The PAMF Hospitalist System
The PAMF Hospitalist Department includes both full-time hospitalists and primary care physicians (PCPs) who work as part-time hospitalists. The hospitalists care for patients staying at Stanford University Hospital, Washington Hospital in Fremont, El Camino Hospital in Mountain View or Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center and Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz.
At Stanford University Hospital, a teaching hospital, hospitalists act as attending (supervising) physicians for a team of resident physicians and medical students.
Hospitalists see PAMF patients requiring treatment with medicine, not surgery. The team discusses all aspects of treatment, but the hospitalist is ultimately responsible for the patient's care. At Washington Hospital, El Camino Hospital and Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center, hospitalists are the sole care providers as there are no resident physicians.
Most of the physicians who provide consult care to PAMF patients are PAMF physicians. However, some patients with medical conditions in certain clinical specialty areas, such as cardiovascular surgery or orthopedics, may receive care from Stanford faculty or experienced physicians from the community. At Washington Hospital, PAMF relies on the many outstanding specialists in the Fremont community. This is also true for the hospitalists who primarily practice at El Camino Hospital, Dominican Hospital, and Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center. PAMF is linked to the medical communities in Mountain View and Santa Cruz. Because PAMF hospitalists and outside specialists interact frequently in the hospital setting, they are able to develop strong relationships, further improving patient care.
Hospitalists also play a role when PAMF patients come to the hospital through the emergency room (ER). Those patients are seen first by an ER physician, who assesses whether the patient should be admitted to the hospital. If the patient is admitted, the ER physician contacts a PAMF hospitalist, who provides care to the patient either in the emergency room or shortly after admission.
At Stanford University Hospital, the hospitalist will often see the patient at a follow-up clinic visit after a patient is discharged, within one to two weeks of his or her discharge. This allows the patient to be closely monitored during recuperation and a chance to address issues that may not have been urgent in the hospital. After this one-time visit, patients resume visits with their regular primary care physician.
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