Patient Transfer
VBMC TRAUMA CARE SERVICES GUIDELINE
TITLE: Trauma Transfers to another Facility
PURPOSE: To outline the process for transfer of trauma service patients
from VBMC to another facility
GUIDELINE:
Patients admitted to the trauma surgery service may require
transfer to another facility. The most common reason is at the family’s request
due to convenience or for sub-specialty services not available at VBMC.
Any patient on the trauma surgery service, admitted to the
floor or ICU, who is to be transferred to another facility must first be seen
and evaluated by an attending trauma surgeon.
The attending must confirm the appropriateness of the
transfer. After the patient is deemed stable for transfer, there must be
physician to physician (ideally attending to attending) conversation between
the Trauma Service and the accepting service at the receiving hospital.
The specialist requesting the transfer, if not the trauma
surgery service, must also converse with representatives of the corresponding
specialty service of the receiving hospital to ensure appropriate transfer of
care.
Prior to transfer digital copies of the pertinent pieces of
the patient’s chart as well as diagnostic studies should be made to transfer
with the patient.
All transfers should be based on patient need with no regard
to payer status. The receiving institution should be made aware that the Trauma
Service at VBMC will accept the patient in return if desired once the specialty
service necessitating the transfer is completed.