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Define your internal hospitalist policy with a manual

Hospitalist Leadership Connection, May 20, 2008

A hospitalist manual is an important internal management tool, whether it is to introduce new employees to their new setting or reaffirm protocol for seasoned hospitalists. Having a well-defined manual can bring together practice administrators, managers, and coordinators, and spell out both clinical and financial policies. The manual should define the following:

• Mission statement
• Hours of service
• Responsibilities of the hospitalist provider
• Start and end time of workday and shift
• Morning and evening checkout round times
• Patient rounding protocol
• Communication protocols with patients, referring and primary care providers, specialist providers, and hospital staff
• Admission and discharge protocol
• Use of off-service notes and evidence-based clinical guidelines
• Chart documentation
• Practice responsibilities
• Medical staff responsibilities and expectations of meeting attendance
• Provider evaluations
• Coding and billing responsibilities
• Nighttime, weekend, and holiday coverage
• Front-office responsibilities

The above is an excerpt from The Hospitalist Program Management Guide, Second Edition, written by Kenneth G. Simone, DO and Jeffrey R. Dichter, MD, FACP.

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