GHS Adds Second Doctor to Hospitalist Program

Oxford, NC (March 17, 2008) – Granville Medical Center has added the services of a second hospitalist to meet the needs of the public and physicians in the area. In January, Shea McManus, M.D. began assisting primary care physicians (PCPs) with providing treatment for their in-patient or hospitalized patients. 

 

A native of California, McManus completed his medical degree at Tulane Medical School in 1994 and an internal medicine residency at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Before joining Granville Health System, McManus concurrently served as a community medicine preceptor at AHEC New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, NC; and as an internal medicine physician at New Hanover Medical Group, both in Wilmington, NC.
 

Then the hospitalist opportunity drew his interest. “In my role at Granville Medical Center, I provide consultations in the emergency department, admit people to the hospital, and provide medical care following their admission. I enjoy the diverse roles, being constantly busy, and the hands-on aspect of the job,” McManus says.

“The addition of Dr. McManus, the second full-time hospitalist, expands the ability of Granville Medical Center to deliver care to hospitalized patients,” stated Dr. J. Randall Byrd, Emergency Department Medical Director. “Being based on-site, they are able to expedite and coordinate inpatient care, and have the capability to respond quickly to patients’ needs and test results or studies. The transition of care from the Emergency Department to the inpatient floors is even more efficient. We welcome and look forward to working with Dr. McManus,” Dr. Byrd added.

The family doctor making his rounds at the hospital is one of health care's timeless images. But that tradition is being replaced nationally — and locally — by the "hospitalist system," which uses in-house doctors to treat patients. 

The term "hospitalist," first used in the mid-1990s by the New England Journal of Medicine, refers to doctors whose activities are varied and who serve admitted patients. Unlike traditional doctors, hospitalists practice exclusively in the hospital and do not see patients away from the hospital in an office or clinic setting.

 

The hospitalists manage patients in all areas of the hospital, including the intensive care units, medical units and surgical units. They order diagnostic tests, monitor patients' conditions, make treatment decisions and coordinate patient care among other members of the hospital medical staff, while working closely with the primary care physicians (PCPs).

Says Balvinder Kumar, who started last June as the first hospitalist at Granville Medical Center, “In the past, PCPs would follow their hospitalized clients from the doctor's office to the hospital. That method often resulted in slow response time to patient needs, while stranding lines of needy customers back at the doctor's office. Now the PCPs can stay in their offices, be available to their patients who have more immediate needs, and largely focus on preventative medicine.” 

The hospitalist communicates with primary care physicians throughout a patient’s stay at GMC, from admission to discharge. At discharge the hospitalist sends the primary care physician a detailed report that outlines the treatment and care the patient received during the hospital stay.

 

“The communication factor is very important,” says Maria Calloway, RN, MSN, Chief Nursing Officer, “and patients can be assured the hospitalist and their private physician will be in regular contact during their hospital stay. When the patient is discharged from the hospital, the PCP will receive copies of discharge papers and a list of medications so all necessary follow-up treatment can continue.”

 

In the meantime, the two hospitalists perform shift work to care for hospitalized patients so there's always a doctor available for patients, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The hospitalists’ constant presence yields other dividends as well. "We're able to catch many illnesses in the early stages and prevent their escalation," McManus says. "It decreases a patient's length of stay, and impacts mortality numbers in a positive way."

CEO L. Lee Isley, Jr., PhD, FACHE sees additional benefits to Granville Medical Center’s operations. “We believe having two hospitalists will allow us to more easily recruit specialists, because they will have broader assistance with coverage,” says Isley. “In addition, having hospitalists around the clock helps with the flow of patients. The hospitalists serve as a driving force in Granville Health System’s upswing in productivity, profitability and quality of service.”

 

“Helping Granville County residents receive quality care close to home is a major reason for steadily growing patient volumes at Granville Health System, which grew by 6.5 percent in 2007,” Isley continues. “We have set a goal of 10.4 percent growth for fiscal year 2008, which started on October 1. So far, that goal is being met.”

“It’s a great opportunity to be part of a growing medical facility and a hospitalist program,” McManus says. “I like the fact that Granville Health System is situated in a smaller town which has all the wonderful qualities of a close-knit community. My experience here has been very positive. The patients are appreciative and like the hospitalist program. The staff is wonderful--there is a real sense of comraderie and teamwork among the nurses, physicians, and support staff.”

McManus originally planned on looking at hospitals all over the South, but when he interviewed with Granville Health System it went so well that he was convinced GHS was the place for him. “I called another hospital with whom I had an interview and told them I wasn’t coming,” McManus recalled. “I really felt that GHS was a superior medical system, and that I wanted to be here.”

An avid fitness enthusiast who lives in Oxford, McManus has run marathons in Washington, DC; San Diego and Las Vegas; and 4 triathlons in North Carolina. He also participated in a 100-mile bike ride in Santa Fe.

His love of sailing was apparent when he took the job at GHS and he and his wife Rebecca sailed their boat from Key West, Florida to Wilmington, NC, where it is now moored. “It took 3 weeks and was the trip of a lifetime,” he says.

Dr. McManus also enjoys spear fishing, scuba diving, rugby, and water coloring.