The hospitalist model is rapidly becoming the dominant model of inpatient health services delivery, particularly for the elderly and the uninsured. However, its impact on and consequences for these patients and their physicians have yet to be explored qualitatively, and its cultural, social, and political implications addressed. This research will build on the examination of the emergence of hospitalists undertaken in doctoral research to explore from a cultural perspective, the impact of hospitalists on the care of the elderly and the uninsured. The consequences of the hospitalist system for these groups will be examined at the local and national levels: Locally, the changing dynamics and cultural and political meanings of elderly patients' relationship with inpatient and outpatient providers and the nature and dynamics of hospitalists' end-of-life-care will be explored; and the changing dynamics and cultural and political meanings of uninsured patients' relationship with inpatient providers and their consequent relationship to the health care system will be examined. Nationally, the academic and political activities around the professionalization of hospitalists will be examined for their emphasis on the elderly and the uninsured.
