Children's Direct Continues to Increase Call Volume, Physicians' Satisfaction with Services
To date in 2011, the number of physicians calling Children’s Direct at St. Louis Children’s Hospital (SLCH) has increased 14 percent over the same time period in 2010. In addition, preliminary results from a recent physician satisfaction survey show that 100 percent of those responding will use Children’s Direct again, and that all respondents felt the service made access to the hospital easier for them.
“Our steady growth shows the value physicians place in the services we offer them,” says Douglas Carlson, MD, medical director of Children’s Direct. “We work hard to ensure the quality of our services remains high and responsive to physicians’ needs.”
One means by which quality is maintained is frequent monitoring of calls coming into Children’s Direct, all of which are recorded. “In addition to our staff monitoring calls to see how we can improve our processes, physician leaders review a sampling of calls every month to ensure quality and efficiency,” say Dr. Carlson.
Physician access line offers “one-stop” telephone access
For quick and easy access to any of the services provided through Children’s Direct, physicians need to remember just one telephone number: 800.678.HELP (4357). The 24/7 access line serves as an immediate link for referring physicians when they need to admit a patient, dispatch the hospital’s transport team, obtain urgent or routine consultations, schedule appointments with specialists, or request patient information. In addition, physicians may use Children’s Direct to register for continuing medical education (CME) sessions or to make inquiries regarding any topic related to Children’s Hospital.
“Our goal is to save time for our referring physicians by offering them a one-stop communication hub for anything they may need,” says Julie Bruns, director of the SLCH Answer Line/Children’s Direct.
Pediatric nurses and experienced referral specialists staff Children’s Direct. The critical care experience of the nurses is especially helpful when referring physicians and hospitals call to admit or transport a patient.
“In most cases, our nurses will immediately arrange a conference call among the referring physician, an accepting physician at Children’s Hospital, and the call facilitator, who together will develop a plan for the transfer and admission,” says Bruns. “In addition, key information about the patient is documented so that preparations may be made for the patient’s arrival. The knowledge and background of our nurses is a vital component to making this process go smoothly, carefully and quickly.”
The Children’s Direct staff uses the hospital’s new Teletracking bed management system to allow for faster acceptance and placement of transferred patients. “In most cases, we are able to tell the referring physician that the patient has a bed on the initial phone call,” says Bruns.
Another important service of Children’s Direct is facilitating requests from referring physicians for urgent consultations with specialists. Through the commitment of Washington University pediatric specialists, these consults happen within minutes of receiving a call.
Physicians’ staff members also may contact Children’s Direct to schedule patient appointments with SLCH’s attending physicians. Not only will facilitators set up the appointment, they also will follow up with the physicians’ offices and contact the patient’s family with the time and any further instructions they need.
“Ensuring convenience for whomever uses the service is our goal,” says Bruns. “Our ability to focus on the details and legwork allows physicians and their staff members to focus on patient care.”
