Frequently Asked Questions

What is a hospitalist?
What is Hospital Medicine?
Do hospitalists replace primary care physicians?
How does the patient's regular doctor know about my illness in the hospital?
How do patients benefit from a hospitalist care?
What if a patient doesn't have a primary care physician?
What if a patient doesn't have insurance?
Do hospitalists work with specialists?
Do hospitalists work with nursing and case management?
Why is Sound Inpatient Physicians a premier hospitalist organization?
Are hospitalists unique to the U.S.?
Does the use of hospitalists save money?

What is a hospitalist?

A hospitalist is a physician whose practice is dedicated entirely to the care of hospitalized patients. Since their sole practice is within the hospital itself, they have no additional doctor's office in the community. Hospitalists generally work in teams to provide 24-hour coverage for their hospitalized patients.

The hospitalist is often an internal medicine specialist, though some are trained in subspecialties like critical care or geriatrics. The hospitalist's activities may also include serving on hospital committees, teaching, research, and leadership related to hospital patient care.

What is Hospital Medicine?

Hospital medicine refers to the care of hospitalized patients. It is a fast-growing specialty that has revolutionized inpatient care for the benefit of patients, the medical community and hospitals.

Do hospitalists replace primary care physicians?

No, hospitalists don't replace but work with the community of physicians - including primary care physicians and specialists. The hospitalist group and the community of physicians have a dynamic working relationship based on an agreement previously negotiated among the physicians.

To provide the best possible care, the patient's medical history is provided to the hospitalist at the time of admission. Upon discharge, patients and their updated medical records are returned to the primary care physician.

How does the patient's regular doctor know about my illness in the hospital?

Sound hospitalists work closely with the community of physicians throughout the admission and discharge process to ensure the smooth transition of care. Medical records are updated and exchanged and, if the doctor prefers, a phone call is made as well. Sound hospitalists take it upon themselves to be sure their patients resume appropriate care with their personal physician. If the patient does not have a primary care physician, one is provided for follow up.

How do patients benefit from a hospitalist care?

Hospitalists work as a team to be available to their patients 24 hours a day.
A patient's hospital care path is a fluid and often unpredictable process of decision making. The hospitalists are available to make these decisions throughout the day. They rapidly follow up on test results, discuss the case with specialists, examine the patient's response to treatment, and adjust the treatment as needed. This prevents frustrating and idle waiting by the patient and hastens a smooth and speedy recovery.
Should an emergency or a change in the patient's condition arise, a member of the hospital team is always available.
The hospitalist is more accessible to address the questions and concerns of patients or their families. In the traditional model, patients are typically visited only once a day by their personal physician, usually in the evening.
By taking care of the hospitalized patients, hospitalists allow the primary care doctors to be more available for office visits.
Spending all of their clinical time in the hospital, hospitalists have a unique, in-depth knowledge of hospital logistics - departments, specialists, and technologies - resulting in exceptional and efficient patient care.
The diagnoses, the severity of the patient's condition, and related complications are often unique to the hospitalized patient. The hospitalist is most experienced in these areas of medicine. Since the hospitalist provides 100 percent of their patient care in the hospital (vs.12 percent of a typical primary care physician's time), they are truly inpatient specialists.
Healthcare research has proven that hospital medicine - inpatient care by hospitalist physicians - has increased the quality of care as well as the cost efficiency. This translates to better care for patients, with fewer unnecessary tests, less discomfort, and earlier patient discharge.
On average, hospitalists are able to safely discharge their patients 30 percent sooner.

What if a patient doesn't have a primary care physician?

A key element of hospital medicine is to provide care for those without a primary care physician. These are referred to as "unassigned patients." It is very important to the medical community that these patients receive the same high quality care as any other patient. To guarantee that these patients are under a doctor's care after discharge, Sound hospitalists have an agreement with their community's primary care physicians. These community physicians take care of the unassigned patients in exchange for Sound providing inpatient care for their patients. This collegial arrangement has greatly benefited the patient, the hospital, and the community.

What if a patient doesn't have insurance?

Hospitalists provide care whether a patient has insurance or not. Sound hospitalists are "insurance blind" and provide the same high level of compassionate care regardless of a patient's insurance status. It really makes no difference to the hospitalist, who is trained to provide every patient the best possible care. In addition, they work closely with case management to assist their patients in accessing all possible resources unique to their situation.

Do hospitalists work with specialists?

Yes. A patient requiring surgery or an orthopedic procedure frequently has other health issues, such as diabetes or hypertension. The specialist can request that the hospitalist share in the patient's care. This allows the specialists to focus on their areas of expertise, and the hospitalists to focus on their areas of expertise - all to the benefit of the patient.

Do hospitalists work with nursing and case management?

Since the hospital is their sole practice venue, hospitalists develop strong working relationships with nursing and case management. Given their 24-hour availability, hospitalists can more efficiently manage admissions and discharges - saving time and money, and alleviating frustration.

Why is Sound Inpatient Physicians a premier hospitalist organization?

Sound is an innovative hospitalist organization that funds and staffs its own internal learning institute dedicated to ongoing physician education. The SIP Hospitalist Institute™ offers Sound's hospitalists an integrated curriculum including ‘Clinical Conditions and Procedures', ‘Personal and Professional Development' and the 'Business of Hospital Medicine' and continues to add courses in response to this ever-evolving field of medicine.

In addition to being supported and encouraged in their continued education, the hospitalists - who work in teams - are able to draw on their collective knowledge and benefit from the strong community among team members and across sites. The Sound hospitalists use today's most advanced communication technologies to assist their team and support network in creating this new generation of inpatient care.

Sound has developed specially tailored programs to focus on ways to improve hospital safety and efficiency and assists in the continued development of a uniform, evidence-based approach to patient care.

Are hospitalists unique to the U.S.?

Hospital medicine has been a tradition in Europe and Canada for decades. The model of a hospital-based physician has proven quite successful in the United States as well.

Does the use of hospitalists save money?

The definitive answer is "yes." Repeated studies have shown a significant cost savings with the use of the hospitalist model of care. As an example, these savings are seen in the reduction of unnecessary tests and procedures as well as earlier discharge - all serving the best interests of the patient.