Monday, August 25, 20082
Hospitalist layoffs
In the midst of their boom, here's an article about an institution considering laying off hospitalists.
Hospitalist programs typically operate at a loss, with the financial gains not apparent for years to come. The benefits of these programs also do not directly impact the bottom line, but instead help with recruiting, as well as the primary care physicians affiliated with the hospital.
Cash-strapped facilities, like Cape Cod Healthcare, may not have the long-term vision or resources to wait out the initial capital costs of running a hospitalist program.
(via The Hospitalist Blog)
Hospitalist programs typically operate at a loss, with the financial gains not apparent for years to come. The benefits of these programs also do not directly impact the bottom line, but instead help with recruiting, as well as the primary care physicians affiliated with the hospital.
Cash-strapped facilities, like Cape Cod Healthcare, may not have the long-term vision or resources to wait out the initial capital costs of running a hospitalist program.
(via The Hospitalist Blog)
Comments
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Anonymous
I hate to say I told you so.
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Anonymous
You're partly correct.
Post a CommentI have been a lone dissenting voice in the hospitalist debate.
The hospitalist movement will not last in many cases, although maybe at larger hospitals. They do not pay for themselves and need to be subsidized. Also, there has not been any good study showing significant cost savings, or increase in quality.
The movement exists for one reason only: physician quality of life, and, other than us, who cares?
Once hospitals realize they are losing money on hospitalists, they will be cut loose.
11:29 AM
As the supply of potential hospitalists increases due to further collapse of primary care, then the salaries will drop significantly. Those shorter hours and no call will come with little pay.
However, the hospitals won't put control over a critical function such as inpatient attending back with an unstable, unreliable bunch like outpatient primary care docs. Only facilities in dire straits, like this one, will do that.
Instead, they'll retain control and mix in PAs and NPs and reducing physician pay as quickly as the labor market allows.
6:44 AM