National Hospitalist Day

A Message from Division Chief, Dr. Vineet Chopra

Dr. Vineet Chopra

Dear Team,

Today is our day - the national day for hospitalists.

As I look back on the year behind us, so many emotions, thoughts and words come to mind. Perhaps the most powerful of all these sentiments is pride and respect. I am proud of our team and all of the many challenges we rose to together. Across all groups in our system, few do it as seamlessly and as collaboratively as we do. That used to be our well-kept secret, and it is a secret no longer. And I have a tremendous sense of respect - for all the courage, sacrifice, effort and dedication all of you have showed in meeting the pandemic in the battleground of the hospital. Time and time again we put our mission and our patients first selflessly and willingly. This is what we became clinicians for, yes, but few were tested as we were. We not only rose to the challenge - but exceeded expectations. You have my most profound gratitude and admiration for this.

But don’t just take my words for it - listen to leaders in our organization and beyond express their well wishes to our Division on this important day.

All my best,

Vineet

A COVID-19 Patient Story

"From the first person, all the way to the last person, they give it their all. They treat you like family." - Dequay Woodruff

Listen to Dequay talk about his stay at Michigan Medicine while fighting COVID-19.

 

 

Thank You from Michigan Medicine Leadership & Beyond!

David C. Miller, MD, MPH

Dear Colleagues,

It is fitting that National Hospitalist Day, March 4, comes just as we begin to acknowledge the one-year milestone of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past year, we have seen with great clarity the tremendous contributions you make to our system and to our patients. We have seen the expertise, caring and willingness with which you have worked during these challenging times. We have seen you going above and beyond to support our patients and our systems in ways we could never have imagined. Your expertise, resolve and commitment to our patients has moved us forward time and time again. Thank you for the great work you do every single day.

Today, we celebrate National Hospitalist Day. I am grateful for all you do.

David C. Miller, MD, MPH
President, U-M Health System


Marschall S. Runge, MD, PhD

Dear Michigan Medicine Hospitalists,

On this National Hospitalist Day, I would like to extend my sincerest appreciation and gratitude for the incredible work that you have accomplished over the past year. A year into the pandemic, there have been so many milestones that you have helped us not only achieve, but do so with excellence and the greatest empathy and compassion.

Being the first physicians to care for COVID-19 patients last March, when we knew so little about the disease, was a brave and daunting undertaking, as was the monumental task of planning for and opening the RICU when our COVID-19 census increased. Your efforts and contributions to caring for these patients was and continues to be tremendous. On behalf of the entirety of Michigan Medicine and beyond, I can’t thank you enough for your commitment and dedication to caring for our patients, both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19, in the most trying times.

A year later, I continue to be impressed with your resilience commitment to innovation in how we best manage ICU beds and optimize care settings the many patient populations we serve.

Thank you for all that you do.

Marschall S. Runge, MD, PhD
CEO, Michigan Medicine


Nancy May, CNE, NEA-BC, RN-BC

I want to thank the hospitalist team for all they do every day to provide seamless care for our patients. Over the last year, having met several of the team during the pandemic surge of patients into our health system, allowed me to see the caliber of skill and expertise they have to manage complex disease and deal with much uncertainty. The dedication they showed allowed us operationally to make adjustments to manage the care of very sick patients in a wide variety of settings. Their collaborative spirit and creative suggestions turned into amazing outcomes for our patients during this difficult time of uncertainty. I will always be grateful for their calm and steady approach to help with caring for patients during an unprecedented time.

Nancy May, CNE, NEA-BC, RN-BC
Chief Nurse Executive


John M. Carethers, MD, MACP

Dear fellow Hospitalist colleagues:

From last year’s recognition to this years National Hospitalist Day celebration, a lot has happened – probably some of the most consequential changes towards your daily practices since you joined as a Hospitalist. The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged us as a group, as an institution, and as a people. I have witnessed nothing but courage and engagement from all of you as a group, and your camaraderie with colleagues, with patients and their families on phone lines, and with each other has been unmatched in this past year of challenges. I truly salute you on this National Hospitalist Day for 2021, recognize your tremendous contributions to patient care, and know that our patients wonderfully appreciate your expertise in caring for them and their families, sometimes at their gravest needs of their lives.

John M. Carethers, MD, MACP
Professor and Chair, Department of Internal Medicine


David A. Spahlinger, MD

In recognition of National Hospitalist Day on Thursday it is appropriate to recognize the contributions of the hospitalist division to the missions of Michigan Medicine. The faculty in the division played a critical role in meeting the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospitalists staffed the RICU and the COVID units, participating in daily problem solving with leadership throughout the past year, modified clinical practice to keep COVID patients out of the ICU and in moderate care beds. This was critical to our need to care for both COVID and non-COVID patients. The hospitalists staffed the St. Joe’s service and a new Chelsea service to improve access for critically ill patients to be cared for in UH. I can’t thank all of you enough for the critical role you have played in helping us care for all our patients in this trying circumstances.

