Your physicians and nurses will work together to provide direct medical care for you during your stay at the Medical Center. Depending on your condition and your length of stay with us, you may encounter a number of healthcare providers who will attend to your needs.
Here is a list and description of different types of providers you may meet while you are a patient at the Medical Center.
Hospitalist
The hospitalist program was developed at Milford Regional several years ago to provide the best possible care for our patients during their hospitalization.
A hospitalist is an physician whose role is to care for patients in the hospital setting. The hospitalist team will manage your care from admission to discharge. Hospitalists work as your primary care physician while you are in the hospital. They will perform physical exams, order tests to help make diagnoses, consult specialists and prescribe medications. They will communicate with your primary care physician as needed during your stay in the hospital and at discharge.
There is a covering physician in the hospital 24 hours each day to address any urgent problems which may arise and your hospitalist will examine you at least once a day. They encourage your questions, input and feedback. If you need to contact your hospitalist at any point in time, please ask your nurse to page the physician.
Read more about our hospitalist program.
Intensivists & Specialists
If you are admitted to the Intensive Care Unit, you will be taken care of by an intensivist. Intensivists are internal medicine physicians who are specially trained to care for critically ill patients. All of our intensivists are board certified in critical care and pulmonary medicine. Read more about our intensivists.
If you require specialized care during your hospitalization, a specialist will be asked to participate in your care. Specialists are doctors who are highly skilled and trained in specific areas of medicine. Milford Regional has specialists in radiology, gastroenterology, infectious disease, orthopedics, surgery, cardiology and many more.
Interns & Residents
As a major teaching affiliate of UMass Memorial Healthcare, our hospitalists and other physicians are often assisted by interns and residents who are licensed physicians at various levels of residency training. Third and fourth year medical students from the University of Massachusetts Medical School may also work with the medical staff.
Nursing Staff
We are proud of the high quality nursing care that we provide. Your nurse will work with you, your physicians and other healthcare professionals to coordinate other aspects of your treatment.
We invite family members to become involved in planning this care and in arranging for services that you may need when you leave the Medical Center.
Our nurses and nursing assistants are assigned wireless phones when they arrive for their shifts. These phones are an important way for all of your caregivers to communicate with each other. Your nurse can send your doctor a page about you, and the doctor can call the nurse back directly on these phones. The phones also alert the staff when important alarms are triggered by one of their patients.
We do our best to try to provide quality care. The better connected we are, the better we can care for you.
Palliative Care
Palliative Care is a specialized treatment option that offers advanced pain and symptom management to patients with chronic, progressive illness such as heart disease, lung disease, dementia or cancer, regardless of prognosis. Patients can receive treatment for their chronic illness and palliative care for their symptoms at the same time.
Watch a lecture video about Palliative Care: Living Life Now…At its Best
During a patient’s hospital stay, our palliative care specialists will make treatment recommendations after evaluating his/her pain and other symptoms. They will help families establish clear goals for treatment and supporting them through difficult medical decisions.
The palliative care team will also enhance coordination of care and communication between doctors, nurses, counselors and other healthcare providers. Read more about our palliative care services.
Care Management
Clinical social workers are assigned to each patient floor to provide counseling and support for patients and their families, and to provide help with problems associated with illness and hospitalization.
Registered nurses, called case managers, are also assigned to each patient floor to help with needed services at home, rehabilitation or nursing home placement. They are also available to discuss your health insurance and what services your insurance covers.
If you would like to talk with a social worker or case manager, speak with your nurse or call the care management department at extension 2470.
Patient Liaison
Our patient liaison is available to assist patients, patient's representatives and members of the community with general information, or questions or concerns related to their overall experience at Milford Regional. Such issues may include, but are not limited to, quality of care, staff interactions, access to care, general assistance and information.
We value and welcome any feedback from our patients and their families or representatives. Feel free to contact our patient liaison at extension 2648.
Other Healthcare Professionals
Depending upon the reason for your stay with us, there are many other healthcare professionals you may encounter during your time at Milford Regional in areas such as laboratory, pharmacy, respiratory, rehabilitation, cardiovascular, diagnostic imaging and more. All of our staff meets stringent requirements to ensure you receive the highest standards of care.
All Medical Center employees wear a picture identification card so you know they are part of the medical staff.
