Hospitalists

UCLA Health excellence in hospital medicine

Our skilled hospital-based doctors, known as hospitalists, have years of experience caring for patients in the hospital. Our hospitalists oversee your inpatient care and work with your primary care doctor after you’re discharged.

We understand that a hospital stay can be stressful. Our experienced hospitalists take time to reassure, educate and follow up with patients and family members to provide superior patient care.

Highlights of our program include:

Award-winning team: UCLA Health hospitalists have received multiple teaching awards, including the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA Award for Excellence in Education and the Gold Humanism Award. They have also been recognized by the Society of General Internal Medicine and received several awards for excellence in education. We put our expertise to work for our patients.

Comprehensive care at several locations: UCLA Health hospitalists care for patients in 18 hospitals around the greater Los Angeles area. Our experts also serve many skilled nursing facilities in the region. We’re here for you when and where you need us.

Highly skilled experts: Our hospital doctors are board certified in internal medicine, pediatrics or hospice and palliative medicine. They are specially trained to care for adults and children in a hospital setting, and they communicate across departments to deliver thorough care and better outcomes.

Seamless transition home: When it’s time for you to leave the hospital, your hospitalist provides a smooth transition home. They communicate with your primary care physician, adjust medication, and arrange follow-up visits. This coordinated approach helps you stay healthy and avoid future hospital stays.

Streamlined access to medical records: When you’re admitted to the hospital and see a UCLA Health hospitalist, your team will have access to your UCLA Health medical record. They can review your health history, including previous lab tests and imaging studies. Having this information at our fingertips allows us to deliver prompt, appropriate treatments. It also eliminates unnecessary tests.

Our services

While you’re in the hospital, you’ll receive care from a hospitalist, a doctor who specializes in caring for people in a hospital setting. Depending on the length of your stay, you may see more than one hospitalist, as well as various specialist physicians, such as a cardiologist or nephrologist.

UCLA Health hospitalists are available in 18 convenient locations throughout the greater Los Angeles region, including hospitals in Ventura County, Torrance, and downtown Los Angeles.

You can connect with a UCLA Health hospitalist by:

• Having your primary care physician (PCP) call a hospital staffed with UCLA Health hospitalists before you arrive, or
• Identifying yourself as a UCLA Health patient who wants to see a UCLA Health hospitalist when you are admitted

You may be wondering if you’ll see your PCP during your hospital stay and if not, how they’ll get information about your inpatient medical care. Rest assured, your hospitalists will communicate directly with your PCP and share those details. They’ll also document this information on your electronic medical record.

Our hospitalists are committed to improving every aspect of your experience in the hospital by providing thorough care and enhanced quality and safety measures. Our programs and services include:

Comprehensive care: Our hospitalists ensure that each patient admitted to the hospital receives thorough care. We’re there before and after surgery to offer consultations and support. We visit our patients in local nursing homes, intermediate care units and observation units to provide continuity of care. Our commitment to our patients is reflected in everything we do.

Convenient locations: UCLA Health hospitalists care for patients at more than a dozen locations in the greater Los Angeles region. This means that if you live far from the UCLA Health Westwood or Santa Monica medical centers, you can still receive care from our world-class physicians, close to home.

Enhanced quality and safety: UCLA Health hospitalists are always researching ways to improve patient safety in the hospital. We spearhead quality and safety programs to keep patients and staff healthy. We work as a team to deliver safe, effective innovative care every day.

Ongoing education: As leaders in hospital medicine, our team provides training, education and instruction for staff, physicians, and other hospitalists. We share our expertise to strengthen our team and deliver exceptional care.

Meet our team

You’ll receive expert care from board-certified physicians who are specially trained in caring for patients while they’re in the hospital. In addition to a hospitalist, your care team may also include a case manager, social worker, nutritionist, and specialists from other departments. As a team, we’re passionate about meeting your needs and exceeding your expectations.

Contact us

Call us at 855-488-9550 if you have questions.