Lancaster General Health is now a partner with one of the nation’s top pediatric hospitals.
When a child requires pediatric hospital care or specialty pediatric services, Lancaster General Health’s partnership with Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children will provide parents with a pediatric program recognized for quality care.

 

“Through the hospitalist program and new specialty care clinic, we are enhancing our pediatric program with a higher level of pediatric service,” explains Kevin Lorah, M.D., Medical Director for Pediatric Services at Lancaster General Hospital. “This partnership will give patients increased access to more services and allow the treatment of more complex medical conditions close to home.”

A hospitalist is a physician who provides quality medical care to someone while he or she is at the hospital. A hospitalist is devoted solely to the care of hospitalized patients. Two inpatient hospitalists, board-certified in pediatrics, are currently on staff at Lancaster General Hospital’s 19-bed pediatric unit. When the program is fully implemented, five pediatric hospitalists will offer around-the-clock coverage.

“The hospitalist works collaboratively with a child’s pediatrician or primary care physician to provide clinical inpatient pediatric expertise,” says Eric Weis, Nemours administrator responsible for the partnership with Lancaster General Health. “They bring with them the experience that comes with dedicating their careers to taking care of children in the hospital setting.”The opportunity to provide local pediatricians and primary care physicians with the option of having a hospitalist manage their patients’ in-hospital needs benefits both the patient and the referring physician, according to Dr. Lorah.

Hospitalists can make early identification of changes in a patient’s condition, timely adjustments in a treatment plan, arrange for specialists and support services as necessary, and contribute to a hospital’s efficiency. Pediatric hospitalists will also be available for consultations in the emergency room, says Dr. Lorah.With pediatricians and primary care doctors facing an increasing demand to deliver care in their offices, the presence of hospitalists in the pediatric unit gives them the confidence that their patients are being well cared for in the hospital.If requested, the pediatrician or family physician can continue to care for a patient if they wish, or at the parents’ request, Weis says.

The hospitalist specialty is only about 10 years old, but it is growing. An estimated 20,000 hospitalists are in practice, according to the Society of Hospital Medicine. The Nemours partnership allows Lancaster General Health to take advantage of Nemours’ expertise in operational processes and organization efficiencies and progressive approaches to treatment and care. Lead hospitalist, Marc Perlman, M.D., and Sandy Verbin, M.D., have been working in the pediatric unit since summer 2008.

“The pediatric unit at Lancaster General Hospital is well-established with a well-qualified staff—pediatric nurses, family practice residents, pharmacists, and respiratory therapists,” says Dr. Perlman. “We have one purpose—to take care of children from the time they are admitted to the time they are discharged and make sure they have the best possible hospital experience.”

To better serve children with special needs, the Nemours Children’s Clinic opened in May with services for pediatric cardiology and pulmonology. Three cardiologists and one pulmonologist are on staff at the clinic, located at 2128 Embassy Drive, Suite A in Lancaster.“We are offering consultations for existing patients, evaluations of new patients, follow-up, and ongoing clinical management,” said Weis. Pediatric cardiologists will also provide consultations and diagnostic services upon request in the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), nursery and inpatient pediatric unit.

Diagnostic testing including electrocardiograms, echocardiography and Holter monitoring are available on-site. Your child’s primary care physician can use NemoursLink, a free, Internet-based tool, to access real-time clinical information about your child, ensuring efficient, collaborative care.“This partnership with Nemours will allow local parents to obtain pediatric care for their children in the community, minimizing the disruption to family life that often occurs in the event of a serious illness to a child,” says Dr. Lorah.

Should more advanced care be needed, all of Nemours’ pediatric specialists are just an hour away and available at the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware, one of the nation’s 25 Best Children’s Hospitals, according to Parents Magazine.

 

For more information about outpatient care at

Nemours Children’s Clinic, Lancaster please call

(717) 481-8771 or visit www.nemours.org/lancastergeneralhealth.

 

To schedule an appointment, please call
800-416-4441.

 

 

 

In May, Lancaster General Health celebrated the 25th anniversary of caring for newborns and premature babies at its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).Originally housed at the downtown hospital, the NICU has been located at Women & Babies Hospital since it opened in 2000.

 

As part of the recent WBH expansion project, the NICU received significant upgrades, including eight additional beds, from 21 to 29, and comfortable new bonding areas that include a kitchenette, computer area, living area and overnight area.