Hospital Medicine

Hospital Medicine

header-title-decorationHospital Medicine

Los Angeles General Medical Center Medical Center (LA General) is the flagship hospital of one of the largest public healthcare systems in the country. We care for a large and diverse patient population with a broad array of medical conditions. We are also the primary teaching hospital for the University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, where we educate and supervise medical students, residents, and fellows.

As hospitalists we have various clinical and administrative roles at LA General Medical center. Our mission is to provide fully integrated, accessible, innovative, and culturally sensitive care, one person at a time.

Programs and Services

The addiction medicine service strives to provide equitable, high quality and evidence-based care for those suffering from substance use disorders at LA General and in surrounding communities.  We provide treatment recommendations, supportive counseling, harm reduction techniques and care coordination including but not limited to those suffering from opiate use disorder, stimulant use disorder, and alcohol use disorder.  We also help treat those with complex pain in the setting of chronic opioid use or substance use disorder utilizing opioid sparing agents and opioid de-escalation techniques.  Our goal is to provide safe, empathetic, patient-centered care to those with substance use disorder in LA County. We meet patients where they are in their recovery, by offering medications, counseling and care coordination.

For more information, email  Lacuscaddictionmedicine@dhs.lacounty.gov

LA General Medical Center is proactive in representing and sustaining a diverse, inclusive and equitable environment so that each employee can feel safe to be their true selves. The EDIA (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Antiracism) initiative seeks to transform policies and practices to end race- and identity-based disparities in healthcare. Our Affinity groups are geared to provide a supportive environment for our Asian American Pacific Islander, Black, Fathers in Medicine, LatinX, LGBTQ, Mothers in Medicine, and Women in Medicine communities. These initiatives aim to promote representation and participation of different groups of individuals to help build a society for all people to get equal opportunities.

For more information, email  LacuschospitalmedicineDEI@dhs.lacounty.gov

As hospitalists, we aim to improve patient safety and experience by providing coordinated, patient-centered care to all hospitalized patients, no matter their reason for admission. We provide inpatient medical consultation to all surgical and specialty teams, including acute care surgery, obstetrics, neurology, emergency medicine, and psychiatry. We perform inpatient preoperative evaluations, manage acute and chronic medical concerns alongside our surgical colleagues, and evaluate urgently ill hospitalized patients via the resident-led rapid response system.

For more information, email  Lacuscmedicineconsult@dhs.lacounty.gov

The procedure service is committed to providing high quality bedside procedures, including paracenteses, thoracenteses, lumbar punctures, and peripheral and central line placements. The service is responsible for inpatient procedures, and the outpatient procedure clinic. In addition, we provide a high level of education to residents on when to perform a procedure, how to perform a procedure, and how to manage complications that may arise. The service was developed in August 2020 and has improved rates of patient satisfaction, as well as resident satisfaction in improving their confidence in performing and understanding procedures. The service is available Monday through Friday from 8am to 4pm. Residents rotate through the service one week at a time.

For more information, email  Lacuschospitalmedicineprocedures@dhs.lacounty.gov

Quality improvement is a vital aspect of being a hospitalist at LA General, both formally and informally.  We continuously work to improve our delivery care systems for the betterment of our patients and our peers.  At LA General, there are innumerable opportunities for QI projects, but we recognize that the most successful projects are projects that our physicians are passionate about.  As hospitalists we have the freedom to choose projects and have the support needed to achieve success.  For those who are interested in developing their QI experience and skills further, opportunities are available through the Quality Academy at LA General.

For more information, email  LacuschospitalmedicineQI@dhs.lacounty.gov

Unit Medical Directors (UMDs) act as integral members of the unit-based leadership structure at LA General.   Our goal is to align the delivery of care on the unit with the priorities of the medical center.  This is achieved through collaboration with nursing and administrative leadership. We supervise the clinical operations of the unit and ensure ongoing excellence of the unit’s care delivery, including quality and safety metrics.  Equally important, we aim to achieve these goals while fostering a culture of respect and collaboration, reinforcing the organization’s core values into relationships between all care providers and other professional staff and promoting the use of effective teams.

For more information, email  LacuscUMD@dhs.lacounty.gov

As hospitalists we serve as physician advisors for the utilization review department. We provide consultation to inpatient services regarding discharge planning, lateral transfers, and higher level of care. Our goal is to provide the highest quality of care to the greatest number of individuals in our community.

If you are interested in a career in Hospital Medicine, email Lacuschospitalmedicinerecruitment@dhs.lacounty.gov