Transfer to Quaternary Care
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What quaternary care means here
Section titled “What quaternary care means here”A quaternary centre offers a service this hospital does not: a specialty not practised locally, a procedure performed nowhere else in the region, or a level of critical care the patient cannot get here. The transfer is for a service, not for proximity.
The centres
Section titled “The centres”| Centre | What they take | Transfer centre number | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska Medicine | |||
| Mayo Clinic | |||
| University of Iowa |
How the transfer works
Section titled “How the transfer works”- Identify the service the patient needs, not just the diagnosis. That decides the centre.
- Call the transfer centre before you call the family or arrange transport. They decide whether they will accept, and which service will take the patient.
- Give the clinical picture in one pass — age, presentation, the reason for transfer, what has been done, what is still needed, and how the patient is currently stable.
- Agree the destination and the transport — air or ground, and who arranges it.
- Document the name of the accepting physician and the time of acceptance.
What the receiving centre will ask for
Section titled “What the receiving centre will ask for”Keep these ready before you dial, so the call is one call rather than three:
- Vital signs, and what the patient is doing right now
- Relevant imaging — where it is, and how it can be viewed
- Key labs, with the collection times
- Lines, airway, and infusions currently running
- Allergies and anticoagulation status
- The family’s understanding of the transfer
Special notes
Section titled “Special notes”Space for the department’s own notes — who was helpful, which service declined, what to have ready next time.