Hospitalist Care

ECHN’s two hospitals, Manchester Memorial Hospital and Rockville General Hospital, have a hospitalist program that offers hospitalized patients access to doctors around the clock while allowing private-practice physicians more time to see patients in their offices.

The popularity of hospitalist programs is growing across the country. Through ECHN's program, which physicians and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) who are based at the hospital provide inpatient care to the patients of participating physicians.

Hospitalists are medical doctors who specialize in the care of hospitalized patients. ECHN's hospitalist program employs both physicians and APRNs, who are on-site at the two hospitals 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to provide ongoing and immediate care. They work as partners with patients' primary-care physicians.

Meet the hospitalists on the ECHN medical staff.

Why a Hospitalist?

A hospitalist program provides many benefits to patients and their doctors. Studies have shown that it leads to a shorter length of stay in the hospital. That's because patients can be discharged whenever they are ready, since a member of the hospitalist team is available around the clock to handle the discharge procedure.

It also increases patient satisfaction, because doctors and APRNs are available at any time, day or night, to visit with a patient and speak with the patient's family. In addition, if an emergency occurs during a hospitalization, physicians are on the premises and can see the patient right away.

The hospitalist staff remains in contact with each patient's primary-care physician, sending daily faxes, providing updates, and asking for information when we need it. Some physicians who use the program still visit their patients and may get involved with their care.

Non-hospitalized patients also are benefiting from the hospitalist program. Before this program was in place, physicians would have to leave a waiting room full of patients and rush to the hospital if there was an emergency. Now, physicians can be assured that their hospitalized patients are getting the best of care without interrupting their daily office schedule. After patients are discharged, the primary-care physician once again assumes their ongoing care.

For more information about ECHN's hospitalist program, call 860.533.6595.