The Hospitalist Program at The University of Chicago, under the direction of Dr. David Meltzer, focuses on clinical care, quality improvement, research, and medical education relating to the inpatient general medicine services. At the core of the program are its hospitalist physicians, internists who focus their clinical and other academic interests on issues relating to hospital care of general medicine patients. The Section of General Internal Medicine began its hospitalist program in 1997, making it one of the earliest programs of its type in the nation.