The Hospitalist Program is a collaborative effort between the Skagit Valley Medical Center and the Skagit Valley Hospital. Hospitalist Programs are becoming extremely common across the United States. Since 1996, when the term ‘Hospitalist’ was first coined, it has become the fastest growing subspecialty in the country.
A Hospitalist is a physician who specializes in the care of patients who are in the hospital. Because Hospitalists are typically Internal Medicine physicians and their focus is exclusively on patients within the hospital, they are highly skilled in caring for patients who are most ill. Our Hospitalist team is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to care for patients whose primary care providers have requested this service.
The Hospitalists work with a patient’s primary care physician throughout the patient’s hospitalization. Upon admission, the patient’s primary care physician will share necessary medical information with the Hospitalists so that they are informed about each patient’s past medical history and current health condition. The primary doctor will have access to daily progress notes and will receive a detailed summary of the hospitalization upon discharge.
The benefits of a Hospitalist Program:
• The Hospitalists typically work in seven-day stretches ensuring that admitted patients see a minimum number of different doctors during the course of their hospital stay. This allows patients to receive consistent, high quality care.
• Studies have shown that a 24/7 Hospitalist program can also help to reduce patients’ length of stay and can potentially reduce patient costs.
• A Hospitalist Program also benefits patients when they visit their primary care doctor at his or her office. The physicians who use the Hospitalist service are able to focus on caring for their patients in the office. They no longer have to leave the office unexpectedly to attend hospitalized patients. Ultimately, this leads to increased accessibility for patients in the office.
For More Information Call: 360-416-5750
Hospitalist Fax: 360-416-5758
A Hospitalist is a physician who specializes in the care of patients who are in the hospital. Because Hospitalists are typically Internal Medicine physicians and their focus is exclusively on patients within the hospital, they are highly skilled in caring for patients who are most ill.
