2009-07-22 18:09:04 -

Cogent Healthcare, a leader in hospital medicine, today announced a new hospital medicine affiliation with DeKalb Medical, a 627-bed not-for-profit health system located in suburban Atlanta, Ga.

Through the agreement, Cogent will provide comprehensive hospitalist services to two of DeKalb Medical’s three hospitals: 451-bed DeKalb Medical at North Decatur and 100-bed DeKalb Medical at Hillandale. The program will deploy Cogent’s trademark

System of Care to support the hospitalists with structure, a coordinated care team, data driven processes, rigorous ongoing training and experienced leadership.

“DeKalb Medical has a storied tradition of progressive medicine and a community-based approach, and we are delighted to align our services with their primary goals – to constantly improve clinical quality and physician and patient satisfaction,” said Russell Holman, M.D., Chief Operating Officer of Cogent Healthcare. “Our program will be an integral complement to both hospitals and the DeKalb Physician Hospital Organization’s extensive physician network.”

DeKalb Medical, which delivered nearly half a million patient service visits last year, employs more than 3,000 medical, nursing and support staff members and is home to 800 medical staff members. DeKalb Medical was an early innovator of hospital medicine, having pioneered the first such program in the state of Georgia.

“DeKalb Medical is no stranger to the value of hospitalist services. Our extensive experience ranges from starting our own program to working in the past with another national provider,” said Eric P. Norwood, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer of DeKalb Medical. “We’ve recently selected Cogent because their proven hospitalist model aligns perfectly with our goals. Cogent’s willingness to go ‘at risk’ unless together we meet specific quality and satisfaction measures is a unique partnering strategy that excites our organization.”


Founded in 1997, Cogent is a pioneer and leader in the field of hospital medicine, the fastest growing medical specialty in the history of medicine. This announcement follows recently formed affiliations with Erlanger Health Systems of Chattanooga, Tenn, and Shands Jacksonville Medical Center of Jacksonville, Fla.

For more information about Cogent’s solutions and philosophy, visit www.cogenthealthcare.com : .

About Cogent Healthcare


Founded in 1997, Cogent is a pioneer and leader in the field of hospital medicine. The company partners with hospitals to build and manage highly performing hospitalist programs. In order to relentlessly improve the care and efficiency of hospitalized patients, the Cogent model offers a comprehensive System of Care that supports hospitalists with structure, a coordinated care team, data driven processes, rigorous ongoing training and experienced leadership. Cogent physicians lead the profession by setting best practices for hospital medicine and providing a national mentoring program. For more information, visit www.cogenthealthcare.com : .

About DeKalb Medical


A leader in cancer, heart attack treatment and orthopedics, DeKalb Medical is a non-profit hospital system providing nearly half a million patient visits annually. Founded in Atlanta in 1961, the system includes the 451-bed DeKalb Medical at North Decatur, which was named in the top 5% of all U.S. hospitals in 2009 for clinical excellence by HealthGrades® and was also named the number one hospital for stroke treatment in Georgia in 2009. In addition, the System also operates the 76-bed DeKalb Medical Long Term Acute Care at Downtown Decatur and the 100-bed DeKalb Medical at Hillandale in Lithonia. For more information on DeKalb Medical, visit www.dekalbmedical.org : .


Cogent HealthcareCarlie Crenshaw, 615-254-0575orDeKalb
MedicalJennifer Wadsworth, 404-501-5739