2. Intelligently aligning care and resources
Guided by data from the screening process, your access center agents will determine the appropriate placement or location for each known or potential COVID-19 patient.

This determination addresses decisions regarding the level of care, which could include a telehealth visit with an advanced practice provider or admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), a dedicated facility where COVID-19 patients are cohorted, or another temporary setting. The key is to transfer patients directly to the most appropriate endpoint of care, which can avoid improper use of high-acuity resources or unnecessarily routing patients through the ED, which creates bottlenecks and risks additional staff and patient virus exposure.

As surge conditions make resource allocation decisions even more difficult, the access center will, in certain instances, readily facilitate alternative methods to assist referring providers with their patients such as telehealth consultation, remote monitoring, visiting nurses, or other means.

By avoiding unnecessary admissions and transfers in this way, it keeps beds available for patients who require acute and intensive care at designated locations. We saw these considerations become crucial in early U.S. COVID-19 hotspots, such as New York, Washington, and many locations internationally where case volumes rapidly increased. Load balancing is critical to prevent overwhelming providers and ensuring patients receive optimal care, so access center agents should have a real-time bed vacancy perspective for each facility.

3. Alerting relevant stakeholders
All personnel involved in a transfer of a patient with COVID-19, or if there is a medium-to-high risk of infection, should have advance notification so they can appropriately prepare for and transport the patient. This includes donning appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), readying isolation rooms, and having relevant staff available. Automatic push notifications to desktop and mobile devices ensure that this essential information reaches each stakeholder consistently.

When setting up notifications, make certain that all stakeholders are included. For example, a fire department may transport a patient with a traumatic head injury who, based on the access center’s screening, may also be at high risk for COVID-19. With advance notification, they can protect themselves with the appropriate PPE, which is a preventive step that may be overlooked during a traumatic injury rescue and transport.

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