The Journal of family practice
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Emergence of the hospitalist as a specialist in inpatient medicine provides an opportunity to examine a new provider type and its relation to family physicians. ⋯ Despite some opposition to hospitalist programs, the economic climate and increasing productivity standards suggest that these programs are here for the foreseeable future, and it is in family physicians' best interests to understand the opportunities and risks of the hospitalist model. Family physicians can work proactively with this new patient care model by participating in the development of standardized and efficient ways to communicate and to partner with hospitalists. Meanwhile, future research studies can help inform the debate by investigating the specific influence of hospitalist models on family practice.