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Hospitalists coordinate your care plan while you’re in the hospital, as well as communicate with your primary care doctor.
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Many hospitalists are trained in internal medicine or family medicine. Some hospitalist doctors are specialty providers, such as laborists who care for women during labor and childbirth.
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Hospitalists help to provide continuity of health care by seeing patients in a post-discharge clinic and in many area skilled nursing facilities.
Providence Hospitalists: The leader of your health care team
Providing high-quality health care in a safe, compassionate environment is important to us. That’s why Providence hospitalists are key members of your patient care team. They work to help provide you with the best care possible in our health system.
What does a hospitalist do?
Your hospitalist’s main functions are to:
- Communicate with your primary care physician
- Consult with specialists and hospital medical staff involved in your care
- Explain your health care plan with you, your family and caregivers
- Improve your overall wellness and mental health through compassionate care
- Provide advocacy for you in the health system
- Provide and oversee your health services
“There’s always a hospitalist in the medical center, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to take care of urgent needs,” says Tsuyoshi Okawa, M.D., hospitalist director at Providence Little Company of Mary.
“Because taking care of patients admitted to the hospital is our primary responsibility, we’re very attuned to patients who need acute care and close monitoring.” Our hospitalists work with your health care provider team to coordinate your care needs.
Hospitalists are highly experienced health care professionals
Like many Providence Medical Associates hospitalists, Dr. Okawa was trained in internal medicine. Others have training in family practice.
Laborists for delivery of babies
Another kind of hospitalist is called a laborist, also known as an OB-GYN hospitalist or obstetric hospitalist. Our laborists are available 24 hours a day to care for expectant moms. They help manage childbirth and any emergencies in the medical center when your regular obstetrician may not be available or is on their way to the hospital.
Committed to ongoing excellence in patient care
Dr. Okawa notes that our hospitalists are also dedicated to the coordination and continuation of care after you’re released from the hospital.
“We have a post-discharge clinic, called the Coordinated Care Health Center, and it’s just a block away from the hospital. We often have patients follow up before they see their own doctors, so that they’re closely monitored,” he says.
Patients who can’t go home right after discharge may be transferred to a skilled nursing facility. Our hospitalists staff several of the area skilled nursing facilities, which provides continuity of care.
Contributing caregiver
Tsuyoshi Okawa, M.D. is the hospitalist director at Providence Little Company of Mary.
Find a doctor
If you need to find a doctor or for more information on our hospitalist doctors, you can use our provider directory.
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Related resources
Learn when to visit your primary care doctor, urgent care, or emergency department.
Hospitalists: Always standing by
This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Always follow your health care professional’s instructions.
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