The Role of the Medical Consultant

Medical consultation is a rapidly growing field in internal medicine, with an estimated 92% of hospitalists caring for patients on medical consultation services. Traditionally, consultants mainly provided surgeons with an assessment and recommendations. As the number of patients with comorbidities and complicated medical regimens has increased on nonsurgical services, so too has the role of medical consultants in caring for them. In addition, comanagement of patients has become more common. The following module examines the different roles that hospitalists perform as medical consultants and the mechanics of consulting. The need for effective communication is stressed along with a discussion of differing expectations of consultants as a function of the referring physician’s specialty.

To provide hospitalists with up-to-date information regarding the role of the consultant in the treatment and management of patients.

This activity is designed for hospitalists. No prerequisites required.

After completing the module, the participant should be able to:

1. Explain the different roles hospitalists can play as a medical consultant.
2. Recognize why effective communication in medical consultation is of paramount importance.
3. Describe appropriate consultative note content.
4. Discuss the mechanics of consulting.

The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine takes responsibility for the content, quality, and scientific integrity of this CME activity.

Accreditation Statement: The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation Statement: The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)^™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Release date: November 1, 2007 Expiration date: November 1, 2009

Estimated time to complete activity: 1 hour

Full Disclosure Policy Affecting CME Activities: As a provider accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), it is the policy of The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine to require the disclosure of the existence of any significant financial interest or any other relationship a faculty member or a sponsor has with the manufacturer(s) of any commercial product(s) discussed in an educational presentation. The presenting faculty reported the following:

^*Assistant Professor, School of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
^†Chief Medical Officer, Dimock Community Health Care Center, Boston, Massachusetts.

Conflict of Interest: Dr Feldman reports having no significant financial or advisory relationships with corporate organizations related to this activity.
Dr. Minter-Jordan reports having no significant financial or advisory relationships with corporate organizations related to this activity.

Off-Label Product Discussion: All faculty have indicated that they have not referenced unlabeled or unapproved uses of drugs or devices.

Address correspondence to: Leonard Feldman, MD, Assistant Professor, Division of General Internal Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Park Building Room 307, 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21287. E-mail: LennyF@jhmi.edu.

Click here to download the references for this educational program.

The following is an interactive educational module designed to help you gauge your basic knowledge of the topic and then direct you to areas you may need to focus on. It consists of 3 sections: an unaccredited pre-test, a study program, and a CME post-test. All 3 sections must be completed to receive CME credit.