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Mee Memorial Hospital Launches New Hospitalists Program
April 30, 2007 (King City, CA) – As part of its long-standing tradition of offering the highest level of care to the community, Mee Memorial Hospital features a team of hospitalists – specialists dedicated exclusively to the care of hospitalized adults and children. All Board-certified or Board-eligible in Internal Medicine, these onsite physicians devote their careers to enhancing care and outcomes of patients hospitalized at Mee. Our hospitalists are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“This new service enables Mee Memorial Hospital to partner with a patient’s physician to coordinate care, monitor patient progress and consult frequently with family members and the patient’s primary care physician from the time they are admitted until they are discharged,” states Walt Beck, president and chief executive officer of Mee Health Systems.
Why Hospitalists?
Because the care of the hospitalized patient is a hospitalist’s only concern and focus, these specialists are up-to-date with the latest thinking in acute-care patient management, best practices, newest technologies and cutting-edge approaches. During the field’s 10-year history and existence, studies have shown that this model of care often results in better patient outcomes and shorter hospital stays.
At its most basic, a hospitalist program assures a higher level of onsite monitoring, which can contribute to more timely analyses of test results and responses to patient-care developments. A hospitalist can actually improve outcomes by promoting rapid access to needed subspecialties and other services as soon as warranted, hastening intervention. This, in turn, often produces a shorter hospitalization for the patient and an earlier discharge home to the primary physician’s care.
“Because these physicians spend their entire time in the hospital, they’re available throughout the day for emergencies and admissions. They take care of patients in the same manner as their primary physician, including ordering treatments, tests and consulting with specialty physicians where appropriate,” points out Beck. “It’s just that once a patient is discharged, the care returns to that patient's primary care physician.”Our team of hospitalists assures that someone is always available to answer questions from referring physicians, patients and family members. The team approach also means that each hospitalist is familiar with each patient’s particular case.
Mee Memorial Hospital’s hospitalists are in frequent communication with referring physicians throughout their patient’s hospitalization. In addition to detailed progress reports, a member of the team discusses appropriate follow-up prior to discharge to ensure continuity of care.
Mee Memorial Hospital is a 123-bed, not-for-profit hospital and the anchor facility of Mee Health Systems, a network of healthcare centers, clinics and outreach programs throughout King City, Soledad, Greenfield and Paso Robles. Its Mee Memorial Cancer Center will open in 2007 in Paso Robles. Mee Health Systems is committed to the wellness of our community and providing access to comprehensive healthcare in a caring, professional and responsible environment.
