Specialized care for Hospitalized Patients

What is a Hospitalists?

Hospitalists are fully trained Internal Medicine physicians who devote all of their clinical time to the care of hospitalized patients. They serve as attending physicians for patients who are directed to inpatient care by their primary care physician.

A Model for Patient Care

A model for hospital care in Europe for a half century, Hospitalists are also represented at some of the United States’ leading hospitals, including Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Harvard’s Brigham and Beth Israel Hospitals and now Decatur Memorial Hospital. The Society of Hospital Medicine estimates that 10,000 to 12,000 hospitalists are practicing today, with their growth expected to more than double in the next decade.

DMH hired its first Hospitalist in 2004—and now has a team of four whose focus is you, the patient, during an inpatient stay. All DMH Hospitalists are board certified in Internal Medicine.

Patient care, comfort

A full-time hospital-based physician has distinct benefits. For example, a Hospitalist has the ability to rapidly coordinate inpatient care and react in real time throughout the day to clinical data and changes in a patient’s medical status.

At each step, whether ordering treatments, tests, or consulting with specialists when appropriate, communication between the Hospitalist and your primary care physician is seamless.

Hospitalists are also available consistently throughout a patient’s stay to answer questions, discuss test results and provide reassurance. The Hospitalists also are familiar with hospital staff and the latest technologies available at DMH.

For more information

For more information about the DMH Hospitalists program, call 217-876-4360.

See our specialized hospitalists

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