September 23, 2013

Curry General Hospital offers new hospitalist program

GOLD BEACH, OR - Curry General Hospital is pleased to announce a new hospitalist program which began September 9, 2013. Many larger hospitals throughout the country are taking the hospitalist approach to patient care. Hospitalists are highly-qualified physicians who focus on each patient's care while in the hospital, from time of admission to time of discharge. They do not replace the patient's primary care physician, but work in close consultation with them to provide case management for the patient. A medical doctor will now be available on site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide inpatient hospitalist care for patients at Curry General Hospital. The hospitalist will provide complete care for the patients of physicians on staff who have chosen to use the hospitalist service, and for patients who currently do not have a primary care physician.

Hospitalists will admit patients, order diagnostic tests and lab work, plan treatment, consult with specialists and discharge patients from the hospital. After discharge, a summary of each patient's hospitalization record will be sent to his/her primary care physician or surgeon, and the patient will follow-up with their own physician at his/her office.

"While many large facilities use hospitalists, we feel ours is uniquely better than most," said Curry Health Network CEO, Andrew Bair. Rather than our hospitalists working 12-hour shifts like most hospitalists, the hospitalist at Curry General Hospital will work a 7 to 10-day shift. The reason they can work this unusual shift is because the volume in our hospital is lower than metropolitan hospitals. "There are fewer hand offs of care between physicians, which will improve our quality of care," Bair said. In addition to being on site 24/7, the hospitalists at Curry General in Gold Beach will carry a cell phone for staff, patients and families of patients to call anytime. "It's a wonderful service we're very excited to bring to the community," said Bair.