Hospital Medicine at Richmond Kaiser

What you need to know while you are a patient in the hospital:

HISTORY

On January 17, 1999 the Hospital Medicine Service was established at the Richmond Medical Center. The Hospital Medicine Service is composed of physicians called hospitalists whose specialty is internal medicine, and whose focus is the field of hospital medicine. When you are admitted to the Hospital Medicine Service at Richmond Medical Center, you are cared for by a team led by a special physician called a hospitalist. Your personal physician, who cares for you in the outpatient clinic may not be part of the hospital team, but he or she will stay in close contact with the hospitalist caring for you during your hospital stay.

HOSPITALISTS ARE PHYSICIANS SPECIALIZING IN HOSPITAL CARE FOR ADULTS

• You will receive care from physicians whose knowledge and skills are focused on caring for the hospitalized patient.
• You will be seen by physicians who are available to you, your family, and the nursing staff to discuss your ongoing hospital care needs.
• You will be seen by physicians who can coordinate your hospital care 24 hours a day, to help you recover as quickly as possible.

WHAT TO EXPECT

• Physicians in our Hospital Medicine Service groups are usually scheduled 4-5 days in a row; so, if your stay is longer than a week, you may be seen by more than one hospitalist.
• Your hospitalist will see you daily. Questions are welcomed from you and your family members. We encourage you to choose a family spokesperson-please let your nurse know this person's name and phone number. The best time for your hospitalist to speak with family members is in the late morning until 5:00 p.m., but exceptions can be made. The hospitalist is available 7 days a week.
• For medical emergencies at night, a qualified nighttime physician will be covering for the daytime hospitalist. However, questions about specific issues regarding your care are best answered by your daytime hospitalist, who is most familiar with your case.

WHILE YOU ARE HERE

• Your nurse can be your caregiver, teacher, and advocate. He or she will be able to provide information and will serve as a contact person between you and those involved in your care.
• Your patient care coordinator can help make your transition from the hospital to your destination (home, nursing home, rehabilitation center, etc.) as smooth as possible.
• Our medical social work staff provides counseling and/or assistance for concerns you or your family members may have. The social worker also can assist you in identifying and selecting appropriate available resources in the community.
• Our medical staff is committed to helping you feel comfortable while you are here with us. And we also understand that, while you are here, it's important you get the information you will need to care for yourself when you return home. We encourage you and your family members to ask any questions you may have and to take an active role in your recovery.

GOING HOME

• Your hospitalist will assess your condition daily and determine when you are well enough to leave the hospital. When you are ready to be discharged, we will attempt to discharge you before 11:00 a.m.; however, there may be some exceptions. Before you leave the hospital, your hospitalist and nurse will give you information about discharge medication(s), home care, and follow-up appointment(s).
• Please arrange to have a family member or a friend available at your discharge time to provide transportation. If you need help arranging transportation, please let a medical social worker or patient care coordinator know as soon as possible, so that your discharge is not delayed.

QUALITY AND SERVICE ARE OUR GOALS

• You will be seen by physicians who are available to you, your family, and the nursing staff to discuss your ongoing hospital care needs.
• You will be seen by physicians who will coordinate your hospital care, 24 hours a day, to help you recover as quickly as possible.

RESUMING CARE WITH PERSONAL PHYSICIAN OR PRACTITIONER

• After you are discharged from the hospital, your personal physician, or nurse practitioner will resume responsibility for your care. If you have questions regarding your follow-up care, please call (510) 307-1555.
• If you are a Kaiser Permanente member and don't already have a personal physician, or nurse practitioner or wish to make a change, please call (510) 307-1555.
• Your personal physician or nurse practitioner will be notified of your hospital stay if he or she practices in Northern California; otherwise, you will need to request that a copy of your medical records be sent to your practitioner through our Medical Secretaries at (510) 307-2177.

Disclaimer
If you think you have a MEDICAL OR PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCY, CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY or go to the nearest hospital. DO NOT attempt to access emergency care through this web site. An emergency medical condition is a medical or psychiatric condition that manifests itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity (including severe pain) such that you could reasonably expect the absence of immediate medical attention to result in any of the following: serious jeopardy to your health, serious impairment to your bodily functions, or serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part. An emergency medical condition is also "active labor," which means a labor when there is inadequate time for safe transfer to a Plan hospital (or designated hospital) before delivery or if a transfer poses a threat to the health of the member or unborn child.

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