Hospitalists Improving Healthcare at MRHC
March 29, 2018 9:49 am
By: Seger S. Morris, DO, MBA
Healthcare is changing. At Magnolia Regional Health Center (MRHC), we seek innovative ways to care for our patients and ensure equal access to the best care offered. That’s why we want you to know about a rather new specialty of physicians who help patients hospitalized at MRHC to be cared for quickly, have 24 hour access to a physician, and ultimately get healthy and home sooner. These specialists are called hospitalists.
What is a hospitalist?
The term hospitalist was first coined in 1996, but the specialty has been in practice since the early 1990s. Now, there are over 44,000 hospitalists nationwide. Simply put, a hospitalist is a physician who 
specializes in caring for patients who are hospitalized. At MRHC, all of our hospitalists are trained in Internal Medicine – which makes them the primary care doctors for adults in the hospital.
Which patients get to see a hospitalist?
There are three main situations you will be treated by a hospitalist if hospitalized:
1. You do not have a primary care provider
2. Your primary care provider is in another town and does not treat patients at MRHC
3. Your primary care provider has arranged in advance for his/her patients to be treated by MRHC’s hospitalists.
Additionally, since hospitalists are in the hospital around the clock, they act as the “first responders” to medical emergencies in the hospital, can perform minor procedures at the bedside, and often provide medical consultation following surgical procedures.
Will I get the same great care I’ve come to expect from my usual doctor?
Absolutely! In fact, some studies show that patients cared for by hospitalists are more likely to survive a hospitalization, return home sooner, and have a less costly hospitalization. One of the best things about being cared for by a hospitalist is that your team of doctors is in the hospital around the clock to provide face to face care if needed.
Will my doctor know I’m in the hospital?
The role of a hospitalist is to get to know you and provide care quickly and safely; but also to ensure every member of your care team is aware of the hospitalization. Your primary doctor — depending on their communication preferences — will receive electronic, fax, phone, and other communication while you are hospitalized and after you return home. In fact, talking with your primary doctors helps hospitalists ensure they provide you the best care possible — which is what we all want in the first place.
Who are the hospitalists at MRHC?
Most importantly, they are members of the community — some even grew up here! Our hospitalists live, work, dine, worship, shop, and serve in and around Corinth, MS. In addition to patient care, our hospitalists serve on many hospital committees, train new physicians and students, and help improve the quality of care at MRHC. Their names are listed below, and we hope to help you learn more about them individually in the upcoming weeks.
M. Hayes Baker, MD
Amanda Finley, DO
Michael Hawley, DO
Seger S. Morris, DO, MBA
Sidney Pace, MD
J. Peyton Preece, DO
David V. Pizzimenti, DO
Cody Stroupe, MD
This post was written by Magnolia Regional Health Center
