Pediatric Hospitalist Job Description (PEDS/CALL)

A hospitalist pediatrician is available on the inpatient unit or “in house” 8 a.m.–5 p.m. M-F. There is also an “on call” pediatrician after hours and on weekends that round on and take care of all “pediatric service patients.” The on call pediatrician is available for consultation or to come in as needed to the inpatient unit, OB, ER or to go on an OB medevac if needed. The pediatricians admit all Chronic Pediatric Patients (chronically ill or complex care patients-CPP) link to CPP Definition, do radio medical traffic for all CPP patients, attend C-sections/high risk deliveries, stabilize/transport out sick neonates and critical pediatric patients and they go with a family medicine physician on Medevacs for preterm/high risk village deliveries.

The pediatricians “on call” are available 24/7 for consultation for ER, urgent care, clinic, village, inpatient and OB providers.

Peds Hospitalist Duties

• Admit, discharge and care for all CPP and selected family medicine pediatric patients
• Cover RMT for all CPP patients (and emergency peds patients when requested by family medicine).
• Provide consultation for the ER/OB/FM providers link to pediatric consultations
• Obtain ANMC patient discharge information and specialty dictations from AFCHAN. Arrange needed f/u, update problem list and forward to appropriate CM and pediatrician/s needed patient information or requests.
• Assist the peds CM with urgent care management referrals and issues for inpatients and other CPP patients as needed.
• Provide CPP CM liaison between primary peds, YKHC pediatric CM and outside specialists for issues that arise or are picked up on RMT (as able).
• Resuscitate/stabilize /transfer sick newborns and pediatric patients and
• Provide village to Bethel medevac medical control assistance when the ER is too busy or not comfortable with the patient.

Pediatric Consults: both formal consultation requests and “quick questions” occur throughout the day. When doing pediatric consults, please use and refer to the YKHC guidelines whenever availableand appropriate. It is important to be consistent in pediatric consult recommendations. If a patient is complex, not straight forward, or you are not sure what to do—check with a more experienced pediatrician. When an official consult is requested, talk with the provider requesting the consult and ascertain whether you are being asked to assume care of the patient or if they are truly asking for a consult only. The most common pediatric consult requests are for murmurs or congenital anomalies of the newborn. If there is a sick newborn in the nursery who will need care and transport, it can be done by the FM doc if they have time, are comfortable doing it and can get advice and direction from a pediatrician. BUT if the FM physician is uncomfortable caring for the baby and setting up the transport or if the baby is unstable then the pediatrician should assume care of the patient. If you are acting solely as the consulting physician, do not write orders on the patient unless specifically asked to do so by the primary provider. Be sure to make the patient/family aware that ‘their doctor is in charge’ and that you are their consultant only. Work to instill confidence in their Family Physician.

When performing any formal consult, make sure that an order is placed for this consultation (for billing purposes). Make sure and write a consult history and physical-type note (for communication and billing purposes) with your full assessment and recommendations.