guard against short-term economic solutions that benefit insurers or hospitals.
