Some ways in which the MDxL model differs from other hospitalist
programs include the following:
Local community physicians are involved in creating a network- rather
than new, unknown, questionably competent, hired physicians to care
for the hospitalized inpatients.
- Case-specific selected specialists are called in to coordinate emergency
room and inpatient management in a manner that best fits each patient's
medical needs.
- Continuity of care may be maintained from the inpatient to the outpatient
setting. In many cases, the same MDxL specialist will see the patient
in the emergency department, hospital, and for initial post-acute care
in the outpatient setting, and will communicate efficiently with the
primary care physician. When stable, the patient is returned to the
primary care physician for routine continued care. This coordination
of care reduces redundancy of testing, and makes it easier to perform
indicated testing as an outpatient rather than in the more expensive
inpatient setting.
- Incentives to appropriately decrease admissions and hospital days
are much clearer in the case of the MDxL specialist since the MDxL physician
sees the patient in both the inpatient and outpatient setting. Traditional
hospitalists are only reimbursed for inpatients. If a patient is not
admitted from the emergency room, he may receive no fee or a lower fee.
Similarly, the traditional hospitalist incentive may mitigate against
sending an inpatient home, since the hospitalist is no longer paid.
- Traditional hospitalists are frequently an added cost; in most instances
consultant specialists will likely need to see the patient anyhow. When
a specialist is merely a consultant as opposed to the attending physician,
he or she will have less motivation and control over getting tests done
efficiently and discharging the patient.
- Case specific specialist hospitalist physicians require fewer consults
and procedures than do generalist hospitalist physicians.
- MDxL incorporates triage nurse case managers to assist our attending
specialists with disposition arrangements for patients.
MDxL's goal is to be a physician group partner with health plans,
employers, hospitals, and patients in order to deliver the highest
quality medical care, while effectively managing overall costs
for patients ill enough to be considered for acute inpatient care.
MDxL is a patient first, high quality, Specialty Physician Company
that strives to serve our network partners with total medical
management of potentially high-cost patients.
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