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Neurohospitalist Division
About the Neurohospitalist Division
The AHN Neurohospitalist Division is made up of a team of experts who specialize in diagnosing and treating sudden and severe neurological problems, emergencies and conditions that require hospitalization. A neurohospitalist is a neurologist who provides care solely in a hospital setting. AHN Neurohospitalists are with you during the critical moments you need care and have the experience and compassion you need in these vital moments. The benefits the Neurohospitalist Division can provide our patients with neurological disorders with:
- Quicker diagnosis and treatment: Being available in the hospital to assess and diagnose acute neurological conditions like stroke, seizures, or severe headaches can significantly reduce the time to diagnosis and the initiation of crucial treatments.
- Improved outcomes for neurological emergencies: The focused expertise in emergencies can lead to more accurate diagnoses and appropriate, timely interventions. This can result in better recovery rates, reduced long-term disability, and lower mortality for conditions.
- Reduced length of hospital stay: By providing efficient and effective care, neurohospitalists can often streamline the diagnostic process and treatment plan, potentially leading to shorter hospital stays for patients with neurological disorders.
- Reduced readmission rates: By optimizing treatment plans and ensuring proper discharge planning and follow-up recommendations, neurohospitalists can help reduce the likelihood of patients being readmitted to the hospital for the same neurological condition.
- Coordination with other specialists: Neurohospitalists collaborate with other medical specialties to deliver comprehensive and integrated care for patients with complex neurological issues.
Neurohospitalist Division FAQs
Understanding the difference a dedicated neurohospitalist division can provide and how the care that’s delivered from AHN’s neurohospitalists can help in critical moments of neurological care.
What is a neurohospitalist?
A neurohospitalist is a doctor who specializes in treating people with brain, spinal cord, and nerve conditions while they are in the hospital. Think of them as a neurologist who focuses specifically on inpatients. They work closely with your other doctors and nurses to make sure you get the best possible care for your neurological health during your hospital stay. AHN Neurohospitalists are an integral part of your hospital care team, ensuring seamless coordination and swift decision-making for even the most complex neurological challenges.
What is the difference between a neurocritical care and a neurohospitalist?
While both are neurologists who work in the hospital, their focus areas are a bit different:
- Neurohospitalist: These doctors care for a wide range of neurological conditions in the hospital, from common issues like severe headaches or dizziness to more serious problems like strokes. They manage your neurological care throughout your hospital stay, whether you're in a regular hospital room or a less intensive unit.
- Neurocritical care doctor: These doctors specialize in treating the most seriously ill patients with life-threatening brain, spinal cord, and nerve conditions. They work exclusively in the intensive care unit (ICU), providing highly specialized care for conditions like severe strokes, brain injuries, or prolonged seizures.
What does a neurohospitalist do?
A neurohospitalist's main job is to manage and support your neurological health during your hospital stay. They are with you to help explain, treat and guide you through your hospital stay. AHN Neurohospitalists are integral in:
- Diagnosing conditions: They quickly figure out what's causing your neurological symptoms.
- Creating treatment plans: They develop and adjust your medication and treatment plan specifically for your needs.
- Monitoring your progress: They keep a close eye on how you're responding to treatment and make changes as needed.
- Working with your care team: They coordinate with other doctors, nurses, and specialists (like physical therapists) to ensure all aspects of your care are connected.
Essentially, they are a neurological expert while you are an inpatient, ensuring continuity and specialized attention for your brain and nerve health.
Getting care from the AHN Neurohospitalist Division
The AHN Neurohospitalist Division provides a dedicated team of neurological experts focused on delivering high-quality, efficient, and coordinated care for patients with acute neurological issues during their hospitalization.
