Senior Partner, CSuite Solutions, LLC

Dissertation Title

The relationship between hospitalists and primary care physicians.

Dissertation Abstract

A study of the relationship between primary care physicians (PCPs) and hospitalists was conducted by surveying the Florida Academy of Family Physicians (FAFP) membership to determine whether they had an established relationship with a hospitalist or hospitalist group.

The survey responses were then matched with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF) administrative claims data to provide two groupings of study respondents with data regarding patients' average length-of-stay, average 30 day readmission rate, and average hospital claims payment. The survey also gathered demographic data, including physicians' graduation decade, practice locale, type of practice setting, and employment status. Key questions determined the level of communication effectiveness between hospitalists and PCPs, the time it takes to receive notification of patients' hospitalization, and the time it takes to receive patient information post-discharge. Although the results of the study did not demonstrate statistical significance between the two study groups, based on the three outcomes measures, the relationship between hospitalists and PCPs clearly indicates the need for additional research in this area.