Hospitalist Program

About the Brown Health Medical Group Hospitalist Program

Brown Health Medical Group’s Hospitalist Program cares for adult patients at Rhode Island, The Miriam and Newport hospitals. 

What Is a Hospitalist?

A hospitalist is a physician who practices exclusively within a hospital setting. That physician works with the team caring for you in conjunction with your primary care physician (PCP), to help coordinate and manage your care. All Brown University Health hospitalists focus only on inpatient medicine, are board-certified internists, and care for both adult and pediatric patients.

Hospitalists are a dedicated inpatient group whose responsibilities are to care for medical patients from admission through discharge. Their role is to ensure that communication between the hospital and the PCPs is optimized to ensure that patients receive the best care possible.

Brown University Health has more than 80 hospitalist providers throughout our affiliates.

What Does a Hospitalist Do During My Stay?

Hospitalists provide care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to adult and pediatric inpatients. Your dedicated hospitalist will always be available to consult with you or your family.

Our hospitalists are in communication with your primary care physician throughout your hospital stay.

After your discharge, the hospitalist will provide your primary care physician all the necessary information, including a full summary of your hospital care, post-discharge plans, and medications, so your PCP can provide follow-up care. For pediatric patients, the child’s pediatrician or family practice doctor will provide follow-up care.

Our goal is to make you feel as comfortable as possible, to let you know that we are in communication with your PCP so we can manage your care together.

Why Should I Use a Hospitalist?

Having a dedicated inpatient group has advantages. Hospitalists are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to attend to you or consult with you or your family.

With electronic medical records, care is now easier to coordinate between hospitalists and PCPs.

Early data from researchers comparing outcomes and costs for patients cared for by hospitalists and those cared for by traditional physicians found that hospitalist-attended patients had better medical outcomes, including shorter length of stay and lower costs. Dedicated hospitalists are familiar with the hospital's protocols and processes, adept at care coordination from within the hospital, and are readily available when a patient needs them.

How Do I Choose the Hospitalist Program?

If you’re planning a hospital stay and would like to choose the hospitalist service, speak with your primary care physician, who will make the arrangements for you. 

If you come to the emergency department and are admitted to the hospital, you will be provided care by the hospitalist team. If you are in the hospital, and you or a member of your family wishes to speak to the hospitalist assigned to your care, simply ask your nurse to make the call for you.