Tip of the week: Understand the relationship between hospitalists and specialty hospitalists

Hospitalists relationships with specialists typically fall into one of three categories:

Consultation services only: This is the traditional role of the consultant, focusing only on specific elements of medical care for only as long as is needed during the hospitalization.

Co-management services: This typically involves actively managing defined elements of care throughout the hospitalization. Though routine medical care is part of this management, hospitalists will often manage some parts of specialist care, including discharge planning.

Full support services: The hospitalists provide admission, management, and discharge services to specialty patients. In this circumstance, the hospitalist would manage the full spectrum of hospital care, with the specialist functioning only as a consultant. This may happen, for example, when a hospitalist practice works with a gastroenerology practice.

This week's tip was derived from The Hospitalist Program Management Guide, Second Edition by Kenneth G. Simone, DO and Jeffrey R. Dichter, MD, FACP.