TRANSFER CENTER
Acute, Inter-facility Transfers and Emergency Consultations
24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Kathleen Moore, Transfer Coordinator, (619) 543-5709
- Deb Emma, Director, Admissions & Registration, (619) 543-3989
- Manager on call, pager, (619) 290-2098
Our team of registered nurses is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to coordinate acute inter-facility transfers. All Non-Level of Care (e.g. burn, trauma) transfer requests for Hillcrest and Thornton should be directed to the Transfer Center for clearance prior to patient transfer from another facility. The Transfer Coordinator will verify/obtain medical acceptance, bed availability, financial authorization and arrange appropriate transportation if needed.
Transfer requests are evaluated based upon the patient’s clinical urgency and availability of UCSD Medical Center resources. After hours, our transfer center staff also coordinates emergent telephone consultations on complex or unusual cases.
All requests for acute facility transfers or direct admission will be considered for acceptance of care. Considerations for non-emergent transfers will be based upon alignment with the medical center’s missions. Requests will be evaluated based upon resources available to meet the patient’s needs, the patient’s need for tertiary care, the teaching and research merits of the case, and other medical center commitments.
Medical record documentation, including the discharge summary and all imaging studies, must accompany the patient on all acute transfers accepted to UCSD Medical Center. In some cases, we may ask you to fax medical records for physician review prior to acceptance. This will help ensure that each patient receives the appropriate level of care and services once they are admitted to the medical center.
UCSD Medical Center strives to meet the tertiary needs of the San Diego region. To facilitate resource availability, the transfer center may request a transfer letter of agreement that identifies an accepting physician and facility. This will enable the timely return of the patient to their home community upon completion of tertiary care at the medical center.