Ask Karen: Hospitalists: Medical tag-teams

Karen McNew
WSLS 10 on your side
Published: May 7, 2008

QUESTION: I’m wondering now about what our primary care physicians call “hospitalists” that prescribe meds and treatment while a patient is hospitalized, rather than your primary care physician visiting the hospital. What type of degree is required for a “hospitalist?” — Jean S.

ANSWER: When we go to our primary care doctor’s office, there are usually a lot of patients to be seen and treated. Since your primary care doctor has a responsibility to the patients who come to his or her office, once you are hospitalized, they basically tag team with a physician who calls the hospital his or her office.

Dr. James Franko, director of hospitalists with Carilion Clinic, says, “Communication is important and the primary care doc communicates information about the patient to hospitalist. The hospitalist takes care of them in the hospital, and when it is time to go home hands off the information to primary care doctor.”

This is not only time efficient for your primary care doctor, but Dr. Franko says it works well because when you are in the hospital, a hospitalist is there 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

He says using a hospitalist benefits the patient because studies show there are better outcomes — shorter stays in the hospital, and it keeps medical costs down, too.
As far as education, a hospitalist is an M.D.