Family-Medicine-Trained Hospitalists Fit to Handle ID Issues

In response to Dr. Leland Allen and his contention that family medicine hospitalists are less prepared to handle inpatient infectious disease (ID) issues in Birmingham, Ala., I would like to point out the following:

• Family medicine hospitalists do have much more outpatient training than internal medicine (IM) residents, and in the early part of their careers, they will be at a slight disadvantage. After a year or so, the difference will be nil.
• The additional exposure to outpatient care allows family medicine graduates to be in a better position to integrate care of hospitalized patients from Day One.

We have internal medicine and family medicine working together well on our hospitalist teams. Other programs should consider the advantages of benefiting from adding family medicine hospitalists to their teams.

Bob Hollis,

SEP Hospitalists,

Florence, Ky.

In response to Dr. Leland Allen and his contention that family medicine hospitalists are less prepared to handle inpatient infectious disease (ID) issues in Birmingham, Ala., I would like to point out the following:

• Family medicine hospitalists do have much more outpatient training than internal medicine (IM) residents, and in the early part of their careers, they will be at a slight disadvantage. After a year or so, the difference will be nil.
• The additional exposure to outpatient care allows family medicine graduates to be in a better position to integrate care of hospitalized patients from Day One.

We have internal medicine and family medicine working together well on our hospitalist teams. Other programs should consider the advantages of benefiting from adding family medicine hospitalists to their teams.

Bob Hollis,

SEP Hospitalists,

Florence, Ky.

In response to Dr. Leland Allen and his contention that family medicine hospitalists are less prepared to handle inpatient infectious disease (ID) issues in Birmingham, Ala., I would like to point out the following:

• Family medicine hospitalists do have much more outpatient training than internal medicine (IM) residents, and in the early part of their careers, they will be at a slight disadvantage. After a year or so, the difference will be nil.
• The additional exposure to outpatient care allows family medicine graduates to be in a better position to integrate care of hospitalized patients from Day One.

We have internal medicine and family medicine working together well on our hospitalist teams. Other programs should consider the advantages of benefiting from adding family medicine hospitalists to their teams.

Bob Hollis,

SEP Hospitalists,

Florence, Ky.