Greenleaf Consultant Group — healthcare team with air ambulance

Healthcare + EMS + Physician Consulting

Transforming Patient Transfer + Transport

Systematic solutions for hospitals, transfer centers, and EMS systems that improve outcomes and increase revenue.

The Challenge

TRANSFERRING + TRANSPORTING PATIENTS

is a COMPLEX PROCESS with many steps to coordinate.

As a REFERRING HOSPITAL, staff get tied up making multiple phone calls to obtain an accepting facility + determine ambulance options when trying to transfer + transport critical patients to time-limited services at another facility, which causes PATIENT DETERIORATION + EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT THROUGHPUT BACK-UP.

As a RECEIVING, SPECIALTY CENTER HOSPITAL, services are available, comprehensive stroke + interventional cardiology + neonatal + trauma + cardiothoracic + more, but your CURRENT PATHWAY TO ACCEPTING PATIENTS IS A BARRIER.

In most EMS SYSTEMS, AIR + GROUND INTEGRATION is underdeveloped. Air ambulances are typically underutilized or overutilized because of process limitations. Ground ambulances + fire departments rely on air medical, however delays from poorly integrated dispatch systems + EMS performance standard discrepancies IMPEDES A SUCCESSFUL + SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP OF AIR + GROUND.

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Where Things Break Down

Common Challenges We Solve

Receiving Hospital Challenges

MISSED TRANSPORTS + ADMISSIONS INTO YOUR FACILITY

You offer specialized treatment + service lines, but sending facilities do not know about them
Disconnect between which service lines your transfer center accepts + doesn't accept, which creates confusion for your referring facilities + physicians
You have no way of identifying where you are leaking patients + what throughput issues are causing missed admissions
Referring hospitals + physicians don't call to transfer a patient because your process is not easy + quick
Lack of transfer agreements to direct transfers in
Staffing + keeping specialized physicians
Physician to physician relationships + connections
Minimal or no outreach marketing + brand recognition
Patient leakage out of network + loss of admissions to other health systems
Sending hospitals don't think of you as their number one choice for calling when transfer is needed

Sending Hospital Challenges

DELAYS IN TRANSFERRING PATIENTS OUT + OFFLOAD DELAYS

Clinical staff preoccupied making unnecessary, multiple phone calls, which creates a chain reaction = patient flow backed-up from nurses/physicians not able to assess/treat other patients in the department + ambulance offload delays + upset patients/families + negative satisfaction scores + bad clinical outcomes + unnecessary diagnostic tests + increased avoidable costs
Not knowing what specialty services are offered at which receiving hospitals
Not having transfer agreements in place
Not knowing the level of care differences between ground ambulance BLS + ALS + CCT nurse-staffed + air ambulance
Not knowing when + how to use air medical
Confusion about who arranges transport, referring or receiving + when to call
Determining which patients to transfer + where to send them + how to call each hospital for patient acceptance + how to transport them

Free Resource

Download our free

INTERFACILITY TRANSFER + AMBULANCE TRANSPORT CHECKLIST

Click below to download.

Transfer + Transport Checklist (pdf) — Download

The Stakes

Cost of Failure

Bad Patient Outcomes

Irreversible disability because transfer was avoidably delayed. Patient deterioration because improper mode of transport or level of ambulance care. Unable to identify transfer performance benchmarks + trends to make improvements.

Decreased Revenue

Reimbursement is tied-up while navigating whether or not transfer was necessary + level of ambulance care was appropriate. A chain reaction causes ambulance off-load delays + department patient flow obstruction. Loss of future patient revenue + referrals.

Unhappy Customers

You've created a memorable experience, not a good memory! Your patients + families + referring physicians + EMS providers WILL REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.

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Healthcare innovation network with medical icons

The Outcome

What Success Looks Like

Medical professionals team collaboration

Sending Hospitals + Health Systems

When a critical patient arrives, you have a systematic algorithm in place to immediately decide if interfacility transfer is required + basket hospital to call based on knowing specialty services + transfer agreements + when to call for acceptance + what type of ambulance to call + when to call to arrange transport. You have specific + measurable transfer benchmarks. Your patients + families seek care at your hospital, even if you don't have certain specialty services, because you know where to send them + how. Your patients + families are LOYAL TO YOUR HOSPITAL + HEALTH SYSTEM.

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Transfer Centers + Receiving Hospitals

You have a clearly defined funnel that makes accepting patient transfers easy + quick. Protocols are in place for each service line transfer request. Your transfer CQI program tracks + trends + benchmarks performance indicators, such as missed requests + service line specifics + patient leakage + top referring physicians + more. Your time-saving, accessible intake process creates a positive experience for your referring facilities + physicians. Your customers remember how efficient + helpful you made their experience. You have converted MORE REFERRALS + REVENUE.

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Ambulance Transport + Emergency Medical Services

Your intake and dispatch process is fast + friendly + helpful. You accurately quote and meet your ETAs. You serve your requesters with empathy + urgency. You meet hospital + EMS performance standards. Hospitals + first responders know what type of ambulance they need + when to use air medical. Requesters want to use your service because you create a heartfelt, memorable experience for their patients + families — who perceive your ambulances + crews are part of their business. Your service delivery has transformed air and ground ambulance optimization + expanded transport agreements + enhanced EMS integration + INCREASED REQUESTS AND TRANSPORTS.

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Getting Started