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| What Is a Hospitalist? |
A hospitalist is a physician who specializes in providing care for patients specifically while they are hospitalized. Hospitalist physicians don’t see patients by appointment in a traditional office setting; many are internal medicine specialists, and some are family practice physicians or other specialists.
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| Whom Do Hospitalists Help? |
They help patients. Hospitalists can keep a closer eye on you while you’re at West Park. They work as a team to care for hospitalized patients 24 hours a day, so there always is a physician on duty. Because they don’t have outpatient practices, they’re able to visit you more. If there is an emergency, they’ll have the most current information about you.
They help hospital staff. Your hospitalist team has the advantage of working at the hospital full time and knowing the hospital and its staff. If you need a test, they know who to call and are available to follow up on the results quickly. That means your treatment can be tailored to the most up-to-date information.
They help your doctor. By taking care of you while you are at West Park, hospitalists give your doctor more time for office visits.
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| How Do They Know About My Specific Situation? |
When you are admitted to West Park, your doctor calls a hospitalist to inform him or her of your condition and provides the hospitalist with as much information as possible about you. The process is similar to what happens when your doctor refers you to a specialist for an opinion or additional tests
or treatment.
While you are at West Park, your doctor and the hospitalist keep in touch about your ongoing treatment.
When you are discharged from West Park, the hospitalist will let your doctor know about any further treatment needs, will help arrange a follow-up appointment and prescribe any necessary medications.
Finally, your hospitalist sends your medical records from West Park to your doctor.
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| Who Are WPH's Hospitalists? |
  
Kathleen DiVincenzo, M.D.
Board-certified in
Internal Medicine |
Kim Slight, M.D.
Board-certified in
Internal Medicine |
Clint Seger, M.D.
Board-certified in
Family Medicine |
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| What Physicians Use the Hospitalist Program? |
If your physician has signed a hospitalist agreement, your primary physician caregiver while at WPH will likely be one of our three hospitalists. Each physician decides individually whether or not to utilize the hospitalist service.
And just because your physician uses the hospitalist service doesn't mean your regular doctor can't or won't check up on you while you're at WPH. It all depends on the physician and the situation.
The following physicians have signed hospitalist agreements, so if your admitting physician is on the list below, you'll most likely be seeing one of our three hospitalists during your stay.
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| How Can I Contact a Hospitalist After My Stay? |
If you have a primary care physician, he or she will be in contact with the hospitalists and be informed of all the necessary information, including records from your stay at West Park.
If you don’t have a primary care physician, your hospitalist and case manager will help you to find follow-up care.
If you have a question regarding your hospitalist physician bill, you may call West Park Hospital’s Patient Financial Services Department at 307-578-2789.
If you would like more information about the hospitalist program, e-mail Denise Peterson at dpeterson@wphcody.org or call 307-578-2277.
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