Many Primary Care Providers (PCPs) now rely on Hospitalists, a sub-specialist in internal medicine, to provide care for their patients who are hospitalized. Traditionally, your primary care physician would handle your inpatient stay as well as your outpatient needs; however, over the past 10 years there has been a shift in that trend.  

 

The high cost of medical care and demands from an aging population have contributed to the changing role of your doctor who would typically see you in the hospital. Hospitalists allow PCP’s to focus on their office patients.  In the same vein, growing research supports the value of hospital medicine—studies show that hospitalists help reduce patient length of stay, treatment costs and improve overall efficiency of care.

 

Hospitalists provide care to their patients 24-hours a day, seven days a week. This ensures you will receive the best possible care and that someone will be available to answer questions about your care at all times.  Physicians who work in the hospital every day are best equipped to provide quality care for the hospitalized patient.  With the support of the hospital nursing staff, the hospitalist physicians are available to assist the patient through a smooth and speedy recovery process by following up on tests and adjusting the treatment regimen throughout the day based on those test results.

 

Hospitalists consult with the patients’ primary care physicians to obtain medical history and diagnoses that are pertinent to providing patients with excellent care during their hospital stay.  They will make arrangements for treatment, write prescriptions and make follow-up care you need when discharged from the hospital.

 

Hospitalists are readily available and make rounds on patients based on their needs.  The hospitalists encourage communication and participation from patients and their families.  If a patient does not have a primary care provider, the hospitalist will assist with making these arrangements with a local physician’s office for follow-up care.  Records from the hospital stay will be sent to the primary care provider upon discharge. 

 

If you are hospitalized at High Point Regional Health, your care may be provided by Regional Physicians Hospitalist Group (RPHG), a team of board-certified internal medicine specialists who only work in the inpatient setting. RPHG physicians provide high quality care in a compassionate and safe environment. 

 

Click here to see our hospitalists.