East Morgan County Hospital welcomes Hospitalists

BRUSH, Colo. (Aug. 15, 2011) – East Morgan County Hospital has implemented a full-time hospitalist program for inpatient care.

Hospitalists are board certified or board-eligible physicians who specialize in the care of hospitalized patients. A hospitalist stays in the facility 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and has a designated cell phone that they can be reached on.

They partner with local physicians to care for those physicians' hospitalized patients. Hospitalists also are the primary physicians for those patients who are admitted without a local primary care physician.

“Patient satisfaction and patient safety are two critically important elements of the hospital experience,” says Linda Thorpe, EMCH interim chief executive officer.   “We are very excited to be able to offer this service to our inpatients and look forward to enjoying the benefits that this service will provide to the community.”

Studies of hospitalist programs in other facilities have shown numerous benefits to patients. Hospitalists can monitor treatments throughout the day and night and can be available at any time for discussions with providers, nurses, patients, and families.

The hospitalist program at East Morgan County Hospital ensures each patient’s physician is kept up-to-date on their hospital stay. On discharge, the hospitalists schedule all necessary follow-up appointments with primary care providers for smooth continuity of care.

“Having a hospitalist is already showing to be a great benefit. He has helped me evaluate pre and post operative patients,” Thomas Bryant, MD, general surgeon said. “This is a tremendous asset in determining which patients we can safely treat at EMCH and which require the facilities of a larger hospital.”

About East Morgan County Hospital
East Morgan County Hospital in Brush, Colo. is licensed by the state of Colorado and certified by Medicare as a 25-bed critical-access hospital. Designated as a Level IV Trauma Center, East Morgan includes a 24-hour emergency department with three trauma bays, two surgery suites, two recovery rooms, six pre and post operative rooms, one endoscopy room, and one outpatient surgery suite. It is part of Banner Health, one of the country’s largest nonprofit hospital systems.

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