Just when you thought every kind of specialist had been invented, a new one has been invented, the hospitalist.
Actually, they are a kind of throwback--they are a type of generalist who works on hospital wards and is often a substitute for primary care doctors making rounds. What might be lost in terms of familarity for the patient can be surpassed in terms of accessibility. But their use isn't without controversy--some say they are just about making life easier and more lucrative for primary care doctors who have time freed up to see other patients in their offices.
--Noel Rubinton