Episode 188: What is a Hospitalist? with Matthew Werpy, D.O.

When you are hospitalized, it’s likely that a Hospitalist will be the “quarterback” physician of your care team. Matthew Werpy, D.O., is a Hospitalist and Medical Director for Hospital Medicine at Rapid City and Spearfish Hospitals. In this episode, Dr. Werpy shares his background and training. He outlines how the relatively recent specialty of hospitalist came to be and how they function at Monument Health. As the fastest growing specialty in the United States, hospitalists must have a broad medical knowledge so they can treat any number of the illnesses they encounter. This is especially important in rural areas because of the comparative lack of specialists. Hospitalists must also be able to gain the trust of a patient quickly through individual connection, especially with those who may be unfamiliar with the recent introduction of these physicians to inpatient care.