Specialty Clinics
Our specialty clinics offer comprehensive care to persons with pulmonary and sleep disorders. We see patients at 4 locations—Aurora, Englewood, Greenwood Village, and Thornton—located either on campus or close to Swedish Medical Center, The Medical Center of Aurora, North Suburban Medical Center, and Sky Ridge Medical Center. Please call (303) 745-0000 to schedule, change, or cancel an appointment, or for refill requests and general inquiries from our specialty clinics.
Hospital Admission, Care, and Discharge
Critical Care and Pulmonary Consultants is an independent group of physicians providing intensivist (ICU specialist), hospitalist, and pulmonary services to a variety of Denver metro hospitals for more than 25 years. Some of the hospitals we currently provide these services to include:
HOSPITALIST SERVICES
Our providers are present in the hospital 24 hours per day in order to be readily available to care for you or your loved ones. Our focus has been, and continues to be, providing the highest quality of care to the patients we serve. We work closely with emergency room physicians to organize and direct your care upon hospital admission. We also work closely with other staff physicians, nurses, administration and case management throughout your hospital stay and at discharge to optimize your care through:
- Rounding and visiting patients daily, at a minimum
- Meeting monthly with hospital administration to improve patient care and implement state of the art protocols
- Participating in implementing compliance and care measures for patients with heart failure, community acquired pneumonia, and acute myocardial infarction
- Engaging in daily discharge rounds, including discharge planning with case managers as part of a morning discharge protocol
- Communicating with your primary care physician at discharge to ensure they are aware of your medical issues and hospital stay
- Membership in rapid response teams
We also maintain membership in multiple committees including Quality Management, Pharmacy and Therapeutics, Patient Throughput, Critical Care, Neurologic Services, Cardiac Services, Inpatient Service Lines, and Medical Executive Committees.
HOSPITAL ADMISSION
Your CCPC provider will make hospital admission an efficient and seamless transition. Our physicians are in the hospital 24/7 and we have one or more physicians dedicated to admitting patients each day so that patients are seen in a timely manner.
The CCPC hospitalist will take your complete history, perform a physical exam, and coordinate your treatment plan. Our physicians obtain this information independently from other physicians so that they more clearly understand your medical condition and treatment needs. When appropriate, we also work closely with your primary care provider to expedite admission to the hospital without an emergency room visit. Often the physician who admits you to the hospital is not the same physician who sees you the following days in the hospital, but you can rest assured your continuity of care will remain at the highest level of quality.
HOSPITAL CARE
Once in the hospital, CCPC physicians will be responsible for your care. We will check on you daily and stay in communication with nurses and other members of your care team to coordinate your recovery. Often, the majority of time managing your care is done outside your room reviewing lab tests and x-rays, discussing your treatment plan with nurses and allied health professionals, and engaging in discussion and management decisions with other specialists.
24/7 Care
Your CCPC physician will be available 24/7 during your stay to manage any emergency issues that may arise during your hospital stay. Since it is not feasible for one physician to be present in the hospital all the time, the physician that speaks with you during rounds may be different from the physician you encountered during admission. We have a computerized sign-out system that ensures effective and seamless transition of care between our doctors.
Family Participation
Family participation is central to your care. We encourage family conferences to update your loved ones as needed. To ensure that all family members and decision makers are present during family conferences, we schedule family conferences one day in advance. We have found that scheduled conferences, allowing all concerned family to attend, to be the most productive. Our physicians will contact you directly or through your nurse for urgent family conferences that need to be held that day.
HOSPITAL DISCHARGE
Your provider will ensure your discharge includes a comprehensive plan of care. They will discuss your needs with physical, occupational, respiratory, and speech therapists, as well as nursing staff and your case manager as needed. They will also prepare your discharge paperwork, organize your home care needs, communicate with your primary care physician, prepare medication list, and write your new prescriptions.
Discharge to Another Care Facility
Depending on your overall physical condition and daily needs, you may need to be discharged to another care facility. These care facilities include subacute care facilities attached to nursing homes, rehabilitation hospitals, or long term acute care hospitals. We will work with your case manager to arrange this transition. We make recommendations as to which facility you may be transitioned to but the ultimate decision is often based on your insurance company’s contract with these various facilities.
Medications at Discharge
When you are discharged to home, we will provide you with an updated medication list. If new prescriptions are needed, we will provide these for a 2-4 week supply. Narcotic prescriptions may not be filled and you may be referred to your primary care physician or pain specialist for these prescriptions if they were previously prescribed by your primary physician or pain specialist. We will contact your primary care provider and provide them this updated medication list and review follow up plans upon your discharge. It is your responsibility to obtain subsequent prescriptions and follow up with your out-patient doctor as recommended.
