Hospitalist systems raise ethical and policy concerns regarding informing patients about the
hospitalist system itself, communication between primary care physicians and hospitalists,
continuity of care, and conflicts of interest. Patients may worry that hospitalist systems are
intended to achieve cost savings and that the role of the primary care physician as
coordinator of care may be undermined. These concerns may be particularly salient for
certain subgroups of patients. Hospitalists and health-care organizations that set up …

Hospitalist systems raise ethical and policy concerns regarding informing patients about the
hospitalist system itself, communication between primary care physicians and hospitalists,
continuity of care, and conflicts of interest. Patients may worry that hospitalist systems are
intended to achieve cost savings and that the role of the primary care physician as
coordinator of care may be undermined. These concerns may be particularly salient for
certain subgroups of patients. Hospitalists and health-care organizations that set up …