Hospitalist vs primary care provider

The differences between hospitalists and primary care providers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a hospitalist has an average salary of $214,817, which is higher than the $35,422 average annual salary of a primary care provider.

The top three skills for a hospitalist include patients, EMR and acls. The most important skills for a primary care provider are patients, internal medicine, and family practice.

Hospitalist vs primary care provider overview

	Hospitalist	Primary Care Provider
Yearly salary	$214,817	$35,422
Hourly rate	$103.28	$17.03
Growth rate	7%	36%
Number of jobs	29,544	103,863
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	-

What does a hospitalist do?

A hospitalist, also known as a physician, is primarily responsible for diagnosing and treating patients' ailments or injuries, providing optimal care and service. They assess a patient's condition by running tests, interviews, and examinations, providing consultations, prescribing or administering medicines, coordinating with other health experts, and following up on patients' cases. A hospitalist may also study and update a patient's medical records, discuss conditions to patients and families, and implement the medical health and safety policies and regulations within the hospital.

What does a primary care provider do?

Primary Care Providers, also known as general practitioners instead of specialists, are doctors trained to be the first point of contact for a patient entering the health care system. They diagnose, treat, and prevent a broad range of injuries and illnesses from allergies and colds to longer-term conditions such as Diabetes Mellitus. Their duties include performing lab tests to identify a condition, prescribing medications, checking for drug interactions, provide wound care, executing spirometry tests and electrocardiograms, and coordinating specialist care for your condition. A Primary Care Provider will also help create self-care plans prescribing a certain diet and recommending exercise routines.

Hospitalist vs primary care provider salary

Hospitalists and primary care providers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Hospitalist	Primary Care Provider
Average salary	$214,817	$35,422
Salary range	Between $140,000 And $329,000	Between $21,000 And $58,000
Highest paying City	Eau Claire, WI	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Connecticut
Best paying company	Trinity Health	AstraZeneca
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between hospitalist and primary care provider education

There are a few differences between a hospitalist and a primary care provider in terms of educational background:

	Hospitalist	Primary Care Provider
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	Medicine	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	-

Hospitalist vs primary care provider demographics

Here are the differences between hospitalists' and primary care providers' demographics:

	Hospitalist	Primary Care Provider
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 44.5% Female, 55.5%	Male, 26.8% Female, 73.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 18.1% White, 64.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 9.7% White, 53.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	10%	7%

Differences between hospitalist and primary care provider duties and responsibilities

Hospitalist example responsibilities.

Manage acute and chronic illnesses including cardiac, respiratory, GI, infectious and skin issues.
Provide acute care to infants, children and adolescents admit to the hospital, nursery and emergency room.
Work with full EMR system.
Calculate medications and TPN dosages.
Review and process NICU TPN orders
Place all nocturnal arterial lines for ICU.

Primary care provider example responsibilities.

Manage provider network to include verifying claims and benefits for healthcare providers/members and insurance companies.
Work alongside ABA therapists to continue to apply appropriate behavioral techniques.
Examine patients and carefully analyze test results and information gather during examinations to properly diagnose illnesses and diseases.
Used strong oral and written communications skills to develop and maintain effective relationships with patients, co-workers and international medical professionals.
Provide caring companionship to developmentally disabled/elderly residents.
Assist with toileting, including bedpans, urinals and commode chairs.

Hospitalist vs primary care provider skills

Common hospitalist skills

Patients, 44%
EMR, 13%
Acls, 6%
Epic, 6%
Rehabilitation, 5%
Critical Care, 4%

Common primary care provider skills

Patients, 31%
Internal Medicine, 13%
Family Practice, 12%
Patient Care, 11%
Urgent Care, 10%
NP, 4%

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Hospitalist
Hospitalist vs Primary Care Provider

Updated January 8, 2025

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