ER WAIT
iSt. Joseph Regional Medical Center has a full-time Hospitalist Program. During your inpatient stay, a team of specially-trained physicians will oversee your care.
To better meet the needs of our patients, St. Joseph Regional Medical Center partners with HNI Healthcare, a team of physicians that offers hospitalized patients specialized care while they are in the hospital. Additionally, this program allows primary care providers more time to see patients in their clinics and reduces patient wait time.
When patients are admitted, physicians who are specialized in the evaluation and treatment of hospitalized patients will assume care for the patient, while working in coordination with the patient’s primary care provider.
Hospitalists are doctors who devote their practice to the care of hospitalized patients. The Hospitalist Group consists of physicians who are trained in Internal Medicine or Family Medicine and have experience in inpatient care. They see hospitalized patients who have been referred by a primary care doctor, emergency room doctor, or other physicians at the hospital. Hospitalists do not see patients outside the hospital.
St. Joe's has contracted with the Hospitalist Group to manage inpatients of the hospital. Community primary care physicians will enter agreements to use our facility’s Hospitalists to provide care for their patients during a hospital stay.
The Hospitalist will admit and attend to inpatients under their service. The Hospitalist will see their patients every day to direct treatment. The Hospitalist is available to patients and their family to answer questions and discuss medical care. The Hospitalist works at the hospital and is also “On Call” for emergencies that may arise.
The Hospitalist will make arrangements for any prescriptions a patient needs at discharge. Patients will be asked to make an appointment with their primary care physician (PCP) after discharge. Since Hospitalist do not have an outpatient practice, patients will not have an appointment to see the Hospitalist again after discharge. Patients may contact the Hospitalist after discharge if they have any questions about their hospital stay.
The two doctors work together. A Primary Care Physician (PCP) will provide information about a patient’s past health history to the Hospitalist, and the two doctors can discuss any significant findings or events.
A PCP that works with a Hospitalist will request that the Hospitalist be in charge of their patient’s care while in the hospital. When the patient is discharged, the patient will return to the care of the PCP.
Consultations from other physicians are necessary in some cases, and the Hospitalist will arrange for these as necessary. If a patient is seeing other doctors elsewhere, please let the Hospitalist know so he/she can keep all of the patient’s physicians informed about the patients hospital stay.
The Hospitalist Group will work with staff at the hospital to assist a patient find a doctor for follow up after discharge.
St. Joseph Regional Medical Center is dedicated to providing high-quality, cost-effective care through patient-centric customer service. The partnership with our hospitalist team reflects that commitment to you and the communities we serve.
During your stay, you will be visited by our Care Managers. Please feel free to share any concerns or compliments about your care and our hospital with him/her.
Once you’ve returned home, you may be contacted by Press Ganey Research, a company we contract with to learn about how satisfied you were with the care you receive while in the hospital. The survey is confidential and your responses will help us improve the care we provide. Please take the time to share about your experience at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center with us.