Hospitalists

Infirmary Health hospitalists are an integrated team, providing patients with comprehensive care while in the hospital. Infirmary Health’s electronic medical record allows the hospitalists to see all of the medical history of patients who see other Infirmary Health physicians in a clinic setting, whether it be a specialist or primary care doctor. This helps the physicians better understand how to care for you while you are in the hospital.

What are hospitalists?

Hospitalists are physicians who specialize in the general medical care of hospitalized patients. Infirmary Health’s hospitalists operate as a large group practice to provide inpatient services to adults and children. Most are trained in general internal medicine.

Once patients are admitted, the hospitalist takes on responsibility for the patient's care for the entirety of their stay. The hospitalist role is based on the concept that the more experience a physician has with in-hospital care, the better the quality of care. They also do not have to juggle a busy clinic schedule with hospital rounds. This often results in shorter hospital stays because hospitalists are on hand full-time to perform medical procedures, design treatment plans, and other duties.

Working With Your Personal Physician

In addition to the benefits they provide in the hospital setting, hospitalists can also improve the productivity in physicians’ offices. Office-based physicians who work with hospitalists do not have to make frequent trips to the hospital, so they can instead concentrate more fully on their in-office appointments and calls. Patients who may feel uncomfortable about seeing a different doctor while they are in the hospital can rest assured: their personal physician will not be kept out of the loop. Hospitalists inform patients’ personal physicians of all major decisions made in the hospital and send them complete discharge summaries.

While the idea of hospitalists may be new to you, keep an open mind. These trained physicians are a fantastic resource and will dedicate their time to reducing the confusion of your hospital stay and guiding you through treatment.