Return to Main Menu

Center improves patient transfer services After many years of discussion and almost a year of planning, a centralized area for patient transfers into the Medical Center will become a reality.  Preparing to accept a patient transfer are ATC's registered nurses Marie Herrin, from left, Vermenia Aiken and Pat McIntyre. Bed Management, which is part of Patient Access Services, will expand its scope of responsibility and become known as the Admit-Transfer Center. Maureen McDaniel will remain at the helm of the operation.  According to McDaniel, the center will be staffed by registered nurses who will receive calls for patient transfers and process these requests for medical necessity and appropriate funding. The accepting MUSC physician will be informed of the additional information, so a more informed decision to accept the patient can be made. Patrick Cawley, M.D., physician consultant to the Admit-Transfer Center and chief of MUSC's Hospitalist Program, said physicians at MUSC have requested such a resource since he came on staff.  “I assisted with the implementation of a similar type program at Conway Hospital several years ago,” he said. “The physicians came to rely on the additional information and assistance in deciding which patients really needed to be admitted. With the patient census running so high at MUSC, having as much information as possible to determine the most appropriate patients for admission is even more vital.”  For referring physicians, the Admit-Transfer Center will simplify the process of requesting a patient be transferred to MUSC. All physician calls will be directed to the Admit-Transfer Center, where staff can gather the information while an MUSC physician discusses the case. The referring physician and hospital should get a confirmation of acceptance of the patient in an average of 30-45 minutes. Critically ill patients are immediately accepted for transfer if bed capacity and specialty care are available.  Admit-Transfer Center (ATC) One of the primary functions of the ATC will be to facilitate the sometimes complex process of transferring patients to MUSC. ATC staff will: Facilitate direct provider-to-provider communication Process the admission request  Confirm the presence of a transfer agreement with the referring facility and the referring physician  Compare clinical information obtained on the patient with Interqual patient severity criteria Obtain authorization for transfer and financial coverage of care from the insurance carrier or appropriate parties Confirm the availability of a bed Notify appropriate parties of the transfer request status Maintain a transfer data base “We feel that the expansion of services under the Admit-Transfer Center will provide added benefit to our physicians by streamlining the transfer process, improving coordination between the referring facilities and MUSC, alerting the accepting physician of potential coverage issues, and improving communications with all effected parties,” said Susan Pletcher, director of Patient Access and Health Information Services.  “Bed Management has done a great job with the placement of patients and handling the critically high census situation. This is just a natural extension of their duties,” said  John Heffner, M.D., MUH medical director.   Friday, Oct. 15, 2004 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.