Transfer Center

Virginia Mason Franciscan Health’s Mission Control coordinates the transfer of all in-scope patients into and out of care facilities with the goal of placing patients into the right bed at the right time. Our team manages these transfers with the support of emergency and internal medicine physicians whose job is to arrive at the best evidence-based patient logistics decisions.

Our team of experienced transfer coordinator nurses collaborate with treating clinical teams to facilitate timely acceptance of patients into hospitals. The coordinators have a deep understanding of patient acuity and clinical needs, know treating physicians and nurses well, and understand the level of care capabilities at each site. This team enables real-time routing and management of all incoming and outgoing transfer requests within existing resource constraints.

• If a patient is willing to transfer to receive care that a member hospital cannot provide, the member physician orders a transfer via Mission Control.
• The member hospital calls Mission Control.
• The team, composed of nurse and non-nurse staff, utilize standard work to understand the needs of every patient.
• Mission Control then matches those needs to an available bed and nursing team, and the member hospital arranges for patient transportation.
• The patient is admitted to a Virginia Mason Franciscan Health hospital and receives care.
• The patient is transferred back to the member hospital or discharged following care from Virginia Mason Franciscan Health.