Ochsner Lafayette General has teamed up with SCP Health, formerly known as Schumacher Clinical Partners, to deliver high-quality, comprehensive medical care to our hospitalized patients around the clock. With an experienced team managing hospitalized patients, Acadiana’s primary care physicians can focus on delivering quality care to the community as well as more availability to the patients within their clinics.
What is a Hospital Medicine?
Hospital medicine is a specialty of care that focuses on the treatment and management of hospitalized patients only by nurses and physicians. These medical professionals are known as hospitalists and do not have their own practice; instead, they dedicate their time exclusively to Ochsner Lafayette General.
Our hospitalists coordinate and manage hospital care at the request of primary care physicians, our urgent care clinics and for doctors who do not admit or round at Ochsner Lafayette General facilities. They also work closely with emergency department physicians allowing for an effective and timely patient care transition. SCP Health offers nocturnist physicians and nurse practitioners, as well as telemedicine across Ochsner Lafayette General.
Nocturnists are available at Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center because of the high volume of patients. A nocturnist is a hospitalist who only works overnight, they work in coordination with the other hospitalists to seamlessly transition care from day to night. Hospitalists are on-call 24/7 and available through telemedicine at other facilities across Ochsner Lafayette General.
The Benefits of Hospital Medicine
Our hospitalists are experienced internal medicine and family medicine physicians who are here to provide outstanding hospital medicine services to Lafayette and its surrounding areas. They are always close at hand to consult with specialists, follow up on lab work and tests, and answer questions about your care. They also have an expanded knowledge of acute and chronic diseases most often treated in the hospital setting.
Each hospitalist also has a unique understanding of Ochsner Lafayette General's processes and procedures, and can easily help you understand what to expect during your stay. This added level of care and availability, uninterrupted by office demands, allows them to follow you more closely and to react to any changes in your condition. Their comprehensive approach and coverage allows for efficient and high quality care, and excellent inpatient satisfaction.
What to Expect During a Hospital Stay
After you are established in your room, the hospitalist will meet with you and plan your course of treatment, consulting with other specialists, if necessary. You will have daily visits and evaluations by the hospitalist team members in which they will communicate about your condition, test results and the direction of treatment and care. As needed, they will also communicate with your family regarding your case and treatment.
Hospitalists will have regular communication with your nurses and case managers regarding discharge planning and other needs. With complete access to the electronic medical record, the team can also access records instantly and ensure medical information is shared and updated appropriately.
What Happens at Discharge?
When you are ready for discharge, the hospitalist will provide your primary care physician a complete hospital report. This communication provides the discharge diagnosis, current medications, test results and a complete summary of your hospital stay. In addition, they will provide important recommendations for continuing care, any new prescriptions and any test results still pending when you leave. They will also ensure all appropriate follow-up appointments are made.
Ochsner Lafayette General and SCP Health have created a highly effective patient care protocol resulting in superior patient and physician satisfaction, with an effortless transition to the patients' primary care physicians. With Ochsner Lafayette General's rapid growth, the SCP Hospitalist team is leading the way in meeting the needs of our patient community.
