Hospitalists

Hospitalist medicine is one of the newest and fastest growing areas in healthcare. Initially conceived in 1995, the term hospitalist is applied to a medical practitioner whose primary focus is caring for patients in the hospital setting.

Hospitalists spend their workday in the hospital and do not run a traditional clinical practice. This allows them to be more available to patients and families during hospitalization, and allows traditional primary care doctors to be more available to patients in the clinic.

By focusing on the skills needed for hospital care, our hospitalist physicians provide excellent, up-to-date medical treatment that primary care physicians and specialists want their patients to receive in the hospital. Being cared for by hospitalists also allows primary care physicians to focus their full attention on providing the very best care for their patients in the office setting. Your doctor has chosen to use the hospitalist services voluntarily.

You can expect the hospitalist to visit you at least once each day to manage your care and follow the clinical care and test results. When necessary, the hospitalist will come back to see you during the day to answer questions or discuss your care. If you or your family wants to speak with a hospitalist, a meeting is easy to arrange via nursing staff for the hospitalist is available around the clock.

The hospitalist provides a great deal of personal attention to patients. Patients have the ability to see a physician more often and with more time flexibility.

Patients benefit from a reduced length of stay. Since hospitalists are present in the hospital all day, they can follow up on diagnostic tests quickly and arrive at a treatment plan more efficiently. In addition, your primary physician may check in on you in the hospital. The hospitalists will also work closely with your primary physician to collaborate and ensure that you receive great care.

With your permission, the hospitalist will contact your primary or referring doctor to notify him or her that you have been admitted and to get information about your health history.

The hospitalist will be in close contact with your primary and specialty care doctors to collaborate and ensure that you receive top quality care while you are being cared for in the hospital.

When you are discharged, the hospitalist will contact your primary doctor to share any post-hospitalization needs. Once out of the hospital, you will continue to be cared for by your primary physician.

If you did not have a primary doctor when you were admitted to the hospital, the hospitalist and nursing staff will work closely with you to assist you in selecting a primary care doctor to see for follow-up appointments.