Hospital Patients Get New Care Option

It's a simple idea and, for medical patients in Watsonville, it's now a reality.

A new team of doctors at is dedicated to practicing medicine exclusively in the hospital.

Called "hospitalists," the doctors offer enhanced care for patients and primary care doctors have more time with their regular patients. The 106-bed hospital launched the hospitalist program in February and, so far, more than 80 patients have taken advantage of the new medical staff.

“We take care of patients beginning from the emergency room as they get admitted … then we take care of them from admission to discharge," said Dr. Priscilla Codiga, medical director of the hospitalist program.

The five hospitalists at Watsonville Community Hospital work with patients who have had heart attacks, aneurysms or strokes, are suffering from kidney failure, pneumonia, respiratory failure or newly diagnosed cancer. Hospitalists also consult for other specialties, such a diabetic who goes in with a broken him or someone with post-surgery complications.

Like a primary care doctor, hospitalists are trained in general internal medicine, family practice, pediatrics and other specialties. Some specialize in critical care medicine, cardiology or other subspecialties, according to Cindy Weigelt, the hospital's spokeswoman.

"It just makes a better continuum of care," she said. “It just moves things through the system faster.”

It gets back to one basic idea: The doctors make sure the patient is looked after and nothing is missing.

“We coordinate care," Codiga said. "We’re the point person."

Codiga, who finished medical school in 1998, said she was always interested in the dynamic nature of hospital care. She is fascinated by all the complex medical conditions they treat.

Hospitalists are not a new specialty, but it is an area of care that is growing. Other hospitals in the county also employ the medical practitioners.

“We’ve been wanting to do this for awhile and are just very excited,” Weigelt said, adding that several patients have told her they are very happy with the care they received.

Studies have shown patients who work with hospitalists have shorter hospital stays, better surgical outcomes and fewer return trips to the hospital.

Hospitalists are appealing to a range of patients, from those without insurance or primary-care physicians to those whose regular doctors are not on staff at Watsonville Community Hospital. Using a hospitalist doesn't cost more than another type of doctor, Codiga added.

“I think that there’s a lot of positive response from everybody, including the staff and the patients," Codiga said. "And the patients like that you’re able to spend more time with time. … You can do a lot more hand-holding. They like that."