The Society of Hospital Medicine Releases COVID-19 Addendum to the 2020 State of Hospital Medicine Report

Addendum Highlights Hospitalists’ Vital Clinical and Leadership Roles, Modifications in Hospital Medicine Group Operational Strategies During COVID-19 Pandemic

The Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) recently released the COVID-19 Addendum to the 2020 State of Hospital Medicine (SoHM) Report, the latest version in its series of biennial reports on national and regional trends in hospital medicine. The COVID-19 Addendum provides insight into how a diverse group of hospitalists and hospital medicine groups (HMGs) modified operations and care plans to address the surges of COVID-19 in their communities.

“Hospitalists have been and continue to be at the center of our nation’s COVID-19 response, demonstrating how invaluable they are to our nation’s healthcare system and to the communities they serve,” says Eric E. Howell, MD, MHM, Chief Operating Officer of SHM. “The data within the COVID-19 Addendum reflects how nimble and innovative hospitalists have been – not only within their own teams, but while collaborating with clinicians in other essential specialties to address this public health crisis.”

This Addendum reviews changes instituted by hospital medicine groups (HMGs) during the COVID-19 pandemic across five major domains:

• Staffing and Scheduling
• Finance
• Scope of Practice
• Operations
• Telehealth

Similar to the 2020 SoHM Report, the COVID-19 Addendum breaks down data into group demographics, including region, employment model, academic status, and group size. These breakdowns enable HMGs to look at how similar groups responded to the pandemic.

Some key findings from the COVID-19 Addendum include:

• 57% of HMGs lost provider time due to quarantine, and 48% lost time due to illness.
• 70% of HMGs created dedicated COVID and non-COVID teams in 2020.

The COVID-19 addendum is only available to purchasers of the SoHM Report, which is available in print only, a bundle of print and digital, or digital only. The digital version is fully responsive and accessible on both desktop and mobile devices. For more information and to purchase the 2020 State of Hospital Medicine Report, visit hospitalmedicine.org/sohm.