Transylvania Regional Hospital Selects Hospitalist Program Medical Director
BREVARD, N.C., Sept. 28, 2009 – Timothy Farmer, M.D., has been named the medical director of the Hospitalist Program at Transylvania Regional Hospital in Brevard.
A hospitalist is a specialty physician that is based in the hospital and focuses on the care of patients admitted to the hospital.
Dr. Farmer is board certified in internal medicine and has worked as a hospitalist physician for the past six years at hospitals in Georgia, North Carolina and Alabama. He recently served as the medical director of a hospital in Dalton, Ga.
Farmer earned his medical degree and completed his residency at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. In addition to his work as a hospitalist, Farmer worked in a private medical practice for 16 years in Georgia.
Farmer began working as a hospitalist in Brevard in July. In addition to his duties as medical director, he will continue to treat patients admitted to Transylvania Regional Hospital. The Brevard hospital launched its Hospitalist Program in August 2007 and now has 24/7 coverage for all adult inpatients by a hospitalist physician with support from two physician assistants.
“The hospitalist concept is new to some people who are used to seeing their family doctor come by once or twice a day to check on them when they are in the hospital,” Farmer said. “This newer system is used by all of the larger hospitals across the United States and allows the family doctor to spend more time seeing patients in the office—and working to keep them out of the hospital—while the hospitalist works in the hospital and focuses on people with more serious illnesses. The hospitalist system can lead to better care for sicker patients because there is always a doctor close by to monitor their care and consult with family members.”
As medical director for the Hospitalist Program, Farmer will oversee the recruitment and retention of hospitalist physicians, help create and revise medical staff policies and procedures related to inpatient care and resolve other patient-related issues.
One important aspect of a successful hospitalist program is good communication between the family doctor and the hospitalist when the patient is admitted to and discharged from the hospital.
“The older I get, the better ideas I have to improve patient care,” Farmer said. “One of my top goals as medical director is to enhance communication between the hospitalist and the primary-care doctor so that they both know everything important about a patient when they are admitted to the hospital. On the other end, everything important is shared with the primary-care doctor and the patient when they leave the hospital including new medications and plans of care.”
Farmer lives in Brevard and enjoys writing poetry as well as playing the piano and bass guitar. He has sung bass-baritone in operas and is currently learning to play the fiddle.
About Transylvania Regional Hospital
Transylvania Regional Hospital is a nationally ranked 5-Star Hospital and a leading provider of quality healthcare services in Transylvania and surrounding counties. Based in Brevard, N.C., it is a not-for-profit hospital founded in 1933 and is the largest employer in Transylvania County.
