hospitalist

noun

hos·​pi·​tal·​ist ˈhä-(ˌ)spi-tə-list 

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 study found that patients of hospitalists who placed in the top quartile of a professional exam from the American Board of Internal Medicine were nearly 8% less likely to die within a week than the patients of doctors with the lowest-quartile scores. —Michael L. Millenson, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025

Her journey from hospitalist to a leader in lifestyle medicine is driven by a powerful belief that health is determined by the total quality of one's life. —Kyle J. Russell, USA TODAY, 5 Jan. 2025

Her journey from hospitalist to a leader in lifestyle medicine is driven by a powerful belief that health is determined by the total quality of one's life. —Kyle J. Russell, USA TODAY, 5 Jan. 2025

Five hospitalists from Washington Regional volunteer their time and are available on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, said Solomon Burchfield, program director at New Beginnings. —Stacy Ryburn, arkansasonline.com, 23 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

hospital + -ist entry 1

First Known Use

1971, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hospitalist

• littlest

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Medical Definition

hospitalist

noun

hos·​pi·​tal·​ist ˈhäs-(ˌ)pit-ᵊl-əst 

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