A few months ago, a family member was in the hospital and called me, quite upset, saying his PCP hadn't been by to see him since he was admitted. For a moment I didn't even really understand what he was talking about. Then I, somewhat sheepishly replied, "We don't really do that anymore".

The reason we don’t do that anymore is that now we have hospitalists. The number of hospitalists has been growing dramatically over time, as outpatient offices have gotten busier and more complex, leaving PCPs with little time to make rounds on the local wards.