Special Update: Temporary Referral Backlog – For Urgent Referrals, Please Call Clinical Intake Directly
Wednesday, Oct. 14 – Seattle Children’s is experiencing a temporary referral backlog related to our transition on Oct. 3 to Epic. We will let you know when this issue is resolved.
In the meantime, if you have an urgent referral please send it in the usual way and then call our Clinical Intake Coordinators directly at 206-987-2080, option 2. We will be able to quickly pull your referral from the top of the referral queue to expedite the referral process.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we adjust to our new workflows with Epic.
If you have EpicCare Link specific questions, please contact the help desk at 206-987-4444 or EpicCareLink@seattlechildrens.org.
As always, if you would like to contact our Physician Relations team, please email us at physician.relations@seattlechildrens.org.
Seattle Children’s Transitions to Epic
On Saturday, Oct. 3, Seattle Children’s transitioned to using the Epic electronic medical record system (EMR). PHIN and eReferral are no longer in use.
Patient health information is now available to community providers via the web-based application EpicCare Link. Providers may also use EpicCare Link to submit referrals to Seattle Children’s, although faxed referrals will still be accepted.
Previous users of PHIN and eReferral should have received their new log-in credentials for EpicCare Link in September. If you did not, please contact us at physician.relations@seattlechildrens.org.
If you are a Seattle Children’s Care Network (SCCN) user, nothing has changed in how you access your patients’ medical records; please continue to log in to EpicCare Link as usual through the Okta portal. Likewise, any provider with a Seattle Children’s badge ID should access EpicCare Link through Okta. Read full post »
Radiology/Lab Requests: Send Paper Orders with Patients (October Only)
During October, as Seattle Children’s transitions to Epic, we anticipate the possibility that PCPs’ faxed radiology or lab orders may not be received in a timely manner. As a precaution, if you are sending in your patient for imaging or labs, please fax in the order as usual but also give a paper order to the family to bring with them. This will help us be able to see your patient if they arrive without an appointment and we haven’t received the faxed order by the time they arrive.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we switch to Epic.
Map of COVID-19 Testing Sites Across Washington
The Washington Department of Health has published a map of all Washington state COVID-19 testing sites including hospitals, clinics, community-based sites and drive-throughs. The list provides information about cost, whether an appointment is needed and whether testing is offered in other languages.
Visit Seattle Children’s COVID-19 testing page for information about ordering a COVID-19 test for your patients age 20 and younger at one of our 4 testing sites. Walk-up testing is not available; appointments are required.
As of Oct. 4, Seattle Children’s has tested 13,755 children with a positivity rate of 1.4% (positive and inconclusive test results.) No patients are in the hospital; those who tested positive are recovering at home.
Seattle Children’s Sees Early Spike in Fall Mental Health Visits to ED
An autumn uptick in mental health visits to the ED is normal as school begins and days darken. This year the surge began unexpectedly early at Seattle Children’s, in August, with about 20 more visits to the ED for mental health concerns than in the previous year. September and October ED numbers are holding steady so far compared to prior years. The difference is the acuity. More kids are arriving with mental health concerns who require admission.
“We all feared the effect that isolation, the pandemic and general societal stress would have on kids,” says Russ Migita, MD, clinical director of Emergency Services. “It’s because of the great work PCPs are doing to support kids and their families that we aren’t seeing even higher numbers in the ED yet. But the busy season is just beginning. We all need to work together to advocate for more resources and options for patients and families in the community.” Read full post »
Telehealth Services and Fees
Billing change: Seattle Children’s is billing a home telehealth administration fee of $75 for all telehealth visits, similar to the facility fee charged for in-person visits. The fee covers hospital expenses for a telehealth visit that are separate from the cost of the medical provider, including equipment and additional staff the hospital provides to support the appointment.
The home telehealth admin fee applies to telehealth visits with our hospital-based clinics, regardless of the provider’s location (e.g. office, home, lab), when patients are seen by a doctor, nurse practitioner, physician assistant or mental health professional. Read full post »
New Sleep Diagnosis: Restless Sleep Disorder
An international panel of sleep experts is adding a new pediatric sleep disorder they call restless sleep disorder (RSD) to parents’ and pediatricians’ radars.
Led by Seattle Children’s pediatric sleep specialist, Dr. Lourdes DelRosso, the group shared their consensus on a medical definition of RSD in a paper published in Sleep Medicine. Known to occur in children ages 6 to 18, RSD can lead to attention impairment, mood and behavioral problems and other issues at home and school due to poor sleep quality. Read full post »
COVID-19 Testing Update
We are excited to continue partnering with our pediatric provider community in offering COVID-19 testing (see our COVID-19 testing page for complete information including how to order a test).
Availability of tests:
Our capacity is highest at our Urgent Care in Seattle. Testing is frequently fully booked at our South Clinic in Federal Way. Our remaining locations usually have some capacity. Appointments can generally be scheduled within 24 to 48 hours.
Testing locations:
Our Switch to Epic: What Providers Need to Know
On Oct. 3, Seattle Children’s will transition to the Epic electronic medical record system (EMR). Approximately 5,000 referring providers and their staff will be using EpicCare Link to refer patients and view their patients’ health information at Seattle Children’s.
- We will no longer use PHIN after Oct. 3. We have also stopped accepting new applications to use PHIN.
- Providers will be able to submit referrals and access patient information at Seattle Children’s by using the web-based application EpicCare Link (more info below).
- eReferral was rebranded in August 2020 to become EpicCare Link.
