By Erica Kucharski, Advocate BroMenn Medical Center
If you’ve been admitted to the hospital recently, you may have been treated by a hospitalist instead of your primary care physician. The unfamiliar face might have even caused some anxiety. Many patients don’t realize that these doctors, who specialize in illnesses requiring a hospital visit, are transforming health care.
Primary care doctors have to juggle their time between caring for patients and supervising the office. When their patients are admitted to the hospital, they have to go there as well. This can mean longer wait times for tests, medications, and results.
To help lower the number of hospital visits primary care doctors need to make, many hospitals have introduced hospitalist programs.
“A hospitalist is a physician who specializes in providing comprehensive care for the acutely ill patient while they are hospitalized,” says Dr. Dionna Pendleton, medical director of the hospitalist program at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center in Normal, IL. These doctors have no outpatient medical practice, so they are available to hospitalized patients around the clock.
“Hospitalists work closely with primary care providers to help assure a smooth transition of the care of the patient from the hospital back to the office,” adds Dr. Pendleton. “Primary care providers are routinely updated on admissions, discharges and any significant changes in the health status of their patients.”
Hospitalists specialize in internal medicine and are experts in treating patients who are acutely or chronically ill with complex medical problems. They offer a constant caring presence for patients and their families by answering questions, providing consultative care and acting as an extension of the primary doctor.
Hospitalists can order tests, prescribe medications, and examine results more efficiently. They give patients the special resources, attention, and optimal medical care they need. This can lead to shorter hospital stays and improved patient satisfaction.
According to the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM), the number of U.S. hospitalists has quadrupled in the last decade, from 11,000 in 2003, to over 44,000 in 2014. Today, around 72 percent of hospitals use these specialists.
SHM reports that nearly every specialty in medicine is adopting the hospitalist model to some extent. These programs are pushing quality with readmission prevention, infection control, and patient experience scores. In effect, they are revolutionizing life for the hospital staff, community physicians, and acute care patients.
Dr. Pendleton explains, “Our goal is to provide comprehensive and quality patient care while also reducing the cost of health care for patients in the communities we serve.”
For more information about the hospitalist program at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center, visit www.advocatehealth.com/bromenn/hospitalists.