Hospitalists

<><>Hospital Specialists New type of doctor-for hospital care


The next time you or a family member is admitted to our medical center you will probably meet a unique type of physician. They are called hospitalists and they practice ONLY inside a hospital. They do not have a clinic or office elsewhere. This group of physicians has become the fastest growing medical specialty in the nation---and in Nebraska!

Saint Elizabeth Regional Medical Center started the very first such program in the state in 1999 with four physicians on board. The program has consistently added new physicians for a current total of 11 plus a nurse practitioner. [Photo to the left is Dr Anne Perlman, the program's director.]

 
Nationally, in 1999, there were 3000 practicing hospitalists, but by the end of 2005, more than 15,000 were in place. The projections are that by 2010 there will be more than 30,000 hospitalists.
 
What do they do?
All Saint Elizabeth hospitalists are board certified in internal medicine. You will find them practicing only inside the medical center where they specialize in treating hospitalized patients. National studies show these physicians increase quality, safety and efficiency of care.
 
Their value is growing right along with their numbers. Dr Don Schmidt, director of the Saint Elizabeth program, has been on board since 1999. He says their value is being recognized increasingly by both physicians and patients. “Hospitalists are in-house and therefore very available to patients, their families and hospital staff. Given our close proximity we can react rapidly to even subtle changes in a patient’s condition,” he explains.
 
You will also appreciate that since hospitalists are familiar with medical center departments and staff they can more quickly coordinate care internally and with outside specialists.

High Value
Chances are your personal physician has also learned to truly appreciate hospitalists too. If you were a patient in our medical center, your hospitalist(spelling) would keep your personal physician informed of your treatment and progress often. This would also mean your personal physician could remain at his/her busy practice and continue treating patients at the clinic rather than having to make frequent trips to the hospital to see all his/her patients there. And when you return home, your personal physician for ongoing care.
 
At Saint Elizabeth, more than 80 percent of all family practice and internal medicine physicians in Lincoln are referring some or all of their patients to our hospitalists. And, the number of rural physicians referring their patients is growing phenomenally, too.
Dr. Ted Triggs is a member of the Saint Elizabeth hospitalist program. He sees his role with hospitalized patients such as Phyllis Holland of Nebraska City (pictured) as an organizer of sorts, as he coordinates their care with other specialists such as cardiologists or hematologists throughout their stay in the medical center.