New Regional Referral Center is Now Open

For thousands of Premier Health patients, a single phone call on their behalf now triggers enhanced, more seamless care.

Referring hospitals, nursing homes, and physicians who need to transfer or directly admit a patient to a Premier Health facility can now contact the health system’s new regional referral center. The center, which opened Sept. 4, is housed inside the Cox Media Center, 1611 S. Main St., in Dayton.

The center’s rapid referral process will help ensure patients receive the care they need as soon as possible. With the high-tech bank of computer screens that track aircraft and mobile intensive care units, more than 60 staff members access real-time information to rapidly find the optimal spot to care for incoming patients among the more than 1,600 licensed beds across the Premier Health system. More staff could be added over time.

In a first for Dayton, the regional referral center houses communications for CareFlight’s medical helicopter services, which cover a 17-county area. The referral center also handles other transportation needs, including the movement of six mobile intensive care units. Additionally, staff arranges for an admitting physician to be in place when a patient arrives at a facility, and thousands of pages are sent to physicians who provide care in Premier Health hospital emergency departments. The center coordinates a patient’s entire care journey, and coordinates follow-up care when the patient is discharged.

Previously, Premier Health’s access and transfer center, CareFlight communications center, and bed access were handled from separate locations and primarily served Miami Valley Hospital. The new regional referral center takes a more holistic approach in coordinating care systemwide.

Back to the November 2019 issue of Premier Pulse.