Brian Bossard, MD, FACP, FHM was the first physician in Nebraska to practice hospital medicine, and one of the first in the country to provide hospitalist services. Hospitalist care in Lincoln began in 1993 at Lincoln General Hospital. In 1997, Lincoln General Hospital merged with Bryan Memorial Hospital to form Bryan Medical Center. As demand for hospitalist care grew, Dr. Bossard worked with medical center administrators to develop a collaborative model to provide 24/7 inpatient care at Bryan Medical Center.

Inpatient Physician Associates (IPA) was founded in 2001 as a result of these collaborative efforts. Hospitalist services were first provided by IPA in August of 2002 at Bryan Medical Center in Lincoln, Nebraska. The practice standards pioneered at IPA have been featured in many medical journals and texts, and IPA has become a nationally-recognized leader in the hospital medicine movement. In 2012, with the ongoing growth and expansion of the program, an executive leadership team was established as guidance of all members.

In 2022, IPA's continued growth was expanded to offering inpatient hospital services in Grand Island, Nebraska, with the addition of several new providers at Grand Island Regional Medical Center.