TLRMC announces Hospitalist program
The year 2009 will be remembered as a time when the nation hotly debated the future course of healthcare. Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center in Leitchfield announced today it is implementing a program designed to improve the quality of care offered patients in the hospital and help area physicians see more patients in their offices while also holding down costs.
Called a "hospitalist" program, TLRMC will have physicians on staff who only treat patients that have been admitted to the hospital. Improved patient care and operating efficiency are key goals of a new program. Patients cared for by hospitalists usually have shorter hospital stays, and are just as satisfied with their care.
"The hospitalists are doctors who see patients when they are admitted to the hospital," said Stephen Meredith, CEO of Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center. "By only being in the hospital, they can see patients multiple times during the day, can respond to urgent patient needs in minutes and are available to order tests and view results in real time. They’re also more accessible to help the nursing staff with questions or problems involving hospital patients." Meredith adds, "Just as there are physicians who specialize for your knees, heart and ears, a hospitalist specializes in caring for you when you're hospitalized."
Meredith said the hospitalist will stay in close touch with patients, their families and their personal physicians. "We’re really excited about being able to elevate the over-all level of care our patients receive and enable the other physicians to operate even more efficiently."
According to Meredith, the hospitalists will begin seeing patients on Monday, September 28. Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center has contracted with Hospital Care Consultants (HCC) of Dallas to provide the hospitalist program. A leader in the hospitalist field, HCC recruits, credentials and provides board-certified physicians.
HCC President Alan Himmelstein said growing numbers of hospitals – especially small and mid-size facilities located in suburban and rural communities – are embracing hospitalist programs as terrific tools for improving patient care, profitability and operating efficiency.
"HCC management and staff have many years of experience," Himmelstein said, "and we have a hospitalist program to fit virtually every size hospital." He said HCC has implemented hospitalist programs in nine states.