b'2. The Quality Side: 3. The Cost Side: CoverageCOVIDandItsEffecton and Telemedicine Hospital Medicine The COVID-19 pandemic introduced many new care The COVID-19 pandemic injected new challenges forand quality imperatives, but nothing as profound as the hospitalists and drove changes to the quality side of theneed to quickly adjust staffing for the multiple waves of value equation. The pandemic forced movement fromsurges in patient volume. The pandemic fundamentally the traditional practice management efficiencies to aimpacted the cost side of the value equation, and as greater focus on critical care procedure competencies.a result, health systems were forced to find innovative methods for managing clinical resources across surging Historically, the role of hospitalists evolved overcaseloads. Hospital medicine programs proved to be time to serve as the quarterbacks of inpatient care.a critical strategic and tactical component to address From managing throughput, to accepting expandedinpatient care coverage.responsibilities for quality performance, patient satisfaction, and patient safety initiatives, hospitalistsHospital medicine telemedicine capabilities stepped have become broad clinical leaders within the inpatientinto the limelight in a way that would have been thought hospital environment.unprecedented before March 2020. Medicine already had experience with leveraging telemedicine to expand Amidst the pandemic, new requirements for hospitalists access to specialty carenotably in telestroke programs emerged. Those with expertise in critical care were calledthat supported emergency medicinebut the pandemic upon to manage the complex, high-acuity patients. Inforced all of U.S. health care to grapple with just how addition, hospitalists and their care teams adapted tomuch care suddenly and quickly could be moved into a unprecedented, non-uniform, and difficult-to-predictvirtual environment.surges in inpatient volumes, along with nursing and support staffing shortages, which accelerated challengeswith burnout.And yet, despite these challenges, hospitalists have onceLeveraging hospitalists with again demonstrated agile leadership in their roles bytelemedicine technologies focusing on adapting to the ever-changing environmentprovides options for managing to ensure quality care. The shift towards balancingsurge and shortages, while also efficiency with quality will be part of the new normal improving the cost element of the for hospital medicine and creates new opportunitiesvalue equation.for hospitalists to again lead change within their environments and demonstrate the quality and value delivered by a strong hospital medicine program.VALUECOSTQUALITYTogether, we healTogether, we heal 3Together, we heal SCP HEALTHIA NEW HOSPITAL MEDICINE EQUATION FOR A POST-COVID FUTURE'