SHARON H. FITZGERALD

This magnet with SKY CALL's dedicated number for patient transfer is probably near the phone in most hospital emergency departments in the region.

Skyline Medical Center's nationally recognized services for neurology and neurosurgery mean patients suffering stroke or similar conditions regularly are transferred from other area hospitals to the TriStar Health System medical center on Dickerson Pike. That neurology volume was the impetus behind SKY CALL, a patient-transfer strategy that was so successful for neurology patients that all transfers to Skyline are now handled the same way.

Launched in May 2008, SKY CALL boasts the tag line "one call does it all," and that's indeed the case, according to Sherry Knowles, RN, director of Skyline's transfer center and hospitalist program. Knowles shares SKY CALL duties with another registered nurse, Terry Brandt, and both have critical care expertise.

"One of us mans this phone 24/7. All hours, day or night, when you call that one number, you are going to get Terry or me. That's really key to the program," Knowles explained.

That dedicated number is 615-769-7876. The two nurses alternate weeks handling every transfer call that comes in to Skyline, usually from other hospital emergency rooms, although the transfer could be inpatient to inpatient. Each nurse is armed with a laptop and direct access to Skyline's computer network to speed admissions.

The nurse takes a detailed report from the referring physician on the patient's condition, including symptoms, level of consciousness and whether any labs or imaging has been completed. "We have developed such a great relationship with our neurosurgeons and neurologists here, they usually want us to go ahead and get the full picture from that referring physician. So, when I call my neurologist or my neurosurgeon, I can repeat verbatim what's going on with the patient," Knowles said.

For particularly complex cases, the nurse may conference in the Skyline specialist for a three-way conversation with the referring doctor. Should the patient have other medical issues needing attention, the decision may be to transfer the patient for care by one of Skyline's hospitalists, and then bring specialists like neurologists to the case as consultants. "It's really a triaging of the patient that Terry and I do, to figure out the best physician to admit the patient, but we want to get everybody on board in the beginning who needs to be on board, so that when the patient gets here, we're ready," she said.

On the other end of the line, the referring hospital has detailed information to share with the patient or those accompanying the patient. "When we say one call does it all, we do all the legwork," Knowles said. "When I call that referring ER back, I'm calling back to say, 'This is your accepting physician and your room number. Send the patient.' "

Knowles said Skyline receives many of its neurologic transfers from Gateway Medical Center in Clarksville and the Blanchfield Army Community Hospital at Fort Campbell. Other referring hospitals typically are NorthCrest Medical Center in Springfield, Jennie Stuart Medical Center in Hopkinsville, Ky., Sumner Regional Medical Center, and sister TriStar hospitals Hendersonville, StoneCrest, Summit and Southern Hills.

www.skylinemedicalcenter.com