Hospital Internal Medicine

People who are hospitalized benefit from having their care coordinated by healthcare professionals who care only for people in the hospital. Doctors and advanced practice providers in this role are called hospitalists. They manage a wide range of medical needs, including those of people with complex and serious conditions. Hospitalists are experts in:

• Evaluating medical risks before and after surgery.
• Enhancing the continuity of care.
• Facilitating communication between patients, their families and the rest of the care team.

If you are at one of Mayo Clinic's hospitals in Phoenix, Arizona, Jacksonville, Florida, or Rochester, Minnesota, you may be cared for by hospitalists. The clinic's Division of Hospital Internal Medicine is one of the largest groups of hospitalists in the United States, with about 200 doctors and advance practice providers. They work closely with nurses, social workers, physical therapists and other members of your care team to provide thoughtful, safe and effective medical care.

People who are in a hospital usually need a high level of care and often have more than one medical condition. For example, someone who is admitted for a broken bone or a hip replacement may need care for high blood pressure or an infection as well. Mayo Clinic hospitalists work closely with experts in several medical and surgical specialties, including cardiovascular medicine, integrative medicine, nephrology, orthopedic surgery, palliative medicine, hospice, pulmonary medicine and oncology.

Each Mayo Clinic hospital has hospitalists on duty every day, all day. They provide 24-hour inpatient medical consultation service and are often the first to respond to in-hospital emergencies. If you enter the hospital through the Emergency Department or other hospitals, hospitalists coordinate your care. The Division of Hospital Internal Medicine team members are part of a larger, multispecialty Mayo Clinic group that includes outpatient doctors, some of whom also may work in the hospital. The team's goal is to combine the latest evidence-based medicine with thoughtful consideration of each person's needs to foster wellness and healing.

Hospitalists also supervise and teach students, residents, fellows and nurse practitioners. Many hospitalists have completed fellowships or advanced training and contribute to research at Mayo Clinic.

Advanced Care at Home

Advanced Care at Home at Mayo Clinic is an innovative hospital-at-home program offering acute-level, inpatient-quality care to people in the comfort of their own homes. Health and safety are at the center of this care. This service combines both virtual and in-home services to meet your needs.

The hospital-at-home option is available to people with certain conditions and health statuses at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, and Phoenix, Arizona. Ask your Mayo Clinic hospital nurse whether Advanced Care at Home might be an option for you.

Hospitalist-orthopedic team

The hospitalist-orthopedic team at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota offers streamlined surgical and medical care for people having orthopedic surgery. This assures continuity of medical care throughout their hospital stay. This collaboration creates a tightly integrated, multispecialty partnership in care for people near the time of their surgery. This is sometimes called perioperative care.

Your care is coordinated by the same healthcare professional throughout your hospital stay. Your care begins with a visit before surgery called the preoperative evaluation. It continues through an assessment right after surgery called the postoperative evaluation. Your care may include daily visits from your hospitalist while you're in the hospital and outpatient medical follow-up, as needed.

Charter House short-term stay program

Charter House is a continuing care retirement community affiliated with Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. It's home to more than 400 people. Hospitalists provide transitional skilled nursing care at Charter House for people who no longer need inpatient hospital care, for up to six weeks. The short-term stay program is often appropriate for people who are:

• Recovering from orthopedic surgery.
• Frail.
• Undergoing hemodialysis while they await access to this treatment in their local community.