Coordinated, hospital-centric patient care
Hospital medicine is a specialty within the internal medicine field. It is practiced by highly qualified physicians called hospitalists, who are experts at providing care for hospitalized patients.
As physician hospitalists, we are in a unique position to care for acutely ill hospitalized patients. We have dedicated our experience and expertise to providing comprehensive care to patients at a medical facility rather than to a particular organ (e.g., heart), disease (e.g., cancer), or patient group (e.g., seniors).
A continuum of care
Hospitalists at MedStar Health work within a continuum of care. We are responsible for your care for the duration of your stay in the hospital, which can include identifying and communicating with other specialists to ensure you get the care you need. We can help you and your family better understand your illness, treatment options, and recovery.
We can also seamlessly transition your patient care from the inpatient to the outpatient setting, while coordinating with your primary care physician and a variety of specialists to provide high-quality, coordinated care.
What kind of patients are seen by hospitalists?
We care for medical and surgical patients within our hospitals. We often manage patients with complex conditions. If required, we also manage patients in the intensive care units in conjunction with intensivists.
Hospitalists are routinely involved in care of surgical patients as well and co-manage such patients with the surgical teams.
A compassionate, personalized approach
MedStar Health allows hospitalists to spend time at the patient bedside and to discuss their care plan with them and their families. This is achieved by prioritizing quality over everything else.
MedStar Hospital Medicine prides itself in achieving the highest patient safety metrics in the region.
Patient services
It is our goal to provide excellent care from the time of admission to the transition back to the outpatient setting. To that end, we:
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Serve as a liaison between patients and their primary care physician.
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Coordinate patients' plan of care while in the hospital, working with family and any physicians and clinicians who may have referred or treated the patient.
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Remain available 24 hours, seven days a week to address any acute medical issues in the hospital.
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Perform patient rounds, monitor progress, review test results, and address treatment changes as necessary.
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Ensure a patient's care is going according to plan by meeting with family members, following up on test results, answering nurses' questions, and participating in physician follow-ups regarding a patient's hospital stay.
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Prepare discharge instructions that enable patients to continue to heal after they leave the hospital.
Additional patient services
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Provide bedside care through extended training in point-of-care ultrasound so that many common procedures can be performed safely at the patient’s own bedside. These procedures include paracentesis, thoracentesis, lumbar puncture, and central venous catheter placement.
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Communicate with families and physicians outside the hospital setting via telehealth.
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Coordinate closely with our palliative care team to ensure we are properly addressing our patient’s complex symptom management and to ensure the care we provide aligns with the patient’s own goals of care.
Research: Division of Hospital Medicine
Our division focuses on research that improves the safety and quality of care for hospitalized patients, health communication, and healthcare policy. Some of our studies are listed below. All investigators mentioned work at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital:
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APPEX-19 Awake Prone Position for Early Hypoxemia in COVID-19—James J. Malatack, MD and Ernest A. Fischer, MD investigators
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A Phase 1b/2, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Multi-Center Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of TJ003234 in Subjects with Severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), also known as the iMab Study—Virginia J. Malatack, MD investigator
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A Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Remdesivir Plus Tocilizumab Compared With Remdesivir Plus Placebo in Hospitalized Participants With Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia (REMDACTA)—Sarah C. Thornton, MD investigator
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Efficacy and Safety Study of IV Ravulizumab in Patients With COVID-19 Severe Pneumonia—Sarah C. Thornton, MD investigator
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Biohaven Trial—Use of zavegepant in the hospitalized patient with COVID 19—Steven Charles Fox, MD investigator
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Mariposa trial—use of tocilizumab in the hospitalized patient with COVID 19—Rita Poon, MD investigator
In addition to the studies above, we have addressed the following areas of research:
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Geographical Structured Interdisciplinary Rounding (GSIDR)
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Physician Handoffs: CORES Safety Study
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Transitions in Patient Care
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Diabetes Education in High Risk Minority Patients
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HIV Screening in Hospitalized Patients
Education
Teaching the scientists and physicians of tomorrow…today
MedStar Georgetown serves as a tertiary referral setting for intriguing and often unique patient populations. At Georgetown University School of Medicine, our goal has been, and continues to be, to provide a program dedicated to excellent teaching while providing the highest standards of clinical care.
An added benefit of our education program is the opportunity to provide a significant portion of the clinical teaching for students enrolled in Georgetown University School of Medicine, one of the premier medical schools in the United States.
Here’s what our patients have to say
From MedStar Montgomery Medical Center:
“Just finished my final care call yesterday to Mr. W. He started talking about how he felt so welcome and cared for here. He said his doctors were very supportive and the nursing care was excellent. Just wanted to pass on his praise to all of you! Thank you all for the wonderful job you do every day.”
From MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital:
“Today I witnessed a sight that made my heart sing: I witnessed [Dr. Rameez Jafri and a patient] strolling, holding hands, having a conversation that brought smiles to their faces. The patient recently received a difficult diagnosis, and Dr. Jafri's act of kindness meant a lot. It is in the little things we do that often make the biggest impact.”
Christine Kreiser
O'Neill 4
From MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center:
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“She would like to recognize Dr. Nundy for being an excellent doctor and appreciated the time she spent in communication with her.”
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“Dr. Nan was absolutely fantastic and communicated well.”
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“Dr. Rodriguez is an excellent physician. He washed his hands, introduced himself, sat down, and made good eye contact. He explained the tests and results and devised a care plan. He spoke in words that I could understand.”
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“Dr. Kelly was by far the best doctor I've ever had in MedStar Franklin Square. Very understanding of my situation, best bedside manner and explained everything to me in a non-doctor's way for me to comprehend. My room is always clean.”
Our providers
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Amit Pathak, MBBS
Internal Medicine
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Sarah Sabo, CRNP,ACNP,BC
Internal Medicine
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Scott D. Shepperd, MD
Hospital Medicine
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Gillian Southwell, MD
Hospital Medicine
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Erica McHugh Stoner, PA-C
Internal Medicine
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