MOSES LAKE —  Samaritan Healthcare is increasing patient care by hiring hospitalists.

Hospitalists care for  patients when they visit emergency rooms or are admitted to the hospital, keeping in constant communication with the patient’s primary physician, explained Scott Campbell, vice president of planning and development.

Hospitalists are more familiar with hospital systems and functions. They are able spend more time with patients than a physician because the hospital is their primary site.

“The idea is that, since the hospitalist is in the hospital all the time, the patient receives their lab results quicker and always has someone to care for them,” Campbell said.

Samaritan has one hospitalist so far and two more are coming after January 2010.

“Our plan is to have a hospitalist in the facility 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Campbell said. “The program should be up and running in late winter or spring.”

A hospitalist allows physicians to have more flexibly.

“It reduces the time a primary care physician has to be in the office, therefore improving patient care and the quality of life for the physicians,” Campbell said.

Campbell said Samaritan has already seen a difference in patient care since the first hospitalist started.

“We believe it has increased the number of patients we have in the hospital on a day-to-day basis,” Campbell said. “I think this could change the way healthcare is provided to the community for the better.”

Samaritan Healthcare is located at 1550 S. Pioneer Way.

For more information, call 509-765-5606.