Patient Care
If you are a patient cared for by the Hospital Medicine Division at Strong Memorial Hospital, one of our hospitalists will keep your primary care physician or specialist informed of your progress, as needed. When you leave the hospital, your primary care physician will receive all the details of your hospitalization in order to create a well-coordinated plan for your ongoing care and good health.
Our Services
Geriatric Fracture Center (GFC)
Since 2017, the Geriatric Fracture Center (GFC) at Strong Memorial Hospital has improved and streamlined care for geriatric orthopedic patients with fragility fractures. The GFC was developed to improve the quality and efficiency of care for older patients with fragility fractures (for example, hip and pelvic fractures) who are admitted to Strong Memorial Hospital.
The Hospital Medicine Division is implementing systems and educational programs for GFC patients resulting in a successful model of care where patients are co-managed by the orthopedic surgery team and hospital medicine team. This collaboration in care will focus on reducing delays in proceeding to the operating room, encouraging early weight bearing, and reducing preventable complications. These programs result in a shorter length of stay and reduced cost of care. The GFC has been recognized by the Joint Commission, the nation’s top health care accrediting organization, for providing quality care to older adults with fractures.
Medical Observation Unit (MOU)
The Medical Observation Unit (MOU) is a hospitalist-led unit where patients who require short-term treatment or monitoring can get high-quality, personalized care. Conditions treated in the MOU include but are not limited to:
- Back pain
- Heart failure
- Nausea and vomiting
- Migraine
- Blood clots
- Abdominal pain
Our team of professionals—including attending physicians, residents, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, LPNs, and patient care technicians—will ensure patients get the care they need as efficiently as possible. Attending physicians and advanced practice providers also work closely with care coordinators and social workers to address patients' long-term needs, whether they are admitted or discharged.
Bedside Procedure Service
The medicine bedside procedure team is an attending/advance practice provider team whose mission is to provide safe and timely access to needed inpatient procedures including paracentesis, thoracentesis, lumbar puncture, non-tunneled central line/dialysis catheter/pheresis catheter insertion, and ultrasound-guided peripheral IV insertion. We:
- Perform procedures at the patient’s bedside to avoid unnecessary transport throughout the hospital
- Communicate directly with the patient’s providers/nurse to ensure safe handoff before and after procedures
- Are available to supervise resident physicians who are learning procedures while taking care of their patients
By completing many procedures at the bedside, we hope to decrease wait time for more complex procedures that need to be performed by interventional radiology.
Unit-Based Teams
Hospitalists serve as Medical Directors for eight patient units at Strong Memorial Hospital. In partnership with the Unit Nurse Managers, they lead interdisciplinary unit-based teams and collaborate on initiatives to improve the quality and efficiency of care for our patients. Each unit-based team includes a core group of physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, care coordinators, social workers, physical therapists, mobility assistants, and other important contributors to patient care.
Patient Safety and Quality Improvement
Hospitalists at Strong Memorial Hospital are actively involved in processes and lead over 20 different initiatives to improve the safety, efficiency and quality of care we provide our patients. Hospitalists lead and collaborate on initiatives to prevent hospital-acquired infections, delirium, falls, and readmissions, while improving pain control, geriatric care, and the overall patient experience. Hospitalist initiatives also target specific conditions, such as diabetes, pneumonia, and heart failure, and integrate methods to help our patients quit smoking.