Admissions

You can refer a patient through the following steps:

• Step 1: Call the Access Center at 888-730-DOCS (3627)
• Step 2: A communications specialist will ask you basic demographic and triage questions to determine the best location for your patient to be placed within the hospital 
  • Patient's name and date of birth
  • Patient's weight and gender
  • Chief complaint
  • Your contact information 
• Step 3: You will be connected to the appropriate medical provider for medical acceptance to the unit. 

Our goal is the finalized medical and administrative acceptance within 10 minutes or less of your initial call to the Access Center. 

888-730-DOCS (3627) is the one phone number for all your needs, including:

• Direct admission request
• Referrals for urgent/emergent surgical needs
• Patients requiring Children's Health Transport Team

For out-of-network patients
Patients with out-of-network insurance plans or an insurance plan that obligates the patient to a specific provider network will be re-directed to an in-network provider if possible. 

Physicians with admitting privileges may call the Access Center at 888-730-DOCS (3627) to refer a patient. Bed management staff will request:

• When admitting to your own service a bed request, order is required via EPIC
• The Access Center does not accept faxes or any written materials regarding physician orders, patient care regimens or treatment plans for patients. 

Physicians who are not medical staff members may refer patients by contacting the Access Center at 888-730-DOCS (3627).  You may call the Access Center from anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Access Center gives referring physicians a convenient, coordinated process to transfer patients directly to inpatient care units, including critical care, or the Emergency Department when indicated. 

Physicians who want to refer a patient for emergency surgery should contact the Access Center at 888-730-DOCS (3627).  

For admissions requiring patient transport, call the Access Center at 888-730-DOCS (3627). The communication specialist will request the following information:

• Patient name and date of birth
• Hospital or location from where the child is being transferred
• Reason for transfer or probable diagnosis
• Referring physician and phone number where you can be called to confirm transport arrangements

 
The communication specialist also will request information regarding the status and stability of the patient, including:

• Vital signs
• Glasgow coma scale scores
• Oxygen saturation levels/oxygen needs
• Special equipment/medications needs (i.e. nitric, vasopressors, ventilator)

 
Transport staff will arrange:

• Necessary consults
• An accepting physician
• Bed assignment
• Administrative approval
• Memorandum of transfer 
• Availability of transport services is dependent upon patient stability and available resources and available time of the call 

To refer a patient to the Emergency Department, community providers and urgent care centers, can all the Clinical Nurse Liaison team at 214-456-8145. Referral nurses are available 24 hours, seven days a week. Prepare to provide the following information when calling:

• Patient name and date of birth
• Patient's chief complaint, reason for referral and past medical history
• Referring physician's name, phone and fax number
• An after-hours number where referring physician can be reached
• Primary care physician's name, phone and fax number 

If you are a hospital, community provider or free-standing ER wants to transfer care to need neonatal or pediatric transport services, please contact the Access Center at 888-730-DOCS (3627).