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Special anniversary coverage

November 2013

Published in the November 2013 issue of Today’s Hospitalist

WHEN TODAY’S HOSPITALIST published its first issue 10 years ago this month, few people realized just how dynamic hospital medicine was going to be. It was clear, however, that this brand new specialty made a lot of sense and that it was attracting the attention of a lot of smart people.

We had a hunch that following this new specialty would give us not only a great view into the clinical upheaval that was unfolding in hospitals, but a look at an entirely new career trajectory of a group of young physicians. That hunch proved to be prescient.

Ten years on, the number of practicing hospitalists has more than quadrupled. The push for better quality and patient safety, as well as the need to master information technology, have only added to hospitalists’ enormous impact and reach.

In this 10th anniversary issue, we wanted to take a look back not only at what’s changed over the last decade, but at the issues that will affect hospital medicine in the future. Burnout remains a constant threat, so we discuss the lessons veteran hospitalists have learned to try to tamp that down.

The explosive growth of other health care-related industries in tandem with hospital medicine has made it possible for many business-minded physicians to jump ship, taking advantage of a host of new career options. So we profile four doctors who have made those moves.

We also highlight the possible roles that hospitalists may have to play in transitional care, a topic that’s being hotly debated within the specialty. And we look at what all this practice and business growth has added up to: a very different picture of who now wields power in hospitals. Increasingly, it’s you.

It’s been a fascinating 10 years. We’re looking forward to many more.

Power and influence
Burnout
Transitional care
New careers