THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS (August 23, 2012)

Board-certified internal medicine physician Susan D. Hutchins, MD, has been appointed medical director of hospitalist services at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center. In her new role, Dr. Hutchins will oversee the inpatient hospitalist program that includes nine other physicians, two nurse practitioners and one registered nurse.

A hospitalist physician is one who dedicates his or her time and career to the care of hospitalized patients. They focus on clinical management, with an added eye to quality, safety and utilization. At Memorial Hermann The Woodlands, the hospitalist physicians work on-site and provide care to patients 24 hours a day.

"We are pleased to welcome Dr. Hutchins as medical director for Woodland Inpatient Physicians and hospitalist practice at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands," said Steve Sanders, CEO of Memorial Hermann The Woodlands. "She will benefit patients by ensuring they receive the best care possible during their stay at our hospital."

Dr. Hutchins has been a valued member of Memorial Hermann The Woodlands medical staff since 2001. She is a graduate of Baylor College of Medicine and completed her residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospitals. She is board-certified in Internal Medicine.