During a patient's stay in the hospital, a hospitalist serves as the patient's attending physician and assumes overall care of the patient. They manage the patient's care in place of the patient's personal physician(s) outside the hospital.

Hospitalists are part of a team of physicians who work as a group taking care of inpatients. The team works together and communicates the care they provide to the patient's personal physician.

The Division of Hospital Medicine at the University of Missouri is one of the largest service lines within MU Health Care. The division focuses on the acute inpatient care of complex patients from across the state and strives to achieve the best possible care by coordinating with a multitude of subspecialist and surgical colleagues. At discharge, our goals are to provide safe transitions of care and ensure good communication with our referring physicians and outpatient colleagues.

Hospitalists attend on four Medicine teams at University Hospital and provide consultation services at other MU Health Care facilities, including Rusk Rehabilitation Hospital, a joint venture of Encompass Health and MU Health Care.

Pediatric hospital medicine

Our board-certified pediatric hospitalists find their passion in taking care of acutely ill children and guiding families, including parents, grandparents and foster parents, through a stressful and scary period. Our inpatient specialists at Children's Hospital are available 24/7 and work closely with primary care providers (pediatricians, family medicine doctors and pediatric internal medicine doctors) from all over the state to help kids get the hospital care they need. Our specialists also provide recommendations for surgical, emergency room and behavioral health services.

Our team includes music therapists and a therapy dog, who help kids feel better with a song or a tail wag. And our kid-friendly spaces have amenities to make the hospital feel welcoming, safe and friendly. That includes artwork and access to movies, video games, play areas and more. As pediatric hospitalists, our goal is to make sure your family feels like part of ours, whether you’re here for one or multiple visits.