Interim interdisciplinary communication standard

See expectations for clinical teams

Salem Health Hospitals and Clinics has established an interim Interdisciplinary Communication Standard to support timely, effective communication among our clinical teams and promote patient safety.

The standard reinforces several important expectations:

• STAT and critical communication: A page or direct phone call is required. Critical results must be communicated verbally.
• Urgent communication: A page or direct phone call is required for clinical concerns needing a response within 15 minutes.
• Routine communication: Epic Secure Chat remains an appropriate tool for non-urgent clinical communication and care coordination.
• Provider responsiveness: Medical Staff Rules and Regulations require a response to pages or calls within 15 minutes. Established escalation pathways should be followed when a response is not received.
  

Epic Secure Chat should not be used as the sole method of communication for urgent or critical patient care needs.

We provided tip sheets (found here) outlining these expectations to section chiefs to share with their section members. We encourage all physicians and providers to review this information and ensure their communication practices align with our standard.

This interim guidance will be used while a comprehensive system-wide clinician communication policy is developed.

Thank you for your commitment to effective communication, teamwork and safe patient care.