The cost and quality of hospitalists.

The Hospitalist concept is becoming the standard of practice as managed care penetration grows. It is increasingly difficult to do a good job in the outpatient arena and this makes the old "double threat" model in which the physician speeds through inpatient rounds in the morning before clinic, during lunch, and again at night after his office closes, obsolete. There is simply too much at stake in the inpatient arena to have large periods of time in which physician coverage is minimal.

The cost and quality of hospitalists. A detailed analysis of creating and managing a hospitalist service.

HMOs and the medical groups that they contract with are increasingly developing hospitalist delivery models to assist them with their inpatient care. This article offers a case study of how not to create a hospitalist program as well as tips for success.