Streamlined Access to Orthopedic Specialist Drives Referrals from Athletic Trainers and Physical Therapists

Streamlined Access to Orthopedic Specialist Drives Referrals from Athletic Trainers and Physical Therapists

CHALLENGE:
Referring Patients is time consuming and problematic

When athletic trainers and physical therapists refer patients to orthopedic specialists, the process can be time consuming and problematic: requiring significant time spent on numerous phone calls, speaking with multiple people and trying to steer patients clear of the emergency department with a same-day appointment.

In August of 2017, The North Carolina Football Club (NCFC) and Wake Orthopaedics formed a partnership that enabled athletes to get timely orthopedic care by having orthopedic sports medicine physicians on call and providing same-day appointments.For the partnership to be successful, Wake Orthopaedics knew that fast and secure communication was key.

SOLUTION:
One button access via mobile app connects AT/PT directly to physician, clinic or appointment team

Speeding up Access and Communication- As a result of its affiliation with WakeMed, Wake Orthopaedics was introduced to PH Connect, a HIPAA-compliant solution developed by physicians to enable secure communication by text, by call, or via the web.

Four Athletic Trainers and 12 Physical Therapists were given access to the PH Connect app.

Wake Orthopaedics uses PH Connect each day to directly route messages to designated providers, dependent on whether the purpose is for consult, same day appointment, or concussion clinic. Messages contain patient contact information, allowing for quick, full-circle of communication for treatment plan.

“With PH Connect, the speed of communication is faster and streamlined. Appointment scheduling time has been cut in half, and communication to parents can typically take place on the same day. As a result, I send all my players to Wake Orthopaedics,” stated Jason Bailey, Athletic Trainer, North Carolina Football Club.

He continued, “PH Connect has definitely been a great addition; it is nice to be able to get notes and information about our players from any Wake Orthopaedics specialist or their urgent care facility. It has sped up access to providers and also helped with communication to parents.”

RESULTS:
Increased referrals and fewer delays in care, statisfying patients and parents

Making the Partnership a Success- PH Connect is now the official communication pathway for the NCFC and Wake Orthopaedics partnership. On average, 90 PH Connect messages are sent and received per month.

“PH Connect has enabled us to build on established provider relationships (both within our system and the community) as well as access new opportunities with regional sports teams, trainers and therapists. Patient care questions, x-ray consultations, and follow-up arrangement are significantly more efficient and it has allowed our practice to increase access for referring providers,” shared Mark Wood, MD, Executive Medical Director, Physician Services, Wake Orthopaedics. PH Connect provides Wake Orthopaedics and NCFC with fast, secure communication to ensure they provide the best care to athletes.

Creating new partnership opportunities- The success Wake Orthopaedics experienced using PH Connect with NCFC has also helped them build better partnerships with local physical therapists such as Response Physical Therapy. “PH Connect has allowed me to communicate much more easily with Wake Orthopaedics. Before, we could not email or text providers. We relied on faxing or sending the notes over with the patients. PH Connect has allowed me to give the provider some history and context prior to a doctor’s visit. Getting in touch with the providers used to be more difficult. It was tough to get quick answers on precautions or concerns. With PH Connect, communication is better now,” explained Dan Cyr, Physical Therapist, Owner and Founder, Response Physical Therapy.