The Society of Hospital Medicine Releases 2023 State of Hospital Medicine Report

New Group- and Individual-Level Data Includes Use of Tele-health, Staffing and Scheduling Flexibility, and Leadership’s Role in Promoting Well-being

Today, the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) announced the release of the 2023 State of Hospital Medicine (SoHM) Report, the latest in its series of reports on national and regional trends in hospital medicine. The 2023 Report contains the first data on hospital medicine groups since before the COVID-19 pandemic and, for the first time, includes individual-level data, providing the most comprehensive snapshot of the field to date.

The 2023 SoHM Report includes data from 373 hospital medicine groups and comprises approximately 20 percent of the hospitalists SHM estimates are practicing nationwide. Analysis of the data demonstrates that many pre-pandemic operational trends in hospital medicine groups continue; in addition to growth in group size, the presence of NP/PAs in hospital medicine continues to expand, and hospitalist compensation is still rising.

Three additional highlights from the 2023 Report include:

• 42.3% of groups are using tele-health in a variety of ways, such as providing coverage for patients in hospital at home or centralized telemedicine offices or for night coverage to or from a remote hospital location. 
• 59% of groups reported implementing increased scheduling flexibility in the last year and over three quarters of groups are allowing at least some clinical work to be completed offsite.
  
• Two-thirds of groups regularly measure well-being and burnout, but only 20.9% of groups have an employee whose non-clinical focus is to address those needs of the group.

“Hospital medicine – and healthcare as a whole – has evolved in ways we never could have anticipated over the past three years, which makes this year’s State of Hospital Medicine Report even more meaningful,” notes Eric E. Howell, MD, MHM, Chief Executive Officer of SHM. “Data in the 2023 Report is helping SHM and hospital medicine leaders across the country explore new ways to enhance our clinical impact and identify new ways to support frontline hospitalists, both operationally and culturally.”

Results from the inaugural Hospital Medicine Workforce Experience Survey, also included in the 2023 SoHM Report, provide insight into individual hospitalists’ experience with workplaces structures, including backup systems and patient census. Participants also reported their levels of well-being, burnout, and engagement. Where possible, the 2023 SoHM Report provides analysis of the intersection between these data points and workplace structures. While hospital medicine faces challenges with burnout – much like the entire healthcare system – simultaneously, most hospitalists surveyed noted that they are able to use their skills to make a meaningful difference. 

Additional categories of data included in the SoHM Report encompass production, staffing levels, turnover, staff growth, and financial support. The 2023 SoHM Report is available in print only, a bundle of print and electronic, or electronic only. For more information and to purchase the 2023 State of Hospital Medicine Report, visit hospitalmedicine.org/sohm.