Hospitalist Program
A Hospitalist is a medical doctor who specializes in the care of patients in the hospital. Eisenhower Health Hospitalists do not have outpatient office practices. The Hospitalists are Board Certified/Board Eligible Internal Medicine physicians who care for patients while they are hospitalized. They manage patients in all inpatient areas of the hospital including the intensive care units, medical units and surgical units, as well as coordinate with your primary care physician. A Hospitalist will always be in the hospital and available to care for you as needed, 24-hours a day.
How did the Hospitalist become my inpatient physician?
Increasingly, primary care physicians will refer their patients to the Hospitalist when patients are too sick to be managed in the outpatient setting. Hospitalized patients with multiple, complex medical problems will benefit from the available Hospitalist physician care 24-hours a day.
Many patients admitted to Eisenhower Medical Center have no primary care or family physician. Other patients may be admitted by another medical specialist or surgeon who requests a medical consultation with the Hospitalist team.
Why is a Hospitalist caring for me?
In addition to being available to care for you 24-hours a day, Hospitalists enable your primary care physician to be more available to patients in the office, rather than having to travel back and forth between seeing patients in the office and in the hospital. As a patient of the Eisenhower Hospitalist Group, you will have the benefit of being seen by a physician who is entirely focused on your care while you are in the hospital.
If requested by you, a Hospitalist will arrange a meeting with your family to answer their questions in person whenever possible. For confidentiality reasons, the Hospitalist will discuss your care only if your consent is confirmed. Since there are a number of patients under the care of the Hospitalists, we ask that family members arrange a time when all members can be present together for updates.
What does the Hospitalist know about me?
At the time of your hospitalization, your primary care physician (if you have one) or specialist and the Hospitalist will often share information about your past medical history. Outpatient and inpatient medical records are often available to provide as much information about you as possible. However, it is always necessary for the Hospitalist to obtain information directly from you. Although this may seem repetitive, it helps the Hospitalist care for you.
Who will assist me with any discharge needs?
The Hospitalist will provide prescriptions for a one-month supply of most discharge medications and also sign for the initial orders for home health services, oxygen, and necessary medical equipment. Prescription refill requests or other renewal orders must be directed to your primary care physician.
Your primary care physician will manage results of any labs or tests pending at the time of your discharge. We recommend that you schedule a follow-up visit with your primary care physician within seven days of being discharged from the hospital. Take all medication bottles, new prescriptions and discharge sheets to your follow-up appointment.
If you do not have a primary care physician, you will be provided resources about how to obtain a primary care physician upon discharge.
Will I receive a bill from the Eisenhower Hospitalist Group?
Yes. Since a Hospitalist provided your medical care in the hospital, you will receive a separate bill for their services just as you would from your primary care physician or specialist.
