Presbyterian Healthcare 
2005 News Releases
Merriam-Websters Dictionary Officially Recognizes Hospitalists
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October 24, 2005 Contact: Katie Vick, Presbyterian Healthcare, 704-384-9869 |
Presbyterian's team of hospitalists provide dedicated, expert care for admitted patients.
The term "hospitalist" topped the list of words added to the latest edition of Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary, which formally defines words that have taken root in American conversation. So, just what exactly is a hospitalist?
Hospitalists, known within Presbyterian Hospital as Presbyterian Inpatient Care Specialists (PICS), are dedicated exclusively to the care of hospitalized adult patients at Presbyterian Hospital, Presbyterian Hospital Matthews, Presbyterian Hospital Huntersville and Presbyterian Orthopaedic Hospital. Webster defines a hospitalist as "a physician who specializes in treating hospitalized patients of other physicians in order to minimize the number of hospital visits by other physicians."
At Presbyterian, the PICS team consists of more than 30 board-certified physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and qualified support staff. The PICS team collaborates with primary care physicians in the community and other referring physicians to provide expert care to Presbyterian patients.
Presbyterian's hospitalists are available on site around-the-clock to manage patients and consult with specialists requesting their expertise. The PICS team brings value and consistency to the care of hospitalized patients, providing patients, families and primary care physicians with greater peace of mind.
A patient will be assigned a hospitalist physician who will discuss the condition and necessary treatments after being admitted. Each patient's primary doctor will send appropriate medical records to the hospitalist. While in the hospital, the PICS doctor will communicate frequently with the patient's primary care physician. The PICS team provides a number of services, including:
- Visiting patient bedside to answer questions
- Ordering tests, medicines and treatments
- Communicating with the patient, primary care physicians and patient's family about patient conditions, test results and care
- Consulting with additional specialists as needed
- Arranging for patient discharge from the hospital and notifying the primary care physician of patient discharge
- Providing going-home instructions about further care, medication and follow-up
- Sending a summary of patient hospital care back to the primary care physician
For more information about the PICS team, visit www.picsdocs.com or go to www.presbyterian.org.
