Bartlett Regional | HouseCalls | Early Spring 2017

“It ensures we always have a physician... available to meet patient needs.” www.bartletthospital.org 3 A NEWKIND OF DOC at Bartlett Hospitalists offer convenience and expertise to patients As of the start of this year, physicians are not only on call but on duty at Bartlett Regional Hospital 24/7. Popular at larger hospitals in the Lower 48, hospitalists are physicians who care for patients who do not have a local attending physician. Hospitalists also admit patients in place of their regular primary care physician. Mimi Benjamin, MD, spearheaded the program at Bartlett. Seven years ago Dr. Benjamin and her husband, Brian, who is also a physician, arrived in Juneau from North Carolina seeking a simpler life and the Alaskan dream. Dr. Benjamin had worked as a doctor at the University of North Carolina and for the state health care quality improvement organization. To Bartlett, she brought a fresh perspective and an eye for improving efficiency. A win-win She worked with the medical staff on the Quality Improvement Committee and helped implement a new electronic medical records program. Then she took on implementing a hospitalist program, which she says is a win for both patients and doctors. Patients can be admitted sooner, and doctors spend less time traveling between their offices and the hospital. This is especially important in medical emergencies. “Before, if there was a problem, the emergency room doctor was the only doctor always in-house,” Dr. Benjamin says. “So the emergency room doctor would have to run up to the floor. “It’s also helpful to have us there at nighttime,” she continues. “Things happen at 2 in the morning, and instead of being two hours away, we are two minutes away.” Hospitalists work the same shifts as nurses, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. or 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. “The hospitalist is also available to the nurses and case management,” Dr. Benjamin says. “The presence is really helpful. So, for example, if some paperwork needs to be filled out or oxygen ordered, the case manager doesn’t have to fax a doctor’s office and wait for a response, because the doctor is right there working as part of the team of health care providers.” “We greatly appreciate the hospitalists’ participation in daily rounds, engagement in clinical documentation improvement and greater availability to meet patient needs as they arise,” says Case Management Director Jeannette Lacey Dunn. “The treatment team is able to develop strong working relationships with providers—who are in the hospital on a regular basis—which enhances the continuum and provision of patient care.” Reaping the benefits Chief Executive Officer Chuck Bill recognizes several benefits of the hospitalist program: “It ensures we always have a physician specializing in inpatient care in the hospital and available to meet patient needs. In-house physicians can respond faster to urgent patient care situations, potentially avoiding complications. In addition, a core group of physicians can become very familiar with the inpatient resources and processes at Bartlett, improving efficiency and care. As a side benefit, primary physicians using the hospitalist service won’t have to interrupt or shorten their office hours to provide care in the hospital, allowing more daily patient office visits.” “All of the doctors in Juneau are on board for having a hospitalist system,” Dr. Benjamin says. “Each practice has decided to participate in different ways. I think it will be very transitional over the next few years. Over time we’ll become our own department.” Mimi Benjamin, MD IN GOOD HANDS: Hospitalist Physician Mimi Benjamin, MD, consults with Nurse Megan Lockridge in the medical surgical unit. MEDICAL STAFF