Getting Hospitalist Compensation Right

3. Other Motivators. The longer and more established a hospitalist program is, the more inclined a hospital or system is to see their quality, service, length of stay and patient satisfaction metrics improve. That's even truer, when your compensation plans include the quality measures that you want these physicians to strive for. And that's something that should hold true, regardless of whether they are employed or contracted with your facility. These doctors should coordinate the care with a patient's other internal caregivers as well as reach out to the patients primary care docs.

"Quality, efficiency, and throughput need to be a priority, don't just look at how much they can generate," says Amin. "Consider that hospitalists also improve patient satisfaction and can open up a bed sooner and move a patient out sooner because they are at the hospital all the time, not just for rounds."

Unquestionably, hospitalists are a part of the future of every hospital and health system in the country. However, how you approach having them as part of your system and how much you pay them is up to healthcare leaders. With hospitalists stepping up to the plate to fill in where other physicians leave off, with a little compensation planning, hospitals and health systems may find that they get a triple play every time: improved quality, better patient satisfaction and at a minimal cost.