David A. Spahlinger, MD
Former President, U-M Health System


Brian J. Zink, MD

Over the course of my career, one of the best things that has happened in medicine is the evolution of hospital medicine – for patient safety, communication, efficiency, and overall quality of hospital care. The great working relationship that has evolved at Michigan Medicine between Hospital Medicine and Emergency Medicine has been wonderful to see and to be part of. A special thanks is certainly warranted for how our hospitalists stepped up to provide so much care in a time of great need for our COVID-infected patients. With much appreciation and congratulations. Happy National Hospitalist Day.

Brian J. Zink, MD
Interim Executive Vice Dean for Academic Affairs


Carolyn Cole-Brown, MHSA, FACHE

Dear Michigan Medicine Hospital Medicine Hospitalist,

Words cannot truly express the gratitude for your on-going commitment to providing outstanding patient care. This year has presented each of you, our patients, families, and our entire team with tremendous challenges. You, the Hospital Medicine team have been agile and ready each time Michigan Medicine called upon you for help and support. Not only did you step-up to help us through the rise of COVID through supporting the RICU, the UH patient care units (general care and the shift to moderate care), you did this with grace, speed with focus on putting our patients and the healthcare team first. I feel honored and privileged to work with you. You and your commitment to EXCELLENCE is the MICHIGAN DIFFERENCE.

Thank you for all you do, each and every day.

Carolyn Cole-Brown, MHSA, FACHE
Associate Chief Operating Officer, Medical, Emergency and Psychiatric Services


Bob Watcher, MD

Dear UM Hospitalists:

When I hatched the crazy concept of hospitalists 25 (!) years ago – when Drs. Flanders and Saint were in diapers and Dr. Chopra was but a glint in his parents’ eyes – I dreamed that the field would become indispensable to patients, trainees, hospitals, and healthcare systems. Through your extraordinary care, your compassion, your teaching, your research, and your innovation, you have brought this dream to life. I am deeply appreciative of what you do every day, particularly in this year of unprecedented stress and tragedy. Thanks for all you do for our field, our trainees, and our patients.

Bob Watcher, MD
Chair, Department of Medicine UCSF


Michael W. Mulholland, MD, PhD

Dear Colleagues,

I want to express to you my deep, deep personal admiration and gratitude for what you have done over the past year. One year ago this week, COVID like a wave swept over the University of Michigan. I know the memories are still fresh for you, with all of the uncertainty, real sense of personal risk and anxiety. The U of M Hospitalists stepped into the breach. For all of us, but especially for the most vulnerable among us. I have thought many times over the past year about why we all went to medical school – not to become providers, but to become doctors. I salute you, doctors. Thanks for showing us the way.

Michael W. Mulholland, MD, PhD
Senior Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs


Kelly M. Malloy, MD, FACS

It is hard to know where to begin when it comes to recognizing the inpatient physicians who have led with such fortitude and flexibility this past year. From RICU to Chelsea service, all the changes in UH for the fall/winter surges, serving as S-AODs and capacity command center leaders, and running a service at Mott within two days notice - the challenges have been near biblical. But the hospitalists at Michigan are always there to problem solve with us and take great care of our patients. We would be lost without our hospitalists. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Leaders and Best indeed.

Kelly M. Malloy, MD, FACS
Associate Chief Clinical Officer


Jeffrey S. Desmond, MD

Please extend my appreciation, gratitude and respect to all those in the Division of Hospital Medicine in recognition of National Hospitalists Day. From expanding out offsite presence with the MSJ service and creating the MHC service, to all of the challenges they faced during our surges in COVID care and most recently moving a service to C&W in response to our facility issues, our hospitalists have been exemplary institutional team players. Their commitment to our patients is obvious in the care they provide on a daily basis, as well as in their response to extraordinary challenges like RICU staffing, expanding Moderate Care and just the volume of patients they care for.

Their flexibility, dedication, patient centeredness and principled commitment serve as outstanding examples of our institutional values of Caring, Innovation, Inclusion, Integrity and Teamwork.

I am proud to have them all as colleagues.

Jeffrey S. Desmond, MD
Chief Medical Officer, Michigan Medicine


Eric E. Howell, MD, MHM

Dear Michigan Hospitalists,

Thank you for all you have done and continue to do for our patients.

Today, March 4th, is National Hospitalist Day. And on this day I wanted to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts you, and hospitalists nationally, have put forward to care for patients during this pandemic. I know it has not been an easy year.

Your hard work, and excellent care has reduced suffering, saved lives, and inspired a whole new generation of young people to pursue medicine as a career.

I don’t know how far away the light is at the end of the tunnel, but it gets brighter daily.

I look forward to visiting Michigan in person one day, hopefully in the not too distant future.

Eric E. Howell, MD, MHM
CEO, Society of Hospital Medicine


Hitinder Gurm, MBBS, FACC

We owe our hospitalists a huge debt of gratitude for the exceptional dedication and sense of volunteerism that they demonstrated during the year of COVID. The word hero is thrown around a lot in medicine, but to me, those who volunteered to care for COVID in March 2020, were  truly heroes. A year ago, we knew very little about the disease, and what we knew was scary, and demoralizing. The Hospitalists were among  the first to step up to take care of these sick, frightened ,and isolated patients and they did so with remarkable courage, and compassion. Hats off to you!

Hitinder S. Gurm, MBBS, FACC
Associate Chief Clinical Officer