Since 2003, the number of hospitalists nationwide has grown steadily; there are currently 30,000 hospitalists in the U.S. employed at 3,300 hospitals, according to the Society of Hospitalist Medicine.
The fear is that a flexible schedule and better paycheck — perks of choosing to be a hospitalist, working for a hospital and only seeing admitted patients — will lure medical students away from establishing primary care practices.
Studies have shown that with hospitalists on staff, patients typically spend less time in the hospital; the evidence is inconclusive whether more hospitalists save their institutions money.
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