Hospitalist MD/DO Step-Down Unit - MidState Medical Center

Hospitalist Step-Down Unit (Progressive Care Unit) Physician | MidState Medical Center

Hartford HealthCare (HHC) is the largest integrated health care system in Connecticut and includes seven hospitals, a large multi-specialty medical group, the largest behavioral health network in Connecticut, senior care services and a rehabilitation network. We offer a clinically advanced and stimulating work environment in which to grow your career.

Position Summary

MidState Medical Center, an affiliate of Hartford HealthCare, is a 156 bed community hospital, located in Meriden, CT. The Hospitalist Step-Down Unit Physician is responsible for the comprehensive medical management of adult patients requiring intermediate-level care in the Step-Down Unit (SDU) or Progressive Care Unit (PCU). These patients typically require a higher level of monitoring and clinical intervention than provided on a general medical-surgical floor but do not require intensive care unit (ICU) services.

The physician works collaboratively with intensivists, specialists, advanced practice providers, nursing staff, respiratory therapists, case managers, and other interdisciplinary team members to provide high-quality, evidence-based inpatient care. The Hospitalist is responsible for admission, ongoing management, coordination of care, discharge planning, and transitions of care for step-down patients.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Clinical Care

• Evaluate, diagnose, and manage hospitalized adult patients requiring step-down level of care.
• Admit patients from the Emergency Department, ICU transfers, direct admissions, and outside facilities as appropriate.
• Provide daily patient assessments, treatment planning, and medical management.
• Monitor patients with complex medical conditions requiring enhanced observation, telemetry, non-invasive respiratory support, or frequent clinical reassessment.
• Manage patients with conditions including, but not limited to:
• Sepsis and severe infections
• Respiratory failure requiring high-flow oxygen or non-invasive ventilation
• Cardiac arrhythmias and acute cardiac conditions
• Post-procedural and post-operative monitoring
• Stroke and neurological disorders
• Complex metabolic and endocrine disorders
• Gastrointestinal bleeding and other high-acuity medical conditions
• Recognize clinical deterioration and facilitate timely transfer to the ICU when indicated.
• Coordinate consultations with specialty services and implement recommendations.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration

• Participate in multidisciplinary rounds and care coordination meetings.
• Collaborate closely with intensivists regarding patient transfers and co-management when appropriate.
• Communicate effectively with nursing staff, therapists, pharmacists, and case management teams.
• Engage patients and families in treatment planning and shared decision-making.

Quality and Patient Safety

• Adhere to hospital policies, evidence-based clinical guidelines, and regulatory standards.
• Participate in quality improvement initiatives focused on patient outcomes, throughput, safety, and resource utilization.
• Support efforts to reduce readmissions, hospital-acquired conditions, and length of stay.
• Maintain accurate, timely, and compliant documentation within the electronic medical record.

Professional Development

• Attend departmental meetings, continuing medical education activities, and hospital committees as assigned.

Preferred

• Prior 5-year hospital medicine experience.
• Experience managing progressive care, telemetry, or intermediate-care patients.
• Demonstrated proficiency in acute care medicine and management of medically complex hospitalized patients.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong clinical judgment and ability to recognize and manage patient deterioration.
• Expertise in inpatient medical management and care transitions.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to function effectively within a multidisciplinary team.
• Commitment to patient-centered care, quality improvement, and evidence-based practice.

Work Environment

• Hospital-based clinical practice within a Step-Down Unit/Progressive Care Unit.
• Frequent interaction with critically ill and medically complex patients.

Performance Expectations

• Deliver safe, high-quality, patient-centered care.
• Meet departmental productivity and quality metrics.
• Maintain timely documentation and accurate coding practices.
• Support hospital initiatives related to patient satisfaction, quality outcomes, and operational efficiency.

Reporting Relationship

Reports to the Medical Director of Hospital Medicine