For Immediate Release: Feb. 25, 2004
Hospitalists Will Care for Patients at Providence St. Peter Hospital
Community to Benefit from Greater Access to Primary Care Providers
OLYMPIA--On March 1, 2004, Providence St. Peter Hospital will introduce a hospitalist program to the community, offering patients more physician access while hospitalized and giving primary care physicians more availability to see patients in their offices.
Hospitalists are physicians who focus in providing care for adult internal medicine patients during their hospital stay. Providence St. Peter Hospital is contracting with South Sound Inpatient Physicians, a group of board certified internal medicine physicians, to provide this service. The hospitalist team will include six physicians.
Instead of making rounds to see their patients at the hospital before or after their regular office hours, primary care physicians will have the option of transferring that responsibility to Providence St. Peter’s hospitalists. This option will allow them more time to see patients at their office.
“Having a hospitalist program is one way we hope to improve primary care access in the community,” said Connie Huber, assistant administrator. “Our hospitalists will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide patient care.”
When patients are admitted to the hospital, their primary care physician will call the hospitalist to inform him/her of the patient’s illness and to provide as much information as possible about the patient’s condition. The process is similar to what happens when a physician refers a patient to a specialist for an opinion or for additional tests and treatment.
While a patient is hospitalized, the hospitalist and primary care physician may talk further about the patient’s treatment. When the patient is discharged from the hospital, the hospitalist will inform the patient’s regular physician of any further treatment needs, help arrange follow-up and prescribe necessary medications. The hospitalist also will send the patient’s hospital records to his/her primary care physician.
One of the many advantages of hospitalists is that they can check on patients frequently throughout the day, if needed. Often, patients’ hospital stays are shorter because hospitalists are available to discharge patients at any time.
The hospitalist program is voluntary. Physicians choosing not to participate will continue to provide inpatient care for their patients.
South Sound Inpatient Physicians, PLLC, is a hospitalist physician group providing inpatient care in hospitals throughout the Puget Sound region.
Founded in 1887, Providence St. Peter Hospital is a 390-bed not-for-profit hospital serving the five-county South Sound region with comprehensive medical, surgical and behavioral health services.
# # #
CONTACT: Traci Blake, Public Relations, 360-493-7245, traci.blake@providence.org
|
