hospitalist

noun

hos·​pi·​tal·​ist ˈhä-(ˌ)spi-tə-list How to pronounce hospitalist (audio)
plural hospitalists
1
: a physician and especially an internist who specializes in providing and managing the care and treatment of hospitalized patients
… the burden of trying to be all things to all of his patients became unmanageable. In 2006, after Wayne Memorial Hospital hired hospitalists—doctors who specialize in taking care of hospitalized patients—Dr. Dewar finally gave up hospital rounds.Gardiner Harris
… some insurers contract with doctors called hospitalists, who take over from a patient's primary physician while the patient is hospitalized.Milt Freudenheim
2
: a health-care professional (such as a nurse practitioner or physician assistant) who is not a physician but assumes a similar role
often used in combination
If the hospitalist nurses encounter glitches that may delay the discharge or disagree with a specialist, they can call on the medical practice medical director or associate medical directors for help.Case Management Advisor

Did you know?

Hospitalist refers to what is rapidly becoming a new specialty in medicine, perhaps due in part to the rise of organized health care. These days, the care that you receive during a hospital stay may be coordinated and monitored by a doctor who is not your regular doctor or the referring physician. The word hospitalist itself first appeared in print in 1996 and derives, of course, from "hospital," which in turn can be traced back to the Medieval Latin hospitale, meaning "hospice" or "guest house."

Examples of hospitalist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The hospital went from facing closure to one that is very profitable, and the only change that was made was to staff the hospitalist service with physicians affiliated with OSMD. Jon Stojan, USA TODAY, 26 July 2023 The most common causes of pneumonia are bacteria and viruses, Dr. Carrie Horn, chief medical officer at leading U.S. respiratory hospital National Jewish Health in Denver and a hospitalist, recently told Fortune. Erin Prater, Fortune Well, 7 Dec. 2023 Literally, on day one, the hospital had a full complement of hospitalists that were working for the hospital who were then able to achieve stability within a short period of time. Jon Stojan, USA TODAY, 26 July 2023 Indianapolis Star Many nights find Dr. Alicia Schaffer tending to Community Health North patients as a hospitalist. The Indianapolis Star, 27 July 2023 They are headed to New Jersey to be put in available space on United flights from Newark to Delhi, according to Dr. Jinen Thakkar, a hospitalist at Care New England who was one of the main organizers of the effort, along with Morisseau and Dr. Laura Forman, an emergency physician. BostonGlobe.com, 30 June 2021 Vineet Arora, an academic hospitalist at the University of Chicago Medicine, was using three different computer screens and her phone to try and book vaccinations for her parents in Maryland, aged 75 and 73, and her children’s caretaker in Illinois, who is 67. Nicholas St. Fleur @scifleur, STAT, 28 Jan. 2021 This includes washing your hands before eating and coughing and sneezing into your elbow or a tissue rather than your hands, said Dr. Lauro Romano, a hospitalist at Cook Children’s in Fort Worth. Symptoms of RSV, the flu, COVID-19 and the common cold often look the same. Dallas News, 21 Nov. 2022 During your trip, you might be tempted to skimp on sleep to make the most of your time away, but maintaining good sleep habits—even if that sounds a bit boring—is really important, according to Nicole Van Groningen, M.D., an internist and hospitalist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Bonnie Darves, SELF, 19 Oct. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hospitalist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

hospital + -ist entry 1

First Known Use

1971, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hospitalist was in 1971

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Dictionary Entries Near hospitalist

Cite this Entry

“Hospitalist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hospitalist. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

hospitalist

noun
hos·​pi·​tal·​ist ˈhäs-(ˌ)pit-ᵊl-əst How to pronounce hospitalist (audio)
1
: a physician and especially an internist who specializes in providing and managing the care and treatment of hospitalized patients
… the burden of trying to be all things to all of his patients became unmanageable. In 2006, after Wayne Memorial Hospital hired hospitalists—doctors who specialize in taking care of hospitalized patients—Dr. Dewar finally gave up hospital rounds.Gardiner Harris
… some insurers contract with doctors called hospitalists, who take over from a patient's primary physician while the patient is hospitalized.Milt Freudenheim
2
: a health-care professional (as a nurse practitioner or physician assistant) who is not a physician but assumes a similar role
often used in combination
If the hospitalist nurses encounter glitches that may delay the discharge or disagree with a specialist, they can call on the medical practice medical director or associate medical directors for help.Case Management Advisor

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