Hospitalists transform patient care at NYU Lutheran
Health care is constantly evolving — as are the roles of physicians in a hospital environment. At NYU Lutheran Medical Center and hospitals nationwide, a new team of doctors called “hospitalists” have become a regular presence, specially trained to deliver comprehensive care to inpatients.
Dr. Steven Abramson, the Frederick H. King Professor of Internal Medicine and chair of the Department of Medicine at NYU Langone, led the introduction of hospitalists at NYU Langone’s Tisch Hospital in Manhattan. He has seen firsthand the increasingly important role they play in the spectrum of medical care.
“Hospitalists are ‘change agents,’” says Abramson, who also serves as vice dean for education, faculty and academic affairs at NYU Langone. “For example, they help identify important concerns that can lead to serious complications and longer hospital stays such as catheter line infections, blood clots and proper use of transfusions.” He also notes: “Their role also is becoming increasingly important as hospitalized patients are older and sicker, and demands on community-based primary care physicians make it harder to leave their practices and attend to their patients who are hospitalized.”