These doctors specialize in caring for people in the hospital

Recent Mills-Peninsula patients may have met a new type of doctor called a "hospitalist," according to Michael Wood, M.D., chief of staff.

"Hospitalists are internal medicine doctors who specialize in caring for people in the hospital instead of having an office-based private practice," he said. "Much like emergency room doctors 30 years ago, hospitalist is a specialty in its infancy, but catching on."

In the past, primary care doctors were responsible for not only their office practices, but also for treating patients in the hospital. Balancing those two jobs has become difficult, Dr. Wood said.

"Not only is it less practical in today's health care environment, but we've also found that having doctors dedicated to inpatient care improves service," he said. "Hospitalists are here every day, 24 hours a day. They can respond more quickly. That's good for everyone."

These inpatient specialists also are specifically trained to deal with situations that arise in the hospital, Dr. Wood said. For example, since more chronic illness can be managed on an outpatient basis, we find that those people who do require a hospital stay tend to be sicker, requiring more specialists. Hospitalists are trained to coordinate care by multiple specialists, Dr. Wood said. That makes the process more efficient and better for the patient, Dr. Wood explained.

"Because we can now do a better job of coordinating care, patients often are able to go home sooner," Dr. Wood said.

"Of course, each person's primary care doctor is still in charge of managing his or her care.

Hospitalists realize that an important part of caring for patients is talking to the doctor who knows them best."