History of Hospital Medicine

Timeline of Henry Ford Medical Group Hospital Medicine

• 1988: Early dedicated inpatient internists provide short stay care.
• 1993-1995: Hospitalists expand services to the Cardiology Unit at Henry Ford Hospital.
• 1995-2002: Eight hospitalists provide 24/7 coverage for Cardiology and Internal Medicine unit overflow at Henry Ford Hospital.
• 2002-2006: The number of hospitalists grows to 14 with 24/7 coverage of the Emergency Room's observation unit at Henry Ford Hospital.
• 2006: The Department of Medicine forms the Section of Inpatient General Internal Medicine within the Division of General Internal Medicine, with nearly 20 faculty hospitalists at Henry Ford Hospital.
• 2006-2009: Rapid growth of hospitalists at Henry Ford Health System:
  • 2007: First community practice started at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital Warren Campus providing 24/7 coverage and supporting the teaching service.
  • 2007-2008: Continued growth of hospitalist 24/7 coverage and teaching service for General Inpatient Medicine, Observation, and Telemetry at Henry Ford Hospital.
  • 2007: Hospitalists start 24/7 coverage for general inpatient medicine. Co-management of Orthopedic Surgery Units, and Medical Consultation at Henry Ford Hospital.
  • 2008: The Department of Medicine renames the Section of Inpatient General Internal Medicine to form the Division of Hospitalist Medicine, appointing Peter Y. Watson, M.D., as first Division Head.
  • 2008: The Division establishes a hospital medicine resident unit at Henry Ford Hospital. Hospitalists start 24/7 coverage for general inpatient medicine including teaching service at Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital. The Advanced Heart Failure Service managing heart transplant and LVAD patients is led by the Hospitalist Medicine Division at Henry Ford Hospital.
  • 2008: The Division expands to include the Palliative Medicine Program.
  • 2009: Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital opens with hospitalists covering general inpatient medicine and co-management of Orthopedic Surgery Units. The Palliative Medicine Program establishes an ACGME-approved fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
• 2011: The Department of Medicine renames the division to the Division of Hospital Medicine with a Section of Palliative Medicine. The Henry Ford Division Hospital Medicine includes more than 50 hospitalists and palliative medicine specialists providing patient care, teaching, and research at four hospitals in the Henry Ford Health System. Establishment of teaching rotations for internal medicine residents and medical students at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital.
• 2013: The Division concentrates clinical work at Henry Ford Hospital, Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital, and Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital. Hospitalists continue growth of inpatient services, with expansion to assist the TAVR program at Henry Ford Hospital. Services also expanded to cover neurology and surgery at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital. With more than 45 hospitalists and palliative medicine specialists, the hospital medicine faculty provide patient care, teaching, and research throughout the Henry Ford Health System.
• 2018: The Division continues to increase new opportunities and enhances the scope of practice to include caring for hospice patients at Henry Ford West Bloomfield and post-tPA patients, in collaboration with neurology, at Henry Ford West Bloomfield. The Division assists in supporting the creation of a new Division of Palliative Medicine within the Department of Internal Medicine.