HN: Are there any unique advantages to having a hospitalist on staff who has trained in family medicine?
Dr. Geyer: Family doctors train to see all members of the family. In 2010, I partnered in a survey to find out the scope of practice for hospitalists trained in family medicine. While most are doing adult medicine, there are many who are also seeing kids, and there’s a small percentage who are still practicing obstetrics. In some communities, it can be very advantageous to have someone who can take care of the adults on the ward and also see the new babies.
Family medicine also emphasizes coordinating patient care across the spectrum of care settings. Hospitalists trained in family medicine acquire the skills and knowledge to shepherd patients through what can be a high-risk time, the transition from the hospital to the outpatient setting.
HN: Looking forward 5 years, how do you see the makeup of the hospitalist field changing?
Dr. Geyer: In 5 years, I expect to see more recommendations for training and guidelines that are based on competency, whether you’re taking the internal medicine route or the family medicine route toward the practice of hospital medicine. Understanding the importance of patient safety, quality improvement, care transitions – and the many other aspects of the health care system – is now as much a part of our lives as hospitalists as the core clinical work. We will need to continue to improve clinical training, incorporating these systems for our future hospitalists.
mschneider@frontlinemedcom.com
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