Limitations of the hospitalist system

I understand the concept of the hospitalist and I’ve seen the data. There is no doubt about their value. But...

Taking care of a patient after their hospital stay using the information in the standard discharge summary is rather like trying to fix a car based on what you have learned from a review of a auto repair text. You may know what the patient’s stay was about, and have a list of the key issues, but you certainly don’t know the details or understand what happened to the patient.