Hospitalist group predicts presence will double by end of decade

The industry trade group representing hospitalists said the specialty is gaining an increasingly strong foothold in the US healthcare industry. The Society of Hospital Medicine projects the number employed will double by the end of the decade. According to the trade group, about 12,000 physicians work in the field. About 40 percent of US hospitals now employ members of the specialty. There is still some debate within management circles over how meaningful the care hospitalists provide is. Doubters point at a recent AHRQ study which found little evidence to confirm that hospitalist care improves outcomes.

- see this article from The Philadelphia Business Journal