It’s a “first” for St. Mary’s of Michigan -- a hospitalist program has been created to coordinate and ensure continuity of care for patients from admission to discharge.

A hospitalist is a physician whose work is solely dedicated to caring for patients inside of a hospital setting.

Working in conjunction with Synergy Medical and practicing internists, the St. Mary’s of Michigan Hospitalist Program consists of more than two dozen hospitalists under the guidance of Director Dr. Suhasini Gudipati.

“The program has been working well,” said Dr. Gudipati. “Our hospitalists attend to every need during a patient’s stay--such as ordering tests, prescribing medications and monitoring test results.”

At each step of the way, a hospitalist communicates with the referring physician to assure the proper care of the patient.

The benefits are many; timelier care, quicker decisions as problems arise, a quicker follow-up after tests and shorter hospital stays for patients.

There are always five hospitalists on duty inside St. Mary’s of Michigan.