Thejaswi K. Poonacha, MD, MBA, FACP, FHM

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Get to know Hospitalist Dr. Thejaswi K. Poonacha, who serves patients in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Dr. Poonacha is a well established and practicing hospitalist at M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota since 2012. He also oversees Utilization Management, an important component in all major hospitals to ensure that patients are appropriately admitted to the hospital. 

M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center is the flagship location for University of Minnesota Health, and comprises two hospitals and dozens of adult specialty clinics on both the East and West banks of the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis. This location offers the widest range of hospital and clinical services provided through University of Minnesota Health. Complete services range from primary care, emergency care and the delivery of thousands of babies each year, to care of patients with the most complex conditions. 

Academically, Dr. Poonacha graduated medical school from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, India with distinction and did post graduate training in the United Kingdom and in the United States. He recently graduated with his Master of Business Administration degree from the prestigious Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

He is board-certified in internal medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM). The ABIM is a physician-led, non-profit, independent evaluation organization driven by doctors who want to achieve higher standards for better care in a rapidly changing world.

Furthermore, he is board-certified in obesity medicine by the American Board of Obesity Medicine, a 501 nonprofit, self-appointed physician-evaluation organization that certifies physicians practicing obesity medicine.

A Fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP) and a Fellow of the Society of Hospital Medicine (FHM), Dr. Poonacha is a member of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians, the American Medical Association, the Society of General Internal Medicine, and the Indian Medical Council. Most recently, he was awarded Fellowship by the Academy of Physicians in Clinical Research. 

Hospital medicine is a medical specialty that exists in some countries as a branch of internal or family medicine, dealing with the care of acutely ill hospitalized patients. The primary focus is caring for hospitalized patients and co-management with other specialties. Hospitalists take an active part in medical care and ensure a safe discharge for the patients they take care of. Hospitalists are being increasingly involved in administrative roles, given their expertise and collaboration with various teams in the hospital. 

On a more personal note, Dr. Poonacha speaks English, Hindi, and Kannada.

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