Tennessee Hospital System Increases Speed and Reliability of Patient Transfer Process, Enhancing Patient Outcomes and Satisfaction

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The transfer center increased admissions because it made the transfer process simple for providers

Salt Lake City, UT (PRWEB) April 15, 2014

Mountain States Health Alliance (MSHA) and patient flow software provider Central Logic released a case study highlighting seven benefits hospitals can gain by developing a patient transfer center. With innovative processes and technology, MSHA’s transfer center has generated a $650 million contribution margin for the Tennessee-based hospital system.

Transfer centers coordinate the movement of patients from clinics, community hospitals, and freestanding EDs into acute care settings. Referring providers call the transfer center and are connected with an appropriate accepting provider. This allows patients to go directly to the correct level of care and avoid delays in treatment. Transfer centers increase provider loyalty and decrease patient leakage to competitors. Due to these factors and others, MSHA experienced significant market growth after implementing its transfer center.

“The transfer center increased admissions because it made the transfer process simple for providers,” said Rick Newman, MSHA transfer center director. “One way we streamlined the process was by using technology. Honestly, I don’t know how we could coordinate resource utilization across our system without transfer center software.”

“MSHA runs one of the most progressive transfer centers in the nation,” said Darin Vercillo, MD, CMO at Central Logic. “When we consulted with its team, the correct processes were in place. MSHA just needed technology to support its workflows and capture business intelligence. We introduced MSHA to Central Logic ForeFront™ and the software was a great fit for its needs.”

Optimal care is delivered when the correct provider sees a patient as soon as possible. Using ForeFront, transfer center staff have all the appropriate contact information at their fingertips and can rapidly identify an appropriate accepting provider for a patient.

“We have saved lives using transfer center technology,” said Mark Wilkinson, MD, Medical Director for the MSHA transfer center. “Since ForeFront allows us to quickly say ‘yes’ to a transfer, we have reduced the loss of heart muscle and sped other time-sensitive clinical situations. With technology we are shaving minutes off transfer times. It is no surprise that transfer centers increase patient and provider satisfaction.”

READ THE FULL CASE STUDY HERE

About MSHA:
Mountain States Health Alliance, a not-for-profit healthcare organization based in Johnson City, Tennessee, operates a family of hospitals serving a 29-county, four-state region (Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, Southeastern Kentucky and Western North Carolina). MSHA offers a large tertiary hospital, several community hospitals, two critical access hospitals, rehabilitation, a children’s hospital, a behavioral health hospital, home care and hospice services, retail pharmacies, a comprehensive medical management corporation, and the region’s only provider-owned health insurance company. Its 13,500 team members, associated physicians, and volunteers are committed to its mission of bringing loving care to health care. For more information, visit: http://www.msha.com

About Central Logic:
Central Logic is the healthcare industry’s leading provider of innovative transfer center and capacity management solutions. Central Logic’s consultative team works collaboratively with physicians, administrators, and staff to design and implement patient flow software solutions that increase admissions and capacity while conserving internal resources. For more information, visit: http://www.centrallogic.com.

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