What Does a Hospitalist Physician Do?

A hospitalist physician is a term given to any physician who spends 25 percent or more of his time treating patients in a hospital setting. While this position is relatively new to the healthcare industry, it has seen significant growth. In most cases, the job duties of a hospitalist physician include diagnosing hospital patients, providing treatment for patients, communicating with a patient's primary doctor and communicating with other hospital personnel.

One of the primary duties of a hospitalist physician is diagnosing the illnesses or other medical complications of patients. Sometimes, experienced individuals will be responsible for general patients and will diagnose a wide range of medical complications. In other cases, a hospitalist physician may specialize in a particular area and treat only a limited number of patients. He will spend time with the patient and run the appropriate tests to figure out what the problem is how to treat it. In order to do this well, an individual must have significant expertise in his area and be able to make an accurate diagnosis of all patients.

After a patient has been diagnosed, a hospitalist physician will be responsible for providing the best possible treatment. As he performs tests and unearths information on a patient, he will figure out the optimal type of treatment. Depending on a patient's circumstances, this can vary considerably, but can range from prescribing medication all the way to a surgical procedure. Again, the physician must have the knowledge and experience needed to make an effective treatment decision.

Another essential aspect of the job is communicating with the patient's primary doctor. After a hospitalist physician makes a diagnosis and determines a treatment method, it's his responsibility to contact the patient's doctor and fill him in on all relevant information. During this conversation, he might explain the patient's medical condition, the plan for recovery and what types of medication the patient will be taking. Doing this helps provide the patient with quality care and prevents issues from arising in the future after the patient has been discharged.

An additional job duty is consistently communicating with other hospital personnel within different departments of the facility. Since most hospitals have numerous departments, it's vital for a hospitalist physician to keep everyone else informed about a patient's status. For example, after he has made a diagnosis, he might transfer that information to the nurses that take care of the patient overnight. This information transfer helps to keep patients safe and minimize errors among hospital staff.