Hospitalists are doctors whose primary professional focus is on the overall medical care of hospitalized patients.
Unlike general practitioners, medical specialists, and emergency medicine doctors, hospitalists help to manage patients through the entire continuum of hospital care, often seeing patients in the emergency department, following them into the critical care unit and organizing post-acute care.
One of the benefits a program like PBMC’s offers the community is that it allows the primary care physicians and specialists more time to diagnosis and treat people in their offices.
The average primary care physician spends only about 12 percent of their time with hospitalized patients. A hospitalist, who is practiced in recognizing and diagnosing atypical and common illnesses, has the advantage of being able to respond rapidly to crises or changes in a patient’s condition. Data shows there is a reduction in errors when a hospitalist is on duty and the overall quality of hospital care increases. Also efficiencies in areas like discharging are increased.
Full-Time Hospitalists
Elizabeth Boogusch, MD
Board Certified in Internal Medicine
Dr. Boogusch has been practicing Internal Medicine in the midcoast since 1998. Along with Dr. Reynolds-Nicholson, she started the hospitalist program at PBMC in 2003.
Carol Reynolds-Nicholson, MD
Board Certified in Family Practice
Dr. Reynolds-Nicholson has been practicing in midcoast Maine since 2001 starting at Waldoboro Family Medicine. In 2003 she moved to full-time hospitalist medicine helping Dr. Boogusch to establish the program at PBMC.
William Master, MD
Board Certified in Internal Medicine
Dr. Master has been with PBMC since 2000. He is president of the hosptial's medical staff.
Sharon Burns, MD
Board Certified in Internal Medicine
Dr. Burns has been an Internist at PBMC since 2000. She joined the full-time hospitalist service in January 2005.
Sean O'Donnell, MD
Board Certified in Internal Medicine
Dr. O'Donnell joined the PBMC staff in November 2008. Read more now.
Andrew Lackoff, MD
Dr. Lackoff joined the PBMC staff in January 2009. Read more now.
There are several other physicians you may meet who provide occasional coverage for the hospitalist service. The physicians include:
Dr. David Bradeen, Dr. Maha Ghosn, Dr. Peter Gonnella, Dr. Simmi Goyle, Dr. Alice Haines, Dr. Curt Smith, Dr. Kevin Davey, Dr. Elizabeth Wall, Dr. David Hall and Dr. Scott French.
Updated: 1/6/09