When a medical condition requires hospitalization, Licking Memorial Hospital’s (LMH) dedicated team of Hospitalists is prepared to guide and offer quality treatment to all patients.  LMH Hospitalists are internal medicine physicians who specialize in caring for acutely ill, hospitalized patients.  In both training and experience, they are the most suited to provide the best possible care, particularly for complex and challenging diagnoses, to patients during their hospital stay.

An individual’s care is increasingly shared between primary care physicians during office visits and hospitalists during a hospital stay.  Responsible for creating a treatment plan and the patient’s overall care from admission to discharge, Hospitalists coordinate care for most of the people who are admitted to LMH.  They are skilled in assessing a wide range of conditions to diagnose and begin medical care quickly.  Their expertise in caring for complicated acute illness daily and in-depth knowledge of the hospital system affords them the skills to most effectively address a hospitalized patient’s needs.  Should a need arise that is out of their expertise, the Hospitalists will consult other specialists to provide appropriate care.  Care may include special treatments or transfer to other facilities.  

In addition, the hospitalists consistently communicate to the patient’s primary care physician any changes in condition, medications or treatments.  The implementation of Licking Memorial Health Systems’ (LMHS) new electronic health record system, Epic, simplifies the communication process.  Epic allows the hospitalists to access a patient’s health records from LMHS providers and surrounding healthcare facilities that also use the system.  Because the hospitalists do not regularly see most of the patients they treat like a primary care physician, access to the medical records is critical in quickly developing a care plan.

Patients benefit from the hospitalist and primary care physician partnership by receiving coordinated care across the healthcare continuum.  Since hospitalists exclusively care for patients in the hospital, they are available any time of the day and night to respond rapidly to medical needs.  They also are available to meet with family members, follow up on tests, answer questions, and provide more personal attention while coordinating treatment with the entire healthcare team.  In return, primary care physicians can devote more time to individuals at office appointments while being assured their hospitalized patients receive excellent care from a highly trained and qualified healthcare provider. 

A hospitalist requires empathy, compassion, flexibility, experience, interpersonal skills and stamina to deal with an ever-changing roster of medical conditions.  Currently, LMH employs 13 highly qualified hospitalists who provide care 24 hours a day.  Pediatric hospitalists are available to care for hospitalized children, treat infants in the Special Care Nursery and coordinate the transfer of those who require more intensive care to other facilities.

Along with providing high-quality health care to LMH patients, LMH Hospitalists offer their expertise to various committees at the hospital to assist with improving patient care.  LMH Hospitalists also dedicate time to improve the community by volunteering their time to various organizations within the county.  For more information about the LMH Hospitalists and the services they provide, visit LMHealth.org.