Hospitalist Program

Trained Physicians Who Specialize in Patient Care

Since 2008, a medical hospitalist program has been in place at Carteret Health Care and has become an increasingly important part of the team. Hospitalists are physicians who specialize in managing a patient's care while in the hospital and can quickly respond to changes in the patient's condition, order medical changes or tests and answer questions. These physicians specialize in patient care in the hospital setting, including patients admitted through the Emergency Department. The hospitalist serves as your primary doctor while maintaining frequent contact with your primary care physician, whether your admission is a planned inpatient stay or the result of an emergency visit.

Several of the benefits of the hospitalist program include:

• Shorter waiting time for a bed: The hospitalist expedites the process of getting patients admitted from the ER to inpatient status.
• Better communication: Hospitalists only work in the hospital and become your central point for communication for you as the patient, your family, your primary care physician, and all specialists who treat you.
• Personalized, family-centered care: Because hospitalists practice full-time in the hospital, they are available at all times to answers patient questions regarding medical care, so you won’t have to wait on a primary care doctor to make rounds in order to ask questions or get answers.
• Shorter hospital stay: Much of the wait time for tests, results and consultations are eliminated by having the hospitalist be the provider and coordinator of your care. The hospitalist makes sure each step happens in a timely manner, and this can reduce your length of stay by as much as a day.

Quicker discharge. Patients can wait all day for their physician to arrive or for a surgeon to finish other cases and release them from the hospital. The hospitalist can give discharge approval more quickly, to get you on your way home sooner.

Continuity of care. Carteret Health Care provides hospitalists and Emergency Room physicians. Thus, if you come through the ER and need to be admitted, our physician team can quickly and effectively coordinate your care. They are highly committed to quality and patient satisfaction.

Better quality of care. In case of an emergency while you're in the hospital, your hospitalist is nearby and will see you several times a day, if needed. Your hospitalist knows every specialist and department in the hospital, and will follow up on tests and adjust your treatment throughout the day as needed.