Specialist care for hospitalized patients

You may not be familiar with this new term, but the next time you’re hospitalized, you may find yourself in the capable hands of a “hospitalist.”

Decatur Memorial Hospital welcomes Hospitalist David J. Yu, MD. Hailing from Morton Grove, Ill., Dr. Yu completed an Internal Medicine Residency in 1995 at Northwestern University, Evanston Hospital. He received a medical degree from the University of Illinois, Chicago, College of Medicine in 1992.

“Hospitalists are fully trained Internal Medicine physicians who devote all of their clinical time to the care of hospitalized patients,” Dr. Yu says. “Hospitalists serve as attending physicians for patients who are directed to inpatient care by their primary care provider. Hospitalists may also be involved in co-managing surgical patients, such as orthopedic hip replacement patients who have active medical issues.”

Hospitalists have been the model for hospital care in Europe for a half century. Only recently have the advantages of hospitalists been considered in the United States. Some of the nation's leading hospitals, including Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic and Harvard's Brigham and Beth Israel hospitals, now have hospitalists programs.

“The primary reason DMH introduced hospitalists to the community was patient care—both inpatient and outpatient care,” explains DMH Vice President Michael Zia, MD. “The ability to rapidly coordinate inpatient care and react in real time throughout the day to clinical data and changes in patients’ medical status by a full-time hospital-based physician has distinct advantages both in terms of quality of care and potential cost savings.”

Studies have shown that hospitalists services reduce hospital costs and length of stay, without compromising quality or patient satisfaction. At each step, whether ordering treatments, tests, or consulting with specialists when appropriate, the hospitalist communicates with the patient’s primary care or referring physician. Once discharged, the patient returns to the care of their primary physician.

“At DMH, we recognize that our community’s primary care physicians are busy with their patients and handling the day-to-day oversight of an active office practice,” Dr. Zia says. “With our hospitalist program, we hope to ease the burden of continuous visits to the hospital, offering referring physicians the assurance that their patients are receiving the highest level of inpatient care.”

The Society of Hospital Medicine estimates that 10,000 to 12,000 hospitalists are practicing today, with their growth expected to more than double in the next decade.

See DMH's Hospitalist Physician Listing

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