Hospitalist Program
Most childhood medical problems can be diagnosed and managed in the doctor’s office. But when they cannot, the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta hospitalist team is available to help primary care physicians diagnose and manage patient care.
Our hospitalist program forms a partnership between community physicians and our hospitalist pediatricians to guarantee that children, especially those with particularly difficult diagnoses, get the care they need and deserve.
Immediate Access
The access points for the hospitalist program at Children’s are two toll-free telephone lines available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They were developed by physicians, for physicians. These telephone lines serve as easy, centralized connecting points for:
As a medical provider, your calls are answered immediately by pediatricians without operator intervention. These physicians offer exceptional depth of clinical and diagnostic expertise. Your call is answered in a timely and effective manner to ensure that you get the right information when you need it.
Please take advantage of this efficient communication tool when you need consultation, outpatient diagnostic referrals, specialist referrals or inpatient coverage for your pediatric and adolescent patients.
Telephone Consultation for Professionals
Sometimes, physicians facing puzzling and complex cases need the support and resources Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta provides. Physicians are encouraged to use the hospitalist service to receive a free consultation or to get a second opinion. Challenged frequently by difficult diagnoses and complex conditions, our team of hospital-based pediatricians can draw upon each other’s experience and strengths to help diagnose even the most complicated patient case.
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Inpatient Management Service
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta hospitalists coordinate inpatient hospital care of the patient when the child’s community physician is unavailable. Our hospitalists function as a team of diagnosticians, offering years of combined experience in treating children with the most complex general pediatric illnesses and injuries.
Children’s also brings together specialists from every medical and surgical discipline as well as highly trained nurses, therapists, technicians and other ancillary personnel as needed. Children’s offers the latest technologies and state-of-the-art diagnostic tools designed specifically for children.
For physicians who are unable to follow patients at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, our hospitalists keep the child’s primary care physician informed of the patient’s progress to insure continuity of care. In every case the patient is returned to the referring physician for follow up and care after hospitalization.
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Outpatient Diagnostic Referral Program
The Outpatient Diagnostic Referral Program at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta offers comprehensive evaluation and diagnostic services including:
- Consultation regarding medically challenging diagnoses
- Outpatient evaluation as a second opinion or to determine if further consultation or evaluation is necessary
- Coordination of multidisciplinary care on an outpatient basis for a child with multiple medical conditions
Shared knowledge between the primary care provider and the Children’s hospitalist is important to providing quality patient care. We keep the child’s primary care physician informed of the patient’s progress to insure continuity of care. In every case the patient is returned to the referring physician for follow up.
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Referrals to Specialists
Physicians who access consultation services provided by Children’s hospitalists can also discuss possible needs for referrals to specialists. If a referral is necessary, information is available on appropriate pediatric specialists based on specifics of the case. Children’s is committed to insuring that all children have access to the full continuum of services they need to reach optimal health.
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