Doctors who practice primarily in hospitals might soon enter into unfamiliar waters as a demand grows for skilled nursing facilities (SNF), reports MedPage Today.
Coining the term โhospitalistsโ as a healthcare professional that mainly practices in a hospital, MedPage Today notes that the skill set for such workers in SNFs will become a โvaluable tool,โ as hospitals look to move patients into less-costly facilities post-discharge.
While supporters believe that these hospitalists can help fill a void in skilled nursing care, some believe that these professionals will not be up to the challenge of treating post-acute patients.
โThese are seriously ill people for the most part, and primary care physiciansโas we say in the South, bless their heartsโthey donโt take care of acutely ill patients anymore,โ said Larry Spratling, MD, chief medical officer at Banner Baywood Medical Center in Mesa, Arizona.
Caring for this population in a cost-effective way becomes even more important in the nationโs current healthcare environment, especially as managed care plans are steering patients toward lower-cost care settings.
โI think this is a big growth area,โ said Kerry WeinerโMD, chief medical officer at IPC, a North Hollywood, California hospitalist companyโin the article. โI think itโs most appropriate for hospitalists and I think itโs proven to be effective.โ
From: Senior Housing News