History of the Hospitalist

Although the official definition of hospital medicine as a specialty and the term “Hospitalist” didn’t surface until the mid-1990s, the practice of physicians dedicated to the care of hospitalized patients dates back to turn-of-the-century England. Given that England had a hand in establishing medical schools around the world—schools where hospital medicine was taught as a distinct specialty—the practice is common in many countries.

Introduced to the U.S. by Kaiser Permanente 20 years ago, hospital medicine is now the fastest growing medical specialty in the United States. Hospitalists number in the thousands and there are currently about twice that number of hospitalist positions available. The Society of Hospital Medicine, the professional organization for hospitalists, has more than 5,000 members.