Word of the Day

: April 1, 2014

hospitalist

noun HAH-spih-tuh-list

What It Means

: a physician who specializes in treating hospitalized patients of other physicians

hospitalist in Context

"George has been practicing adult medicine in the St. Louis area since 1999, including 10 years of experience as a hospitalist." - From an article in newsmagazinenetwork.com, September 16, 2013

"As an internist with nearly a decade of practice as a hospitalist at Stanford University Medical Center, the physician was speaking from firsthand knowledge." - From a press release by the American Pharmacists Association in the States News Service, February 25, 2014

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 word "hospitale," meaning "hospice" or "guest house."