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Hospital-Based Doctors
Who Cares for Me While I’m in the Hospital?Learn how hospital-based physicians, called hospitalists, help you get the best possible care A hospitalist is a doctor who takes care of you while you’re in the hospital. Your primary care doctor and your hospitalist work together to make sure you get the best possible care. Hospitalists are always in the hospital, so they can be your doctor’s eyes and ears 24 hours a day. You may not have heard of hospitalists, but they’re not a new idea. In the past five years, major teaching hospitals and primary care doctors around the country have decided that hospitalists are an excellent way to provide care to their patients while they are in the hospital. We are pleased that Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest and Lehigh Valley Hospital–Muhlenberg offer this extra level of care to our patients. We are the first in our region to offer a formal hospitalist program to patients. There’s an entire team of hospitalists, so you can be sure there will be a hospitalist there for you whenever you need one. How do the doctors work together?Your "outside the hospital" primary care doctor will discuss your case and send your records to your "inside the hospital" doctor, your hospitalist, when you go into the hospital. They’ll discuss your progress while you’re in the hospital and agree on the best care plan.When you are discharged, your hospitalist, will discuss your case again with your primary care doctor and will send your hospital records. Your primary care doctor will know everything that happened while you were in the hospital and what follow-up care you need. What if there is an emergency?We don’t expect any emergencies while you’re in the hospital, but if there is one, your hospitalist is never more than a few minutes away. And if you have any concerns you want to discuss, ask your nurse to page your hospitalist.What are the benefits to having a hospitalist?Like any organization, the hospital has its own special ways of doing things. By spending time in the hospital, your hospitalist knows the systems really well, and can make them work for you. This should help make your hospital stay go smoothly.
Your hospitalist can track your recovery throughout the day, speak with your primary care doctor and, if necessary, change your care plan right away. This can prevent problems and could even mean that you get discharged sooner. A hospitalist is there for your family, too. If a relative has a question at any time of the day or night, you just have to ask your nurse to page the hospitalist. There’s always someone there to answer questions for you and your family. If you have any more questions about hospitalist care, call 610-402-CARE. We’d be happy to answer them. This page last updated 10/27/08 01:56 PM
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