Tip of the week: Create a hospitalist brochure to communicate with patients

Hospitalist medicine is still in its infancy, and most patients are being placed under the care of a hospitalist for the first time. They may not understand why their PCPs are not their attending physicians. A patient-oriented brochure can help explain the new system.

A comprehensive hospitalist program brochure addresses, at minimum, the following basic patient questions:

• What is a hospitalist?
• What is the relationship between the hospitalist and my PCP?
• How does the hospitalist service work?
• What if I need another specialist while I’m in the hospital?
• How can the hospitalist service/individual hospitalists be contacted?
• What can I expect during my hospitalization?
• Will my PCP be kept up to date about my progress during my stay?

This week’s tip comes from Tools and Strategies for an Effective Hospitalist Program by Jeffrey R. Dichter, MD, FACP and Kenneth G. Simone, DO.