What is a hospitalist?
A hospitalist is a physician who manages your care on behalf of your physician while you are in the hospital. A hospitalist is a specialist who only sees patients in the hospital.
Hospitalists are available at Parkland Health Center for inpatient care 24/7. Your hospitalist will visit you daily during your stay at Parkland Health Center. He or she will discuss your treatment, monitor your progress, and order medications, tests or procedures. Your hospitalist may bring in other specialty physicians in the planning of your care, and is always available to discuss questions or concerns.
What is the main benefit of the hospitalist program?
Hospitalists are committed to personalized care, and because they spend all of their time in the hospital, they are ideally suited for the unique needs of hospitalized patients.
What about my doctor?
Your primary care physician knows you best, so our hospitalists will communicate with your doctor as needed during your stay at Parkland Health Center. Think of your hospitalist as a specialist who partners with your primary care physician to give you the best medical care possible.
Your primary care physician will be notified when you are admitted to the hospital and can discuss your course of treatment with your hospitalist at any time. Your hospitalist and primary care physician will discuss your medical history and collaborate on the most appropriate plan for your course of treatment while you are in the hospital. You are also free to contact your primary care physician at any time. Once you leave the hospital, you will return to the care of your primary care physician.
If you do not have a primary care physician, a consultant will assist you and your family in locating a primary care physician in the area. We will set up a follow-up appointment for you with this designated physician at the time of your discharge.
Tele-ICU at Parkland Health Center
Parkland Health Center is continuously looking for ways to provide excellent care. Patients who are admitted to our intensive care unit (ICU) are often seriously ill and require close observation. For those patients, Parkland Health Center utilizes a special monitoring system known as “tele-ICU.” Learn about Parkland's tele-ICU program here.