Suddenly, it was over. I spent 27 years in private practice of general internal medicine in Sacramento, seeing patients in the office and in the hospital. I admitted them to the hospital directly from my office or met them in the emergency room. If they were having a complex surgery, I’d help monitor them before and after the operation. Then my local community hospital hired hospitalists. Hospitalists are physicians, whose practice is devoted to treating patients in a hospital setting. There ... solodoc rsimanski comment-48598 2011-04-01T22:17:18Z 2011-04-01T22:17:18Z The system might work if there was real cooperation and communication between the hospitalists and the patient's primary care provider (PCP). Unfortunately, in the hospitals in my area, the hospitalists refuse to consult with the patient's PCP. Because of this, I experienced a series of nightmare experiences when I was hospitalized recently for influenza and pneumonia. The admissions test results sent the hospitalist and one of the specialists whom he brought in on a wild-goose chase dealing with a problem that didn't exist in the first place. In my opinion, the hospitalist trend is the worst new idea in medicine since leeches and bloodletting. rsimanski 2011-04-01T22:17:18Z Marion Millin comment-16278 2009-10-25T03:45:40Z 2009-10-25T03:45:40Z Excellent, well written, informative piece. Thank you for sharing it on SacPress. Deserves wide distribution. You hit the core of the whole matter, esp. as it relates to the current health care debate: "We care about our patients as people and want to know what’s happening and how they’re doing. Often we’ve been caring for these individuals for years and will continue to care for them after they leave the hospital." Marion Millin 2009-10-25T03:45:40Z Howard Homler comment-16128 2009-10-23T01:19:17Z 2009-10-23T01:19:17Z that's an excellent point, and the data could then be readily available to the primary care doctor upon the patient's return to the office. HH Howard Homler 2009-10-23T01:19:17Z Lenny comment-16086 2009-10-22T18:19:41Z 2009-10-22T18:19:41Z This is why people need to take control of their own health care records. Using a Personal Health Records (PHR) service like Access My Records.com would help the hospitalists doctor see vitial information about the person that comes into the emergency rooms. They can now treat the patient knowing what medications they take, allergies they may have or a known medical condition, this information would help prevent medical errors and reduce health cost. Lenny 2009-10-22T18:19:41Z