Neurological disorders we treat
Our team works to treat neurological disorders and neurological diseases at the most critical moments. We see people who are dealing with:
- Stroke
- Seizures and epilepsy
- Severe headaches (like migraines)
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
- Infections of the brain or spinal cord
- Weakness or numbness that comes on suddenly
- Neuromuscular disorders
- Movement disorders
- Confusion or changes in mental state
- Any neurological condition that requires intensive monitoring or complex medication management
Neurohospitalist Division specialists
The specialized team of neurohospitalists at AHN have dedicated their professional lives to treating and helping those with neurological disorders and neurological problems. We seek to provide comprehensive, efficient care to meet our patients needs as quickly as possible.
Neurohospitalist, Clinical Neurophysiology
Neurohospitalist
Neurohospitalist
Neurohospitalist
Neurohospitalist
Getting the care you need
The Neurohospitalist Division primarily provides care for patients who are already admitted to the hospital. If you need to follow-up with AHN Neurology after you’ve been discharged, please call 412-359-8850 or make an appointment.
What to expect at your new patient visit
When you receive care at the AHN Neuroscience, you’ll be seen by board-certified neurologists, neurosurgeons, and pain management physicians who can deliver highly specialized treatments using the latest, most advanced technologies. We recommend that you bring a trusted friend or family member to attend any appointment, but we do not recommend taking young children who cannot be left unattended in the waiting rooms.
We encourage you to sign up for AHN MyChart access, where you can complete some new patient paperwork and questionnaires through the MyChart web portal or the MyChart app.
Plan to arrive at the check-in desk about 30 minutes prior to the start of your appointment. That will provide enough time for the necessary intake process. Even if you use the eCheck in through MyChart, we ask that you arrive at the check-in desk 30 minutes before the start of your appointment to make sure we have your appropriate information.
What to take to your first visit
We recommend that you bring a trusted friend or family member to attend any appointment, but we do not recommend taking young children who cannot be left unattended in the waiting rooms. There are also certain items and paperwork you’ll want to have with you so our office staff and healthcare team have your necessary information.
Required identification and payment
In order to process your information and start your appointment on time, please bring:
- Insurance cards
- Photo ID
- Copay (no cash accepted)
Medical information and records
Please bring copies of previous medical records, including office visit notes, lab work, hospital stay summaries, and radiology reports from outside health organizations. You’ll also want to have a complete list of medications and supplements, including dosing amounts.
For worker’s compensation or auto claim purposes, please have date of injury, claim number, billing address, and the name and phone number of the claims adjuster.
Imaging studies (if applicable)
If you have had imaging studies done at imaging locations outside of Allegheny Health Network, you will need to follow these steps:
- Contact the imaging facility and request a physical disc with the imaging and radiologist report.
- Some sites will require a few days to a week’s notice before you can pick up the disc.
- If you do not have copies of imaging, your initial evaluation will be incomplete, and we may need to schedule additional appointments.
Personal items and equipment (if applicable)
If you will require any personal items or medical equipment — walker, cane, wheelchair, oxygen — that will make your post-procedure care easier, please bring that with you.
Refer your patient to an AHN specialist
There are two ways for medical professionals, who are not a part of Allegheny Health Network, to refer their patients to an AHN specialist and request their first appointment. You can:
- Call (412) DOCTORS 412-362-8677.
- Go to Find Care to find the right AHN specialist and the most convenient location. Then refer your patient, provide relevant patient details, and request an appointment directly from the doctor's profile.
For more information about referring your patient to an AHN specialist, read the Independent Physician Referral FAQs.
After referring your patient
Once your patient is receiving care from an AHN specialist, you can view their test results, see their treatment plan, follow their treatment progress, and collaborate with our team using the EpicCare® Link™ platform.
If you are new to EpicCare Link, or need to request your own EpicCare Link account, read: EpicCare Link for Patient Follow-up, for user instructions and new account request forms.
When EpicCare Link is not an option for a patient's AHN medical records
If you can't access your patient's AHN test results through the EpicCare Link platform, your patient will need to complete and submit the correct AHN Medical Records Release form, based on their state of residency. Support your patient's request by downloading the correct medical records release form for them:
EpicCare® is a registered trademark of Epic Systems Corporation and used with permission.
EpicCare® Link™ is a trademark of Epic Systems Corporation and used with permission.