Dr. Ashraf Mihanni and Dr. Addi Abuelshar joined the Jackson County Memorial Hospital medical staff on March 31.  Mihanni and Abuelshar are hospitalists; their practices involve coordinating the care of patients who are admitted to the hospital.
   The concept of a hospitalist is to have specially trained physicians on staff, in the hospital, 24 hours a day.  Hospitalists coordinate the care of patients who have been admitted by a primary care physician or admitted directly from the emergency room.
   The hospitalist concept works well for those patients without an established primary care physician, for patients of out-of-town physicians and for those patients whose physician treats patients in an outpatient setting only.  
   Throughout a patient’s hospital stay, the hospitalist communicates with primary care physicians and consults other physicians as needed. The team approach with a hospitalist can provide excellent patient care.
    Hospitalists most frequently care for patients receiving general medical care and intensive care patients.  By caring for only those patients who are in the hospital, the hospitalist is able to manage a patient’s care throughout their hospital stay and can closely monitor their progress.  Hospitalists specialize in inpatient medicine and are only a few steps away when an emergency or crisis situation occurs.
     Mihanni and Abuelshar practice solely at Jackson County Memorial Hospital where they serve seven-day shifts.  One physician is in the hospital daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on-call from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.  During the on-call period, the physician remains on the JCMH campus. The physicians have immediate access to laboratory and radiology reports and all other ancillary departments included in a patients treatment plan.
     Mihanni and Abuelshar are board certified in Internal Medicine and have numerous years of experience in both the clinic and hospital setting.  Mihanni was on staff at Jackson County Memorial Hospital from 1988 to 2005.  Abuelshar has had previous experience at Comanche County Memorial Hospital and at Mangum and Frederick hospitals.  Both have worked as hospitalists at other facilities before joining JCMH.
      According to William G. Wilson, President & Chief Executive Officer at JCMH, “having hospitalists on staff is one more option for caring for our patients while adding another dimension to the way we coordinate a patients care.”   Stated Wilson, “The continuum of care from one physician to another is very important.  The hospitalist approach ensures patient care is thoroughly coordinated.”
     Jackson County Memorial Hospital remains committed to its mission of providing the best possible patient care, both inpatient and outpatient.  JCMH continues to experience increased patient volumes and seeks ways to increase and improve hospital services and patient satisfaction.  JCMH serves counties in southwest Oklahoma and north Texas.