The Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) is a medical society comprised of hospitalists that exists to promote exceptional care for hospitalized patients.
Review Reveals Inconsistent Implementation and Evaluation of Existing Geographic Cohorting, Limiting Understanding of Impact
Philadelphia, PA (July 10, 2025) – The Journal of Hospital Medicine (JHM), the official peer-reviewed journal of Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM), released a new article in its “Original Research” series, “Geographic Cohorting of Adult Inpatient Teams: A Scoping Review.” The review synthesizes findings from 30 studies on geographic cohorting (GCh) of physicians, which places their patients in close physical proximity within hospital units.
Most GCh interventions were implemented in U.S. academic medical centers, either as standalone initiatives or as components of broader care models, such as accountable care units. However, the studies reviewed varied significantly in their objectives, implementation fidelity, and outcome measures, including team communication, clinician experience, patient safety, and healthcare utilization. This variability poses challenges for drawing direct comparisons or making broad generalizations about the effectiveness of GCh.
“Geographic cohorting seems to make intuitive sense as a way to improve communication and coordination in hospitals,” comments Samir S. Shah, MD, MSCE, MHM, Editor-in-Chief of JHM. “This foundational study provides a systematic and comprehensive review of the literature, highlighting the current state of knowledge and identifying key gaps, thereby laying the groundwork for future research and implementation efforts that will allow us to fully understand the role of geographic cohorting in hospitals.”
By mapping the landscape of existing research, the study provides a foundation for standardizing future GCh efforts and aligning them with measurable, meaningful outcomes in hospital medicine. Key areas for future study include:
As hospitals continue to seek models that improve patient care while also improving efficiency, understanding the impact, influence, and outcomes of GCh will aid in shaping best practices tailored to individuals’ local care systems.
Read the full issue in the Journal of Hospital Medicine here.
About the Journal of Hospital Medicine:
The Journal of Hospital Medicine is the premier, ISI-indexed publication for the specialty of hospital medicine and official journal of the Society of Hospital Medicine. Published by Wiley, the journal advances excellence in hospital medicine as a defined specialty through the dissemination of research, evidence-based clinical care, and advocacy of safe, effective care for hospitalized patients. For more information, please visit journalofhospitalmedicine.com and follow the Journal of Hospital Medicine on X, formerly Twitter, @JHospMedicine.
About the Society of Hospital Medicine:
Representing the fastest-growing specialty in modern healthcare, the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) is the leading medical society for hospitalists and their patients. SHM is dedicated to promoting the highest quality care for all hospitalized patients and overall excellence in the practice of hospital medicine through quality improvement, education, advocacy, and research. Over the past decade, studies have shown that hospitalists can contribute to decreased patient lengths of stay, reductions in hospital costs and readmission rates, and increased patient satisfaction.
For more information about SHM and hospital medicine, visit hospitalmedicine.org and follow SHM on social media @SocietyHospMed.