Brett Kronenberger, M.D., a Chief Hospitalist of Sound Inpatient Physicians, and a group of community leaders held a private meeting with President Barack Obama prior to the Town Hall meeting on health care reform, in Belgrade, Montana last Friday.
Dr. Kronenberger is the incoming President of the Montana Medical Association. Controlling skyrocketing costs of health care was the focus of a private meeting with Dr. Kronenberger and five other community leaders. She leads a team of hospitalist physicians who practice at St. James Healthcare, a 100 bed hospital in Butte, Montana. “Our community physicians rely on our hospitalists to ensure they can provide care to patients in their offices. Our hospitalist model is vital to the inpatient hospital care delivered to patients. We coordinate care for patients of more than 50 local primary care physicians and specialists,” notes Dr. Kronenberger.
“Sound’s physicians write over $2 million in medical orders in the hospital per year. These costs are comprised of direct care, diagnostic tests, various therapies, and pharmaceuticals,” notes Dr. Kronenberger. “My message to the President was that hospitalists play a pivotal role in controlling medical dollars spent in managing the hospitalized patient. I explained that in order to reform health care it is critical to combine skilled clinicians and implement processes and technology that can drive performance.”