Overview

The Hospitalist Program at Mount Sinai is long established as a key component of the Department of Medicine and is a recognized leader in the field of hospital medicine. Hospitalists are physicians who specialize in providing care for patients admitted to the hospital. They have experience and expertise in a wide range of diseases, including the care of patients with pneumonia, congestive heart failure, chest pain and heart attacks, asthma, emphysema, and syncope. The Hospitalist Program also plays a large role in the Medical Consultation Service. Patients are evaluated prior to surgery to ensure that they are on the proper medications and can safely undergo surgery. The Medical Consultation Service also follows patients closely after surgery to make certain all medical problems are well-treated. In addition, the Medical Consultation Service takes care of the medical problems for patients admitted to other services, such as psychiatry.

Hospitalists provide outstanding care to patients and are in the unique position to be able to identify systems issues and help improve processes. In recognition of this, Mount Sinai has given hospitalists important administrative roles, such as Physician Leaders of individual medical wards and members of key departmental and hospital committees. The hospitalists are also involved in curriculum development for the Mount Sinai residency program, as well as the teaching of medical students. Several members of the Hospitalist Program were part of a team that developed a novel inpatient curriculum based on the core competencies defined by the American College of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The curriculum specifically addresses professionalism, patient safety and medical errors, resident teaching skills and evidence-based medicine.

Research is also an important aspect of the Hospitalist Program. Hospitalists at Mount Sinai are either leading or involved with multiple research studies, including evaluating DVT prophylaxis (blood clot prevention) for hospitalized medical patients, inpatient diabetic management, and resource utilization for the evaluation of syncope (losing consciousness). The group has numerous publications and its members have lectured regionally and nationally on their areas of expertise.

Because Mount Sinai is a leader in both evidence-based medicine (EBM) and hospital medicine, the Hospitalist Program developed a seminar for hospitalists from across the nation to come and improve their skills in the care of hospitalized patients.