Hospitalist Services at MDH

For more information about the hospitalist program, call (309) 836-1611.

Fast Facts About Hospitalists

• Hospitalists are medical doctors generally board certified in internal medicine or family practice. They specialize in providing care for patients in the inpatient setting. A nurse practitioner or physician assistant may also assist the physician in providing hospitalist care.
• Hospitalists work only in the hospital. They are available for inpatients in Acute Care and ICU during the day and are on-call after hours.
• Hospitalists care for patients from admission to discharge. Primary care physicians who have evaluated a patient in their office and are recommending admission to the hospital will notify the hospitalist of the admission. Based on the condition of the patient and the time of day, the patient will either report to Admitting/Registration or go directly to the nursing unit. If a patient visits the emergency room for evaluation, the ER physician will discuss admission with the hospitalist, and the patient's primary care physician will be notified.
• There is communication between the hospitalist and the primary care physician during the hospital stay and upon dismissal, the care of the patient will return to the primary care physician.
• Hospitalists are easily accessible for MDH inpatients receiving care under the hospitalist service in emergencies and when questions or concerns arise.
• Hospitalists are available to meet with families as needed.
• Hospitalists are very familiar with local and regional specialist and capabilities of care, services and treatments at MDH as well as hospital procedures and processes. This allows them to function efficiently in ordering tests, consulting other specialists, and adjusting treatments which can result in a time efficient hospital stay.
• Inpatients who do not have a primary care physician may be cared for by the hospitalist during the hospital stay. Upon discharge, a list of providers accepting new patients will be provided so patients may choose a primary care physician for further follow up.
• Fees associated with hospitalist services are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most insurance companies and are comparable to fees that primary care physicians have charged for inpatient care.
• Hospitalists facilitate better healthcare for the entire community because primary care physicians are able to spend more uninterrupted time caring for office-based patients when they know their hospitalized patients are under expert supervision.