Comprehensivists may seal the gap between hospitalists and PCPs

Hospitalists have proven to be a boon for private practice physicians—hospitalists allow private physicians to practice exclusively in the office, where they tend to make the most money. The popularity of hospitalists has bloomed since the mid-1990s, and they provide one-third of the healthcare in the U.S. However, hospitalists may not know the medical histories of their patients or their patients’ primary care physicians (PCPs). Hence, the concept of the comprehensive care physician, or comprehensivist, who specializes in the care of the chronically ill has developed. The brain child of David O. Meltzer, an associate professor of medicine and director of the Center for Health and the Social Sciences, who spoke at an April 28–29 conference, “Individuals and Institutions in the Health Care Sector,” organized by the Milton Friedman Institute. The comprehensivist would work both in a hospital and an attached clinic and attend to those at greatest risk of hospitalization.
 

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