Hospitalist Service Offers Bedside Care for Hospitalized Patients
Lawrence & Memorial Hospital has partnered with a new internal medicine practice and participating physicians affiliated with the hospital to offer seven-day-a-week, around-the-clock care, to patients in the hospital. These providers, more commonly called Hospitalists, are dedicated solely to the care of individuals requiring an admission to one of the in-patient units of Lawrence & Memorial Hospital. They very carefully coordinate your care with your personal physician. Most hospitalists are practitioners of adult medicine who have chosen to specialize in the unique care and treatment of the hospitalized patient.
Improving Inpatient Care
Because of the immediacy of response time, having Hospitalists in-house can significantly reduce a patient’s length of stay.
With the trend toward more outpatient procedures, a greater percentage of hospitalized patients are seriously ill—and with more complex diagnostic and therapeutic needs requiring higher levels of coordination. The Hospitalist is on-hand to manage the complex care of these seriously ill patients.
Because they are hospital-based, Hospitalists can see patients on an as-needed basis, with more than one visit per day if necessary. They are readily accessible for family meetings, keeping everyone involved in the patient’s care—including one’s personal physician—informed of progress as it occurs. They are readily available for unanticipated emergencies, and one-on-one consultations with appropriate specialists, surgeons and ER physicians.
The Hospitalist has the ability to expedite required diagnostic tests and procedures and respond to results in a timely manner.
How Patients Receive Hospitalist Care
When a patient requires admission to the hospital, the primary care physician refers the patient to Hospital Internists of New London. All pertinent information relative to the patient’s diagnosis, medical history, medications and overall condition are forwarded to the Hospitalist. During the patient’s stay in the hospital, the primary care physician is welcomed to contact the Hospitalist and consult on the person’s progress. Upon discharge, the Hospitalist prepares a summary of everything that occurred while the patient was in the hospital including any follow-up instructions. Following discharge, a complete summary is faxed to your physician’s office, usually within the first 48-hours, but often the report arrives within 24-hours.
In the ever changing and increasingly complex world of healthcare delivery, the Hospitalist plays a vital role in successful patient outcomes.
How To Reach Us
If there are communication needs between Hospital Internists of New London and your primary care physician, or you need to reach us directly, you can call our hospital office at (860)442-0711, ext. 3064. Material that needs to be faxed can be sent to us at (860)444-5114. You also can reach us by email at tbernacki@lmhosp.org.