| It's an emerging trend, and one that many
| |
| | has not been good, the primary care
|
| patients find confusing and
| |
| | physician often has little knowledge of
|
| uncomfortable: their primary doctor
| |
| | what the patient experienced in the
|
| doesn't visit them in the hospital any
| |
| | hospital. Records are frequently slow to
|
| more and doesn't manage their hospital
| |
| | follow the patient, so on the first
|
| care.Primary care doctors are
| |
| | follow-up visit the office-based doctor
|
| increasingly turning the care of their
| |
| | may have scant information.Without
|
| hospitalized patients over to specialists
| |
| | adequate information the PCP frequently
|
| called "hospitalists."The hospitalist is
| |
| | makes adjustments to treatment plans and
|
| a hospital-based doctor who does not see
| |
| | medications that are counter to the
|
| patients in an office-based practice. He
| |
| | treatment plans initiated in the
|
| or she manages the care of patients only
| |
| | hospital.How To Work With A HospitalistBe
|
| while they are in the hospital, turning
| |
| | prepared. If your trip to the hospital is
|
| them back over to their regular
| |
| | pre-planned, talk to your primary doctor
|
| physicians when they are discharged.
| |
| | about the hospitalists in your chosen
|
| During the time a patient is in the
| |
| | hospital. Find out which hospitalist
|
| hospital the hospitalist is responsible
| |
| | communicates best with your doctor, and
|
| for all decisions about a patient's
| |
| | who your doctor prefers to work with. If
|
| care.Advantages of HospitalistsThe
| |
| | possible, ask your doctor to pre-arrange
|
| hospitalist usually knows the hospital,
| |
| | that this hospitalist will be in charge
|
| and hospital politics, very well. This
| |
| | of your care while you're in the
|
| often enables the hospitalist to cut
| |
| | hospital.Arrive Armed: Never assume that
|
| through red tape and "make things happen"
| |
| | things will go as planned. You may not
|
| more efficiently than office-based
| |
| | feel well, and you will be under stress.
|
| physicians.Hospitalists are more readily
| |
| | The chosen hospitalist may be on
|
| available to respond to emergencies in
| |
| | vacation, out ill, or unavailable. Take a
|
| the hospital. Nurses and other care staff
| |
| | synopsis of your medical history,
|
| can usually reach a hospitalist more
| |
| | including the results of all recent
|
| rapidly than an office-based physician,
| |
| | tests, with you to the hospital. Whenever
|
| especially on evenings and
| |
| | possible have someone stay with you in
|
| weekends.Continuity of care within the
| |
| | the hospital until you have met your
|
| hospital is often better. When primary
| |
| | doctor and given him or her all the
|
| care physicians manage inpatient hospital
| |
| | information you have. Have that person
|
| care, the patient is often actually seen
| |
| | take notes, including the names of all
|
| by more doctors, as doctors in larger
| |
| | your hospital caregivers, their contact
|
| practices often take turns seeing all of
| |
| | information (phone and pager), and the
|
| the practice's hospitalized
| |
| | location of their offices in the
|
| patients.Hospitalists are usually more
| |
| | hospital.Sign a Release: If you can, make
|
| accessible to family members. Families
| |
| | sure to sign a release of information
|
| don't have to try to "catch" the doctor
| |
| | form when you are admitted. This will
|
| in the wee hours of the morning or late
| |
| | give the hospitalist and everyone else on
|
| in the evening when he or she is making
| |
| | your medical team permission to discuss
|
| hospital rounds outside of office
| |
| | your care with the person you appoint.
|
| hours.Disadvantages of Using a
| |
| | Even if you have already given that
|
| HospitalistThe biggest disadvantage to
| |
| | person your Power of Attorney for Health
|
| the movement toward hospitalists is the
| |
| | Care, signing a permission to release
|
| loss of continuity of care between the
| |
| | information is a good idea. You might not
|
| primary physician and the hospital. The
| |
| | be so ill that your Power of Attorney for
|
| hospitalist has no previous knowledge of
| |
| | Health Care goes into effect. In that
|
| his new patient. If communication between
| |
| | case, without authority to release
|
| the primary care physician and the
| |
| | information, you might find the staff is
|
| hospitalist is poor, it falls to the
| |
| | less than willing to share information
|
| patient and the family to fill in the
| |
| | with the person staying with you.Molly
|
| gaps.When a patient is discharged from
| |
| | Shomer helps families who are struggling
|
| the hospital the hospitalist relinquishes
| |
| | with caring for aging parents.
|
| care back to the PCP. If communication
| |
| |
|
