UPMC MedCall

Service Groups

UPMC MedCall consists of four service groups: the Referral Communications Center, the Physicians Answering Service, the Call Coverage/Disease Management Group, and Electronic Communication Services.

Referral Communications Center
Through the Referral Communications Center (RCC), UPMC MedCall extends to all physicians the opportunity to contact any medical staff member at any UPMC hospital for the purpose of:

• patient transfer
• specialty consultation
• "curbside" consultation, a consultation in which two physicians use MedCall services to facilitate a telephone conversation
• image-enhanced consultation

The preceding RCC services are available by making a single contact with UPMC MedCall by telephone, fax, or e-mail (see contact information). The services apply to inpatients and outpatients.

Also available through the RCC is help with scheduling initial and follow-up appointments.

The RCC is dedicated to facilitating provider-to-provider communications, enhancing individual service to community and referring physicians, and facilitating triage decisions about the best way to use Health System resources.

The Physicians Answering Service
UPMC MedCall offers many types of answering services. Each one is specifically designed for physicians' offices and other medical workplaces. The In-Touch Answering Service at UPMC St. Margaret provides basic service. Additional services -- such as automated call routing, interactive voice response systems, scheduling and appointment-making services, and automated physician notification -- are available.

Call Coverage/Disease Management
Through the services provided by this group, a physician can:

• provide, on the telephone, answers to medical questions; the answers are based on protocols the physician has approved

• gain a representative who acts for the physician or center of excellence that cares for a patient; a representative might be a clinical nurse specialist or transplant coordinator, for example, depending on the expertise required

Because these services are available to patients through the physician's telephone number and offered in a manner consistent with the physician's preferences, the patient views the services as an extension of the physician's care.

At the beginning of the day after a call, the physician receives documentation about the call. Documentation can be available seven days a week. Such prompt documentation allows the physician to keep abreast of patients' concerns and monitor the service and provide feedback continually.

In the future, the Call Coverage/Disease Management Group will be able to provide reminders electronically or through telephone calls. Data processing is also planned as a future component of this group's services.

Electronic Communication Services
In support of all the services offered by the other three groups, Electronic Communication Services is developing many initiatives to improve the efficiency of MedCall service while decreasing the manual workload.

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