Hospitalists are a fairly new addition to the medical profession. They are individuals who generally perform the same duties as primary care physicians or family doctors, but in a hospital setting. Although board certification in hospital medicine only started in 2009, there are already a large number of hospitalists practicing. According to information from the The Society of Hospital Medicine, there were already about 44,000 practicing hospitalists in 2014.
Hospitalists often train in internal medicine or family medicine, but they may also get training in other specializations. They are generally required to ensure that patients are cared for and coordinate treatment for them, which may involve several physician specialists. While their jobs are a bit different from others in the medical field, they are still subject to the same types of standards when it comes to malpractice laws.
In general, to be considered guilty of malpractice, a health care practitioner must have failed to provide the same level of care a person in the same position would have. If they provide poor care or neglect a patient, they may be considered to have committed malpractice. Hospitalists, just like regular physicians, are held to this standard, so proving malpractice is quite similar, even with different roles.
There are a variety of ways that a physician or hospital can be found to have committed medical malpractice. They range from a failure to diagnose a patient’s condition to the provision of the wrong medication or the wrong amount of the correct medication. Patients and their family members who are in this type of a position may want to explore their available remedies with an attorney.