hospitalist

noun

hos·pi·tal·ist | \ ˈhä-(ˌ)spi-tə-list

plural hospitalists

Definition of hospitalist

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

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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 Sharon Ostfeld-Johns is a pediatric and adult hospitalist with Yale Medicine, and an assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics and voluntary clinical instructor in the Department of Internal Medicine at Yale University School of Medicine. — Sharon Ostfeld-johns Reprints, STAT, "With the first dose, I need to be at peace with the vaccine. And let my body do the work," 17 Feb. 2021 As bad as this surge has been, medical providers have the benefit of experience this time around, said Dr. Minh-Phuong Le, a UT Health San Antonio clinical hospitalist who practices at University. — Lauren Caruba, ExpressNews.com, "Hospitals full. Thousands infected with coronavirus each week. San Antonio pays the price for failing to flatten the curve.," 16 Jan. 2021 In a 7 ½-minute video posted to her Facebook page, Moore described frustrating back-and-forths with a white hospitalist with the IU Health system. — Justin L. Mack, USA TODAY, "Black doctor dies of coronavirus after reporting racist treatment at Indiana hospital," 24 Dec. 2020 After all, there hasn’t been an Operation Warp Speed—as the government termed the vaccine effort—for masks and protective gear or for testing, Dr. Bijay Acharya, a hospitalist in Baltimore, pointed out. — Melody Schreiber, The New Republic, "Now Is When We Choose How Effective the Covid Vaccines Will Be," 10 Dec. 2020 Additionally, the body does not do well fighting two infections at the same time, according to Dr. Jacqueline P. Cooke, a hospitalist at Jefferson Health in New Jersey. — Shara Talia Taylor, CBS News, "Doctors urge flu shots in light of COVID-19. Here's what you need to know.," 28 Oct. 2020 Much of the rise in cases among young people could owe to changes in testing strategy, notes Dr. Beth Natt, a Connecticut Children’s hospitalist in Danbury and Norwalk. — Alex Putterman, courant.com, "Daily coronavirus updates: Young people account for growing total of Connecticut’s COVID-19 infections; 10 more cases at UConn," 28 Aug. 2020 And those who need ventilators can stay on them for at least a week to longer than three weeks, said Dr. Brad Holmes, hospitalist at Aspen Valley Hospital. — Jessica Seaman, The Denver Post, "In Colorado’s mountain towns, high altitude presents a unique challenge in treating coronavirus," 6 Apr. 2020 Her sister is a hospitalist nurse practitioner at Memorial Hospital at Gulfport in Mississippi. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, "A ventilator developed by NASA has been approved by the FDA for coronavirus patients," 1 May 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hospitalist.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

23 Feb 2021

Cite this Entry

“Hospitalist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hospitalist. Accessed 26 Feb. 2021.

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More Definitions for hospitalist

hospitalist

noun

hos·pi·tal·ist | \ ˈhäs-(ˌ)pit-ᵊl-əst

Medical Definition of hospitalist

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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