Hospitalists
What is a Hospitalist?
Hospitalist doctors work within hospitals, directing your care when you receive admission to and spend at least one night in the hospital. These board-certified physicians have special, ongoing training in hospital-based medicine, and we at St. Bernards Medical Center employ their services 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure you receive the best care possible.
What Does a Hospitalist Do?
Hospitalist physicians function similarly to a quarterback on a football team, leading and directing your overall care during a hospital stay. As your assigned doctor and care coordinator, hospitalists practice within St. Bernards Medical Center, helping you and your caregivers while you are in the hospital.
Some of a Hospitalist’s duties include:
- Ordering and monitoring tests;
- Directing medications and treatments;
- Leading overall care teams, including nurses, nurse practitioners, therapists, case workers and many others;
- Bringing in other specialist physicians if further care is needed;
- Communicating with you and your family;
- Updating your primary care doctor on your health;
- Planning how and when you leave the hospital, known as discharge. This process may include finding a place for you to go, rehabilitation, care at home and follow-up care.
History & Mission
A newer medical specialty, Hospital Medicine began in the late 1990s to improve how hospitals care for patients. Hospitals with Hospitalist teams saw patients spending less time inpatient and needing fewer return visits. Other hospitals immediately saw the benefit of these services, and Hospitalists programs sprang up rapidly across the United States.
We began our Hospitalist program at St. Bernards Medical Center in 2009, and the program has since grown to include multiple specialties, disciplines and providers.
The word hospitalist, itself, has etymological roots in Latin and Old French, literally meaning “a person who practices or is concerned with sheltering the needy and the hosting of guests.” Since 1900, St. Bernards has concerned itself with caring for any person who enters our doors, creating inseparable ties to this region and the residents who live here. As such, Hospitalists and their teams fit directly within our mission “to provide Christ-like healing to the community through education, treatment and health services.”
Hospitalist Specialties
Because you and your loved ones have specific needs, Hospital Medicine cannot use a “one-size-fits-all” approach. The care you receive should reflect your individual needs and circumstances, and we have multiple Hospitalist specialties to create individualized care plans for you, whatever your stage of life.
Adult Hospitalist
Adult Hospitalist physicians with St. Bernards Healthcare care for most hospitalized patients 18 years of age and older, having received training and experience in needs that come with a hospital stay. These doctors make a custom care plan for you, helping restore your health and communicating with your family and primary care doctor.
OB Hospitalist
Obstetric (OB) Hospitalist physicians with St. Bernards Healthcare provide pregnant women with care and peace of mind 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Because newborns arrive unpredictably, St. Bernards OB Hospitalists coordinate with your regular OB-GYN, assessing and managing your care at your doctor’s requests. If needed, our OB Hospitalists will deliver your baby. These doctors have training in neonatal CPR, advanced cardiac life support and OB emergency care, and they provide immediate care for you and your child should any issue or complication arise.
Pediatric Hospitalist
Pediatric Hospitalist physicians with St. Bernards Healthcare provide care to a person in the hospital under the age of 18. When your child is in the hospital, our Pediatric Hospitalists will coordinate and deliver care, coordinating closely with your child’s pediatrician. This process starts upon arrival and continues through discharge from the hospital, with treatment plans for follow-up or long-term care.
During your child’s stay, our Pediatric Hospitalists:
- Guide you through hospital admission
- Assess and treat your child’s medical condition
- Regularly report progress to your child’s pediatrician
- Coordinate your child’s care, including all tests or other procedures
- Arrange any specialty care, therapy or consultations
- Answer questions and keep you and your family informed
- Transition care back to your child’s pediatrician upon discharge
