National Hospitalist Day March 5th

In today’s world, if you or a loved one experiences a hospital stay, you will likely be seen by a hospitalist instead of your family physician. While this practice is becoming more and more common, it might still raise questions and anxiety for some. We talked to three osteopathic physicians who are working as hospitalists in Enid: Dr. Best Chen at INTEGRIS Bass Baptist Health Center and Dr. Kalli Reimer and Dr. Sara Oldham both at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center.Dr. Oldham explained that a hospitalist is a physician that only cares for patients that are admitted into the hospital. They do not have an out-patient clinic. These physicians are usually trained in either internal medicine or family practice.This can be advantageous to the patient, Dr. Chen said. “One of the benefits of being treated by a hospitalist is that patients are seen by a specialized team that is experienced in acute inpatient medicine. Medicine is very focused and specialized now. Similar to seeing a cardiologist that specializes in the heart and is experienced with cardiac issues, a hospitalist is a specialty in itself. Hospitalists are comfortable and versed in acute conditions in the hospital.”The hospitalist’s presence in the hospital also makes it convenient to follow up on tests and procedures and they can field questions from family, nurses and lab technicians in a timely manner.According to the Society of Hospital Medicine there are more than 62,000 hospitalists across the United States, and hospital medicine is one of the fastest growing medical specialties. The Society also states that hospitalists now lead clinical care in over 75% of U.S. hospitals, caring for patients in their communities.However, a patient who has never been seen by a hospitalist, might have questions such as How will the hospitalist know my history ? What role does my primary care physician play ?“When admitted to the hospital we take a detailed history and physical of all our patients.” Dr. Oldham said. “This includes asking about the event that brought you into the hospital as well as asking about your past medical history, past surgical history, family and social history as well as allergies and medications.”Dr. Reimer acknowledged that these kinds of questions are not uncommon but patients can be assured that communication is an important aspect of care and a hospitalist can request records from the patient’s physician to aid in decision making in their care.Likewise, the primary care physician receives information from the hospitalist.Dr. Chen explained that the primary care physician (PCP) has access to a hospital summary including history and physical examination (H&P), progress notes, and discharge summaries after the patient leaves the hospital.“We also communicate with the PCP office to update them if any appointments will be missed. From my experience PCP offices are very understanding in missed appointments due to hospital admission.”The discharge summary that Dr. Chen mentions contains valuable information for the patient’s regular physician. Dr. Reimer described the process. “On a patient’s last hospitalization day, the hospitalist creates a discharge summary outlining the entire hospital course including presenting symptoms, laboratory testing and imaging, diagnosis, and treatment including specific medications administered and changes to home medications. If a patient saw a specialist or received a procedure, this would be included in the discharge summary also.”When asked what was the most rewarding aspect of being a hospitalist, the physicians unanimously responded that they enjoyed playing a key role in the patient’s recovery.It is rewarding to see a patient come in sick and able to walk out and rewarding to see that you are able to make a dramatic difference in a short time. – Dr. ChenI value the time spent with patients and their families in navigating serious health issues to improvement. The best part of what I do is seeing someone recover from illness and having been a part of that process. – Dr. ReimerThere is so much I enjoy about this job. I think one of the most rewarding parts is seeing patients improve quickly. Knowing that they come in sick but are able to leave healthy makes me feel good about the care I can give. – Dr. Oldham