The hospitalist model must be successful--because it's spanned at least one new subspecialty. Increasingly, with OB/GYNs in short supply, hospitals are working with a new reed of physicians dubbed "laborists" or OB hospitalists. With laborists on board, hospitals no longer need to worry about convincing skittish community OB/GYNs to go on call, or fight for their attention when they do take call.
Unlike with traditional OB/GYNs, who arrive to see their patient when they become available, laborists are present to see patients immediately when they're admitted. Another difference between standard OB/GYN practice and hospital-based care is that laborists work defined shifts rather than being on-call, which some observers say could lead to less lost sleep and fewer mistakes.
While the business model is still emerging, it appears that hospitals are paying laborist physicians $125 to $150 an hour for their service, as well as covering malpractice insurance premiums that can hit $100,000 a year in some cases.
To learn more about this new specialty:
- read this article in The Boston Globe
Related Articles:
Case study: MO hospital assigns hospitalists to specific units
Study: Hospitalists cut hospital length of stay
Trend: Hospitalist ranks exploding
Hospitalist group predicts presences will double by end of decade