Patient transfer center

At the One Step Patient Transfer Center, our goal is to ensure all patients receive the right level of care when time, speed and skill are critical. The services we can provide access to for your patients include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Adult
• Burns
• Cardiac
• Labor and delivery
• Neurology and stroke
• Pediatrics

Some other benefits of our transfer center include:

• One step to reach the right hospital and specialists for your patients’ needs for hospital-to-hospital transfers — just call our toll-free number: (877) 549-9337
• Calls answered 24/7 to handle emergency transfers or direct admissions
• Appropriate accepting physicians are secured on your behalf for your patients, saving you valuable time
• All calls handled by experienced professionals, including registered nurses and EMTs with critical care experience
• Encompasses transfers for all medical specialties including cardiology, neurology and stroke, burns, labor and delivery as well as pediatrics
• Provides access to a network of hospitals adhering to high quality standards
• Serves Eastern, Western and Central Florida

What HCA Healthcare hospitals will the South Transfer Center support?

We serve all HCA Healthcare hospitals in east, west and central Florida and any non-HCA Healthcare hospital who contact our transfer center for a transfer.

Are there other HCA Healthcare transfer centers?

Yes, there are seven transfer centers within HCA Healthcare, including two in the National Group, one in North Florida and ours here in South Florida.

Where is the South Transfer Center located?

It is located in a Medical Office Building on the HCA Florida Woodmont Hospital Campus in Tamarac, Florida.

What is the organizational structure of the South Transfer Center?

It has a director and a manager. The director currently reports to the division Chief Financial Officer.

Are all patient transfers handled by the South Transfer Center?

Yes, every type of transfer should utilize our transfer center.

What type of reports can we expect to get from the Transfer Center?

Central Logic is the software used by HCA Healthcare transfer centers. It provides a wide variety of reports that show physician transfer choices, number of transfers, payor mix and other valuable market intelligence. These reports will be made available to hospital leadership.

Does the South Transfer Center have a medical director?

Yes, it will have a designated medical director.

What is the staff makeup at the South Transfer Center?

The staff is comprised of registered nurses, paramedics and emergency medical technicians.

How will the South Transfer Center know which physicians are on call?

The transfer center system allows the agents to access and view physician on-call schedules in real-time as they are updated by the hospital's medical staff.

Can physicians call the South Transfer Center for a transfer directly?

Yes. There will be a direct line for all physician calls that will be answered by an agent. Sending physicians are one of our key customers.

How does case management fit into the South Transfer Center process?

Case management will be freed of the tasks of arranging transportation and have more time to perform the qualifying admission tasks.

Will the South Transfer Center agents have access to facility preferences?

Yes. There has been significant data-gathering on hospital specialties, transport providers, contacts, etc., conducted prior to the opening of the transfer center. This information will be available to agents. Additionally, they will receive specific training to obtain needed information from all callers.

What happens when an on-call physician doesn't want to see or take a patient?

Escalation protocols have been built and will be used as needed to address these situations. Generally, the on-call hospital administrator will be notified and the sending physician will be referred to the next facility.

Will trauma patients be transferred across county lines?

Trauma guidelines establish where trauma patients must go. In life- and limb-threatening cases, we always yield to what is in the patient's best interest.

Who arranges the transportation for the non-HCA Healthcare facilities?

The transfer center will coordinate all transfers.

Will patients be transferred to non-HCA Healthcare facilities if they are the nearest?

The ultimate decision is with the physician and based on patient need. The transfer center will offer HCA Healthcare hospital availability and assist in all transfers.

Are transfer conversations recorded? Is audio documented in patient records?

All inbound and outbound calls will be recorded. Robust reports are available from the transfer center recording software for all transactions. The audio is not part of the medical record, it is used for quality control purposes and is available to hospital administrators if there is a need.

What about burn transfers?

Burns are sent to the nearest appropriate center.

What about Miami Children's or other high-specialty needs?

Specialty needs of the patient are always the priority.

How was the rollout or “go live” schedule determined?

The go live schedule was determined based on Meditech Market and other criteria related to geographic markets. The “go live” date is when all of that facility's transfers are to begin to go through the South Transfer Center.

Will behavioral health transfers be managed by the transfer center?

The transfer center will support behavioral health transfers. However, this is a specialty admission that requires qualifying criteria. The transfer center does not (at this time) do qualifying for patient admissions.

What if CT scans are down? Will transfer center handle the redirection?

Yes. When the receiving center notifies that their CT scan is down, the transfer center will redirect as needed.

Are surgery centers included in the transfer center?

Surgery centers are not in the current scope for the Transfer Center but may be considered as part of the growth plan in the future.

Prepared by the Education and Communication Steering Committee for the South Transfer Center.