At UVA Health System, we are continually evaluating our procedures to ensure we are providing optimal access to care. Your satisfaction with the patient transfer process has been a key consideration this year, and after careful review, we have made improvements we hope will allow for more streamlined service and a reliable, timely response to transfer requests.
For those requesting to transfer patients to UVA, the process will appear unchanged, with the exception of the phone number required. Behind the scenes, however, we have established our own internal response team within our Transfer Center. These 12 new personnel are medics — not call center operators — who have up to 30 years of experience in the medical field. This means they are better prepared to appropriately triage patients based on information provided. They can more easily detect patients who are emergent and they know which clinicians to contact for consultation.
“We now have Medic Transfer Coordinators working the transfer service 24-7,” says Transfer Center Manager Sarah Souter. “By asking key clinical questions, they can better guide calls to the appropriate service line, and can be a better monitor of patient conditions if changes occur.”
In addition, a new note section in Epic will allow UVA to record and track this information over time so that when a patient arrives, UVA’s team is well aware of their current status. “Now we have real-time clinical information that allows us to place patients appropriately from the start,” Souter says.
Because the transfer team will be co-located with the UVA Bed Center, there will also be greater transparency in terms of bed availability. “This will allow us to better estimate when exactly a bed will be available and provide a clear ETA to referring hospitals,” says Souter.
If you would like to transfer a patient to UVA Medical Center, call 844.XFERUVA (844.933.7882).
To learn more about these changes, feel free to contact our Physician Relations team.