The Neurohospitalist

The Neurohospitalist Society (NHS) :
La Società dei Neurologi Ospedalieri Americani.
Presentazione a cura della Presidente : Megan Richie.

Specialized inpatient care in the United States first began with the emergence of internal medicine hospitalists in the late 20th century, when the need for dedicated physician expertise in treating patients within the hospital setting was first recognized.  Internal medicine hospitalists subsequently grew rapidly in number and in value, while simultaneously demonstrating their ability to reduce health care costs, improve trainee education, and improve patient quality measures and satisfaction. This shift, echoing the broader trend toward specialization in medicine, set the stage for the subsequent development of neurohospitalists .

After the advent of thrombolytic therapy for acute ischemic stroke, in the early 2000s neurologists recognized a parallel need for specialized expertise in the care of inpatients with neurological disease.  Hence, in 2008 the term neurohospitalist was coined, the first neurohospitalist fellowship began, and the neurohospitalist section of the American Academy of Neurology was founded. Enthusiasm for neurohospitalist practice in the United States grew, laying the groundwork for a medical society dedicated to advancing neurological care within the hospital setting and ultimately fueling the inception of the Neurohospitalist Society (NHS).

The NHS officially emerged in 2011 to create a central unifying organization of neurohospitalists, when it first brought members from diverse backgrounds together to convene for its first annual meeting. This gathering marked the beginning of a concerted effort to delineate the scope of neurohospitalist medicine, develop best practices, and foster collaboration among professionals in the field. The NHS has since grown in size and influence, holding annual conferences to promote knowledge dissemination, research sharing, practice model support, and community building among neurohospitalists.

Since its inception, the NHS has worked to support the neurohospitalist model and its practitioners.  Members of NHS and the neurohospitalist community have helped establish the value of a neurohospitalist model of care, demonstrating that neurohospitalists reduce length of stay and health care costs, and promote improved patient experience, trainee satisfaction, care metrics, hospital revenue, and quality of care.  In more recent years, the NHS has also developed an accreditation process by which neurohospitalist fellowships can demonstrate that they meet a standard level of educational quality for their trainees.

The NHS is also developing a set of core competencies for all neurohospitalists that outlines neurohospitalist scope of practice and highlights what is unique about the subspecialty.

Finally, the NHS has also expanded its reach globally, forming a partnership with the Scienze Neurologiche Ospedaliere (SNO) in 2023.  That year, the NHS and SNO enjoyed a mutual exchange of speakers at their respective annual meetings. In the future the NHS anticipates many avenues for fruitful collaboration with SNO and opportunities to grow its presence and impact within the international neurohospitalist community .

Megan Richie
President NHS
Associate Professor of Neurology
Glenn J. Bingle and David A. Josephson Endowed Professor
Neurology Clerkship Director
UCSF Department of Neurology
San Francisco.