Many adult patients admitted to St. John’s will receive care from a hospitalist, a physician who specializes in the practice of hospital medicine. At St. John’s, board-certified hospitalist physicians are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide continuous management and coordination of inpatient care.
A hospitalist will manage the care of every patient admitted to St. John’s who does not have a primary care physician. In addition, many private physicians in the community have arranged for the hospitalist team to coordinate care and manage treatment for their hospitalized patients. In such cases, the hospitalist will have access to the patient’s prior medical history and manage his or her current in-hospital care. A complete report on the hospitalization, including medications, test results and recommendations for follow-up care, will be sent to the private physician following the patient’s discharge from the hospital.
Hospitalist medicine offers numerous benefits to patients, hospitals and community physicians. For patients, hospitalist care provides:
- Daily visits from a member of the hospital team
- Regular communication between the hospitalist, patient and family
- Efficient coordination of services provided by other healthcare personnel such as physician specialists, social workers and physical therapists, as well as laboratory and imaging services
- Potential for reduced length of stay in the hospital due to efficient coordination of care
- Personalized follow-up after discharge from the hospital
Benefits for hospitals and community physicians include:
- Increased patient satisfaction
- Improved coordination of care
- Efficiency
- Reduced length of stay
For more information about the Hospitalist Program, please call 718-869-5138 or 718-869-5136.