title: Consultative pediatrics in the new millenium.
abstract: The pediatric hospitalist program at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh (CHP)-the Diagnostic Referral Service (DRS)-was first described in the pediatric literature in 1988. At that time, the group consisted of 5 members with a variety of inpatient and outpatient responsibilities. Since then, there has been a significant nationwide growth in pediatric hospital medicine. In the same time frame, the DRS has also grown significantly, with new and enhanced responsibilities in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. This work reflects on the recent trends in pediatrics that resulted in the growth of specialists in hospital medicine and in the evolution of the DRS responsibilities. A detailed description of the unique changes in the DRS is provided as a model for effective care of children in the modern era.
authors.affiliation: Paul C. Gaffney Diagnostic Referral Service, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15201, USA. kishore.vellody@chp.edu
authors.forename: Kishore
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vellody
authors.forename: Basil J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Zitelli
mesh_terms: D003954:Diagnostic Services / Q000266:history / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D010414:Pennsylvania; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000266:history / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*